New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-16

they would also have heard in the sec
ond waltz the incest Of little converse
tions between happy dancers ever put
into music-pretty protestation in the
bass, blushing but unquestioning &C
ceptance in the treble, and then the
longer speech, with its deeper note OF
passion, TO which no reply is needed
EXCEPT the suffused cheeks and moist
ened eye Of the blessed damosel. In
place of which what do We get? A
pretty young woman coming home tired
from ball, falling asleep with rose
in her hand; vsualiZed dream, IN
which a male person in old-rose tights
bounds and prances and pirouettes and
poses, and a pretty feminine creature
in dainty white goes about a-tiptoe,
periodically puts out leg al right
angle with her body or tries to bend
herself into a hoop. At the end wax
ing from the sleep and prosaic goirg
to bed by the young woman.
The most interesting music and the
most interesting dancing at the Rus
sian ballet performances have been the
COMPOSITIONS in which the folk-music
Of Russia was either reproduced or
copied and folk-tales illustrated. Botn
music and stories are exotic and out
side the intellectual horizon Of the GER
eral public. Il would not cost the man
agement much 10 provide a little Ell
lightenment in the shape of well writ
ten accounts of the plots printed on the
programmes. Space might easily be
made for them by eliminating the ro-
iterated lists Of dancers names, whlc"
are of interest 10 nobody and cannot
be. because there is no way OF ldentllN-
ing name with a dancer. But this
the management will not do. Instead
there is souvenir programme" which
costs 90 cents, which has nothing az all
20 say about some Of the pieces when
most require calculation and little tnat
5 valuable about any. What is the
meaning of lie Soleil de Mutt? The
music Of this ballet is not only charm
iug-it is the most admirable illus
tration of artistic treatment applied 10
folksong in the repertory of NJ. Diaghi-
lef's company. Taken IN connection
with the title. the fantastic stage set
indicates that the dances are intended
10 be suggestive Of an ancient pagan
religious ceremonial. That is the sug-
gestion Of the top border, with ITS
rows Of lurid, serrated dsks.
with faces like the faces Of
lack 0 lantern, and the rayed wheel
in the wings Familiar solar symbols
these. But what is the grotesque iig-
ure, like an Alaskan totem pole, which
fills the middle Of the back drop?
Many would like to know; many have
asked: all have asked in vain. The
music for the piece is drawn from
Rimsky -Korsakoh's opera "Snegou-
rotchka" The Snow Maiden and
characters from that opera are sup
posed to be among the dancers. The
chorus which sings for the dance sings
of Lehl, the personfcation of Russian
folktale. who figures in the play; the
dance Of buffoons is from the ballet
IN the opera, and probably has no
other significance than that Of pop
ular merrymaking; but there must be
some reason for the introduction OF
the village imbecile. whom our opera
pstrons know from the performances
OF Boris Godounof." What IS the
connection between the choreographic
scene and the opera? The basis OF
that is a fairy tale. which tells how
the daughter Of Fairy Spring and Ola
Winter, fair creature whose VEINS
are filed with snow. wherefore she
Is lncapaDie OF pdsHio"' -
with the capacity to love by her moth
er. bestows herself upon a young NOR
tai and is dissolved into vapor by
the rays Of the June sun. n nature
myth. plainly; but il 1t has any con
nection with the ballet the fact 5 not
obvious.
"L'Oiseau de Ecu" is fairy play
which can be enjoyed with the ingenu-
Gus fancy OF childhood. so far as its
mixtures are concerned. and with the
highly sophisticated mind OF the "ad-
ysnced' musician Of to-day N respect
Of its music. But there is deep
drsught from the veil Of Russian