New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-07
THE FIRE Bird
Great Success of Russian Artists
in Paris Production.
Paris. .Iune cS

= rDiseau &c Ecu" a Muscovite fairy
.,s narrated 10y music and dance. pro-
Zoo by the Russian artists at the
Grand opera marks a new departure In
--.r,,-eg-aphic art II scars far beyond
- range OF the ordinary ballet It is
r,ore dramatic. more subtle and more
,,bfIcsophicaI II is the application to
the ballet OF the principles of the lyric
drama Il is a symphonious poem ex-
--,esses through the mediums of the
dance. Of pantornime and of music. The
success IS prodigious- The author NJ
Igor Stravinsky, is q young Russian
oorrpose7-he is only twenty-eight years
old-and vas favorite pupil OF Riusky-
Korsakof-
The story OF The Fire Bird is drawn
from Muscovi1e folklore. Ivan Tsare-
witch. the kings son. a handsome. am
hrior.s youth. fired by noble aspirations
pu-sues the sacred bird Of fame and
gold which, with subtle a!leeory, sym
holizes his own ideals. The bird eludes
his grasp but a single flame colored
feather remains in VANS lind The
chase continues There are fairylike
suggestions OF the aeroplane.
The fire bird" with Ivan after il,
takes fight into the realms Of the ter
rible Kotschei. the evil sorcerer, who has
transformed into stone hundreds of i'm
prudent mortals who have been caught
t-espassinC IN his domains. Kotschei
holds thirteen princesses unclaimed IN
his manor Ivan undergoes fearful or
deals He is beset by innumerabIe
temptations and SHARES. He encounters
moral. mental and physical obstacles
Final victory is won by Ivan's courage
intelligence and faith
The IRE bird proves TO be a good fairy
The fame colored feather that remained
IN VANS grasp is a talisnsn- So. when
tHe wicked magician kotschei is about
70 turn Ivan into a block Of marble his
power vanlsfes like that Of Mephis-
torheles II the presence Of the Saviour's
ross. Kotschei perishes as Ivan dis
pels the enChanruent by which the sor-
cere-'s victims had been held fixed in
stone. Il is the triumph Of education,
e7'ightenment and liberty. The stone
blocks, now freed from SLAVERY and
ignorance. resume human shape and
being The thirteen imprisoned prin-
cosses. set ct liberty, regain moral and
Intellectual freedom
= IS the social apotheosis Of human
its Il is the Paradise Resained
There Is Z wild. wonderful and charac-
rs-isrie scene OF Slavonic kissing. en-
tracins and rejoicing. All pluck golden
f-lit from the sacred trees which con-
fer love, peace and wealth The grand
fra bird scars aIcft. while all below
enter upon a life Of happiness and free
dom
This brief synopsis of the symphoni-
o.s poem OF ". Igor Stravinsky and NJ
Fekine conveys but faint idea of the
york. which IS an aesthetic unity OF
music dance and color. The music is
daring, dramatic and realistic It Is
after the manner Of Rfmsky- korsakoff,
With touches Of Debussy and Richard
strauss. II is essentially modern.
The scenery. painted BY the Russian
artist n. Golovine. is different from any
thing before mounted az the Opera II
Is = fairZlike mosaic OF Byzantine color
themes on q groundwork Of dead gold
one Partisan critic compares the mise
obscene" to - vast cashmere shawl
sumptuous- supple and waving" An
other says il is Ike a gigantic dish of
FermioelH sprinkled with z thick coat
-7g q multi-colored pencillings It
may be scenic iInpressionism with the
technique Of a Claude Monet, but all
agree that the effect is superb.
The dancing is marvellous. None Of
the feathered bipeds in Rostand's
"Crautecler" not even tbs delicate
den hen pheasant-can compare with
-la flaming. flashing IRE bird" marvel
lausIy impersonated by Nile. Karsavina.
d. Fokine. who wrote the libretto.
dances the part Of Ivan. Nine. Fokine.
Nile. Lopoukhova and NJ Boulgakov are
Geographic artists Of astounding tai
enr- The orchestra is conducted by N.
Gabriel P:crn1. author Of La Coupe En-
lHa-tee- and La File de Tabarinr
THE Fin Bro is altogether the finest
work that the Russian operate dancers
nave brought OCT during their season at
Tie Grand Op@ra here Perfunctory
adaptation for the dance Of an Oriental
poem like "Scheherazade." orchestration
for the ballet Of classic piano music Of
Sehumann and Chopin as in LIE Car
naval and Les Sylphides,'' are clever,
se-ait undertakings. but lacking in
originality and in national character.
The Fire Bird is much more than
Spectacular ballet. II is the essence of
1iCscovite folklore. repIete with Slavo-
man poetry. philosophy and passion NJ
Stra~Inshy has succeeded in blending in
dramatic unison plastic motion with
music. thereby causing one Of the most
delightful sensations that theatrical art
IS capa Die Of producing c. I B.
? 2 HnNUrNTYnN