Opéra

1929 · 20354 — Paris: Opéra Privé de Paris 1929. Good/No Dust Jacket As Issued. <br /> RUSSIAN MODERNISM REBORN ON THE PARISIAN STAGE.<br /> A visually striking Première Saison program documenting the post-Diaghilev continuation of Russian operatic and theatrical culture in interwar Paris. Issued by the newly founded Opéra Privé de Paris in 1929 this richly illustrated production program for Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Tsar Saltan' preserves the artistic language of the Ballets Russes through tipped-in color costume and scenic designs after Ivan Bilibin and Alexandre Korovine.<br /> <br /> Founded immediately following the death of Sergei Diaghilev the Opéra Privé de Paris sought to sustain the creative energy of Russian émigré theater in Western Europe. This production united performers designers and musicians associated with the Russian diaspora transforming Pushkin's fairy-tale opera into a vivid expression of émigré modernism transplanted into the cultural life of Paris.<br /> <br /> PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Quarto format approximately 9.5 × 12.5 inches. Stapled illustrated wraps with full-color chromolithographic cover after Ivan Bilibin. Illustrated with six tipped-in color chromolithographs of costume designs after Bilibin executed from stage maquettes by Alexandre Korovine together with two additional tipped-in scenic plates and a tipped-in color portrait of Madame Maria Kousnezoff-Massenet by Nicolas Kousnezoff. Numerous illustrated period advertisements throughout including several full-page advertisements.<br /> <br /> CONDITION: One advertisement leaf detached but present. Plates remain vivid and visually strong with only light handling wear to the wraps. Staples sound. A well-preserved and unusually attractive example of interwar Parisian opera ephemera. Première Saison issue.<br /> <br /> Première Saison programs of the Opéra Privé de Paris survive in comparatively small numbers particularly examples retaining the full suite of tipped-in color plates after Ivan Bilibin. Comparable illustrated programs from this short-lived company appear only intermittently in the market especially in near-complete condition. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -<br /> The Opéra Privé de Paris was co-directed by the Russian soprano Maria Kousnezoff-Massenet and functioned as an important cultural bridge for displaced Russian artists after the Revolution. Though short-lived the company preserved important elements of Russian operatic staging and Ballets Russes visual identity during a transitional moment in European theater history.<br /> <br /> Ivan Bilibin's influence on Russian stage aesthetics remained profound well into the twentieth century and his designs for productions such as 'Tsar Saltan' helped define the visual mythology of Russian folklore on the international stage.<br /> <br /> This program captures a pivotal moment in the evolution of Russian theatrical modernism after the dissolution of the Ballets Russes. Following Diaghilev's death in 1929 Russian émigré artists in Paris sought new institutional forms through which to continue the aesthetic innovations that had transformed European stage culture during the previous two decades.<br /> <br /> The production of Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Tsar Saltan' adapted from Pushkin's fairy-tale poem provided an ideal vehicle for this visual and musical continuity. The decorative richness of Ivan Bilibin's folkloric imagery combined with the scenic interpretation of Alexandre Korovine preserves the highly ornamental stage language that became synonymous with Russian theatrical design in the early twentieth century.<br /> <br /> Beyond its theatrical importance the program also presents a vivid portrait of interwar Parisian cultural life. Its advertisements portraiture typography and chromolithographic inserts collectively illustrate the commercial and artistic environment surrounding Russian émigré performance culture in France between the wars.<br /> <br /> SUBJECTS: Ballets Russes Legacy Ivan Bilibin Stage Design Russian Émigré Art Paris Theater History Rimsky-Korsakov Tsar Saltan Interwar Opera Culture Russian Opera In Paris Chromolithographic Illustration Illustrated Performance Programs Opera Ephemera Theater History Russian Modernism Illustrated Programs. Opéra Privé de Paris unknown