Sergey Diaghilev is one of the most significant figures of the 20th century culture. He made it possible for Russian art to enter the international scene and become an important trend in world culture.
Before turning his eyes to the West, Diaghilev with his inherent passion, fervor and perfectionism made an effort to reform cultural life of Russia. He was one of the founders and ideologists of the «Mir Iskusstva» («World of Art») artistic movement and the publisher of the magazine with the same name (1898-1904). It was him who organized in Saint-Petersburg several brilliant exhibitions of contemporary European artists and the famous exhibition of Russian portrait art of the XVIII-XIX centuries, that became a real sensation for the Russian audience, because it included more than two thousand portraits, most of which had not been previously shown to the public.
In 1906 Diaghilev started his life-long campaign for the promotion of Russian art in the West. Diaghilev was, without doubt, flattered by his likeness to Peter the Great, as his friends told him, and this may be one of the reasons why he thought of his plan of Russia’s cultural expansion to Paris, London and other European capitals as the continuation of Peter’s mission to «open a window on Europe». The exhibition of Russian icons and painting, which was first presented in the 10 Halls of the “Grand Palace» («Grand Palais») in Paris and later shown in Berlin, Monte-Carlo and Venice, was a big surprise to the European public, who couldn’t have imagined Russia to have such a rich artistic tradition. And that was just the beginning.
In 1907 Diaghilev organized five symphony concerts, in which Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Glazunov and Chaliapin took part. 1908 was the year of Russian opera seasons and the year 1909 saw the first opera and ballet season, which became a triumph of Russian theatre. Taken aback by such a massive cultural invasion of «Russian barbarians», a European spectator was irrevertibly captivated. Diaghilev, who opposed mass-culture and despised tastes of the crowd, however, with his refined performances could make the crowd go mad and command it. The entire Europe praised Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Tamara Karsavina and Mikhail Fokine.
Among the artists, who worked for the Russian Seasons, were Nicholas Roerich, Alexander Golovin, Alexander Benois, Lev Bakst and others. Their stage designs provided the performances with unity of style and after the success of the Russian Seasons they soon became the trend-setters for European art. Diaghilev's unique ability to see talent and do everything to help this talent develop to it’s maximum was the quality that made him a great impresario. Diagilev was not afraid of failure and hated repeating himself – these were the two reasons that brought a series of bitter partings and new discoveries. He found new talents as if from nowhere, admired them, made the best of them and, finally, left them. Thus, choreographer Fokine was first followed by Nijinsky and Myasin, who were later, in their turn, replaced by Bronislava Nijinskaya and Balanchine. Likewise Pablo Picasso, André Derain, Georges Braque, Maurice Utrillo and Giorgio de Chirico came in place of the set-designers of the first seasons.
Diaghilev introduced to the world two greatest Russian composers – Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev. Although there were such masters as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie and Richard Strauss, Manuel de Falla and Francis Poulenc working for the «Russian Seasons», Stravinksy's and Prokofiev's ballets were always included in the repertoire until the very last season.
The whole world was at Diaghilev's feet, but thoughts of Russia never left him. He died in Venice in 1929, with his dream of going back and showing his creation in Russia unfulfilled. This was the only project that he failed to accomplish. For the Russian audience the phenomenon of Diaghilev has forever become a legend.
The feelings of his contemporaries about this genius and controversial man can be expressed with Prokofiev's words: «...We were stunned. This giant figure disappeared and, without doubt, the further the figure was, the bigger it seemed to be».
His Idea of permanent artistic revolution gave impulse to new searches in all spheres of art. Diaghilev was one of the first to understand the role of visual language, based on intensive colour. Thus he anticipated the experiments of the Russian avant-garde artists at the beginning of the 20th century. Equally, Nijinsky’s and Balanchine’s choreography, which he held in very high esteem, was ahead of it’s time in symphonic dance language.
That was the time when the tide of Russian influence bashed on the world. Now the wave rolled back and came back to Russia. The things that Russia through Diaghilev once gave to the world are now coming back to us enriched.
In 2009 we celebrated the 100-year anniversary of Sergey Diaghilev's Russian Seasons.
Both the Old World and the New World are getting ready for celebration. Numerous exhibitions and festivals, contests and conferences will be held in Europe, Asia, America and Australia.
In 2009 of the Saint-Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music (the holder of all Diaghilev relics, left in Russia), the State Hermitage Museum and the Alexandrinsky Theatre initiated the foundation of a new festival – «Diaghilev. P.S.» with a mission to bring the name of Diaghilev back to Russia and pay him tribute. The governor of Saint-Petersburg Valentina Matvienko and the minister of culture Alexander Avdeev have agreed to head the honorary committee of the festival. The most important cultural institutions of ST Petersburg - the State Hermitage Museum, the Russian Museum, The State Philharmonia, the Russian Ballet Academy (Vaganova), the Alexandrinsky theatre, the State University, the State Ethnographic Museum, the St Petersburg House of Music, the State Museum of Theatre and Music and some others - join their forces to create an exciting programme of the festival «Diaghilev. P.S.»
