(5/6) In his 1936 autobiography, (affiliate link) Stravinsky wrote of the original 1928 decor and costumes for Apollo: “I did not see eye to eye with Diaghileff […] I pictured it to myself as danced in short white ballet skirts in a severely conventionalized theatrical landscape devoid of all fantastic embellishment such as would have been out of keeping with my primary conception. What was produced was interesting, but, as I had expected, it in no way suited my ideas.” (If you swipe to the end you’ll see the original decor and costumes.)
Serge Lifar and Alexandra Danilova. Photo by Sasha, 1928.
How interesting it is that nearly 30 years after the first performance, Apollo was presented with the decor and costumes Stravinsky wrote about in 1936…
In 1957 when Apollo was revived with Jacques as the lead, the Times review praised that, “it is now being performed in practice clothes and without scenery,” which caused “a wondering-working change. […] Now the place is a well-defined stage area, the characters are dancers so clad, and the action is a purely choreography construction.”
(left) Mikhail Baryshnikov and Heather Watts, 1979.
(center) Peter Martins and Suzanne Farrell, 1980.
(right) Jacques D’Amboise and Allegra Kent, 1970.
Photo by Martha Swope
Check out the Apollo Ornament in the shop:
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