The
Windows at New York Vintage were recently unveiled displaying characters from
two famous works commissioned in the early 1900’s for the Ballet-Russes: Igor
Stravinsky's, The Firebird- Premiered June 25, 1910 and Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov’s, Scheherazade- Premiered June 4, 1910
Window Display Conceived by Shannon
Hoey – Designed and Hand Made Couture by New York Vintage. The current exhibit
will be viewable through the Holidays.
The Firebird
Stravinsky’s The Firebird weaves
together the legend the mythic Firebird with the Russian folktale of Kashchei
the Immortal. Stravinsky’s ballet
revolves around the hero, Prince Ivan, who travels to the mysterious world of
the Kashchei. While he is exploring the realm, Ivan discovers and decides he
must capture the Firebird. Once
the fabled creature has been caught, the Firebird begs Prince Ivan to spare its
life. It is decided the Firebird
will aid the Prince in exchange for its freedom.
Prince Ivan comes upon thirteen
princesses and falls deeply in love with one of them. When he approaches the
Kashchei to ask for the princess’s hand in marriage the two get into and
argument. The Kashchei becomes so enraged he sends his enchanted creatures to
destroy Prince Ivan. The Firebird
honors her agreement with the Prince and confronts the Kashchei’s beasts,
bewitching the creatures and forcing them dance an elaborate, wild dance, known
as the Infernal Dance.
Exhausted by the spell the creatures
and the Kashchei fall to sleep. The Kashchei awakens and is, again, spellbound
into dance by the Firebird. While Kashchei is bewitched by the Firebird she
tells Ivan the secret to Kashchei’s immortality- his soul is contained inside
an enormous, enchanted egg. Ivan
seeks out and destroys he egg, killing Kashchei. With the Kashchei gone and his spell over the realm broken,
the magical beasts and the palace disappear. The physical and real beings
awaken, the Firebird is released from her bonds and all celebrate the victory
over Kashchei.
The Harem of Sultan Shayhryar
from Scheherazade
The Sultan leaves his harem under the
pretense of going on a hunting trip with his brother Zeman, who has implied
that the sultan's favorite, Zobeida, is unfaithful. Soon after their departure,
the ladies of the harem urge the chief eunuch to open the doors to the slaves.
The most handsome of them, dressed in gold, is chosen by Zobeida and together
they become the central point of a frenzied orgy. As it rises to its climax,
the revelry is interrupted by the Sultan's unexpected return. He orders all to
be killed, and no one escapes. Zobeida asks for forgiveness, and the Sultan in
return asks if she has been unfaithful. Finding herself to be in love with the
Golden Slave, she stabs herself with a dagger and falls at the Sultan's feet.
The Sultan Shayhryar, convinced that
all women are false and faithless, vows to put each of his wives to death after
the first nuptial night. However, the Sultana Scheherazade saves her life by
entertaining her lord with fascinating tales for a thousand and one nights. The
Sultan, consumed with curiosity, postponed from day to day the execution of his
wife, and finally repudiated his bloody vow entirely.
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