Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Serge Diaghilev (1872 to 1929) was an extraordinarily gifted impresario, curator, director and animator of the arts. He was perfectly at home in the wave of creative energy that pushed theatrical performance to the forefront of the arts in the early twentieth century and perfectly placed to export Russian culture to Western Europe.
Active in Europe and America between 1909 and 1929, Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company expanded the frontiers of theatre. Many of its acclaimed productions were true collaborations, examples of gesamtkunstwerk (unified works of art) that continue to capture the imagination of audiences a century later.
This beautiful book takes advantage of new research and draws on little-seen collections at the V+A to look at his life, his work, his cultural milieu and, most importantly, the actual processes of creating a ballet while working with some of the foremost creative thinkers of the period.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Published to coincide with an exhibit of the same name at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, this catalog uses some of the vast riches of the museum's dance collections to great effect to elucidate the long-term influences of Russian impresario Sergey Diaghilev (1872-1929) and his Ballets Russes on the development of 20th-century arts. The visual artifacts-photographs, set designs, costumes, sketches, paintings, posters, scores, and souvenir programs-in this heavily illustrated volume complement the catalog's eight essays, which powerfully communicate the unprecedented creative collaboration of artistic giants that took place under Diaghilev's direction and transformed theatrical production. The catalog includes helpful appendixes that list the company's repertoire and tour locations, as well as short, entertaining pieces on narrow topics, such as "front cloths" and "daily class." Coeditors Pritchard and Marsh (curator of dance and director, respectively, Theatre & Performance Collections, Victoria and Albert Museum) have drawn upon new research to share museum treasures that have not been widely seen. Verdict Recommended for interested readers who may be intimidated by Sjeng Scheijen's recent 500-plus page biography, Diaghilev: A Life.-Joan Stahl, George Washington's Mount Vernon, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Published to coincide with an exhibition curated by Pritchard at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, which possesses the largest holdings of Ballets Russes sets and costumes, this book highlights the artistic achievements of one of the most famous dance companies in history, founded by the great theater producer Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929), dubbed an enlightened despot with extraordinary artistic flair by collaborator/composer Stravinsky. Diaghilev, an aesthete and son of a landed nobleman, achieved acclaim as a curator of public art exhibitions and edited an avant-garde art magazine. But it was for his revolutionary, modernist ballet company that Diaghilev is best known, and the photographs in this book illustrate why, with images of his lead male dancers and choreographers, such as Nijinsky and Serge Lifar, who restored the male dancer to a central role; work by artists like Leon Bakst that revitalized stage design; and costumes that influenced fashion and furnishings (Le Train bleu featured both Chanel's smartly contemporary costumes and Picasso's triumphant drop curtain with two giantesses running hand in hand along the beach). Although the book's essays are somewhat disjointed, readers will savor the abundant photographs, which aptly demonstrate the creative process at work. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.