What kind of ballet is Afternoon of a Faun?
modern ballet
The Afternoon of a Faun (French: L’après-midi d’un faune) is a modern ballet. It was choreographed by Nijinsky to a short symphonic work by Claude Debussy called Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. Both the music and the ballet were inspired by the poem L’après-midi d’un faune by Stéphane Mallarmé.
What is Afternoon of a Faun 1912 about?
The poem describes the reveries of a faun around a real or imagined encounter with nymphs. In 1912 Nijinsky presented his famous ballet, drawing his ideas from both the music and the poem, among other sources, including Greek sculpture and painting.
What was the most controversial ballet performance of the Ballets Russes?
Controversial ballet “Le Sacre du printemps”—”The Rite of Spring”—performed in Paris.
Why was Afternoon of a Faun controversial?
The work had an overtly erotic subtext beneath its façade of Greek antiquity and ended with a scene of graphic sexual desire. This led to a controversial reception from both audience and critics, and the quality of the ballet was debated widely through multiple news reviews.
Who made Afternoon of the faun ballet?
Afternoon of a Faun is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. The ballet features two young dancers meeting at a rehearsal studio.
What is the story behind the Afternoon of a Faun?
It was inspired by a poem of Mallarmé’s which was begun in 1876. The poem describes the reveries of a faun and a real or imagined encounter with nymphs. In 1912 Vaslav Nijinsky presented his famous ballet, drawing his ideas from many sources including Greek sculpture and painting.
Why was The Rite of Spring offensive?
The ballet was first performed by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the Theatre du Champs-Élysées in Paris on 29 May 1913 and famously caused a riot. Many people in the audience were so outraged by Stravinsky’s avant-garde score, and Nijinsky’s choreography, that they thought it seemed like the work of a madman.
What is the meaning of Afternoon of a faun?
L’après-midi d’un faune (or “The Afternoon of a Faun”) is a poem by the French author Stéphane Mallarmé. It describes the sensual experiences of a faun who has just woken up from his afternoon sleep and discusses his encounters with several nymphs during the morning in a dreamlike monologue.
What is the story behind Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun?
Debussy’s inspiration arose from a poem by the French symbolist, Stéphane Mallarmé. It depicts a faun who, after awakening from a nap on a sultry summer afternoon, contemplates his encounter with a group of nymphs. The scene occupies a blurry world somewhere between dreaming and waking.
Who wrote the poem that inspired Debussy?
It was Mallarmé’s poem L’après-midi d’un faune (The Afternoon of a Faun) that inspired Debussy to write what was likely meant to be a three-part orchestral work with the titles Prélude, Interlude and Paraphrase finale. Debussy completed the Prelude in 1894 – as just a one-movement work.