Page 66 - Studio International - July August 1974

The whole score was extremely Russian icons ? man has come to the world he starts believe me these girls, they probably
revolutionary as real music, but LM : No, not really. Well, that is to move and that's what I am about to won't be accepted in the ballet, but
although Nijinsky had a very right quite true — I am Orthodox and we do in the theory which I am they say much more than any of the
and interesting approach as had many icons in our house. I have developing. line dancers, and that opens the door
choreographer he couldn't master the one even now, brought to me by my DS: I heard you say at rehearsal to to young people who love dancing,
relationship of counterpoint. So father to Italy, but no, it was simply a dancer whom you were criticizing who feel dancing and who can't do
when Diaghilev asked me to do that perhaps to see those remarkable that a given posture was like a chord. these wretched muettes and stand or
I suggested meeting Stravinsky and things; mosaics and Byzantine LM : Exactly. It is a chord, it is a turn on one leg, which is so sterile
I said look, it's not possible to make things, in Rome, in Sta Maria chord, and by this I establish the and inadmissible from the point of
once again the same mistake — we've Maggiore, or in Florence; mosaics relationship of the few parts, the view of general art, general aesthetics.
got to find overall a counterpoint that struck me as unbelievably instruments so to say that the body It is a wonderful invention. Let it be
covering certain phases of your beautiful, and at the same time they possesses. They are not as many as a museum, let it be what it is, but don't
music, and he agreed before I supported the mystic thought of are in an orchestra, in music, but educate young people in that. It is a
started and then the thing was more religion without any possible they are sufficient to elaborate the grammar, they must know it, but from
acceptable. criticism of it. most interesting compositions. At it there must spring something else,
Now I am about to compose the DS: But when you first saw cubist the same time, of course, it is a must merging these elements which I did in
piano concerto of Brahms, Opus 15. painting were you sympathetic to it? that a counterpoint of parts of the Tricorne a little bit, merging this strong
I have taken as a dramatic theme that Did you already know when you were body must exist at all times and that Spanish, strong Spanish technique
of Hymne a la Beauté by Baudelaire, in Moscow the work of the Russian all movements must be treated in with our forms.
which is a marvellous poem. Of avant-garde? three dimensions, they must be DS: And how much would you still
course it is a try-out, you see. I don't LM: No, I had little training in three dimensional, and if we eliminate want to accept the classical positions
make a ballet out of it— it is treated in painting but I was struck by Picasso one of them for some reason that as a necessary vocabulary ?
a rather peculiar form. My artists do to such an extent that in Sacre du reason must be strong enough. As we LM : Well look, all the things that
not come on stage, because I thought Printemps I completely abolished say this is a bas relief or this is an touch motion such as leaving the
that was a disturbing element. It's lines. I was struck with his forms, haut relief, let's accept that all motion ground obviously are the same ; they
an experiment but I think I can with his cubist forms in perspective, is in three dimensions; in analysing are eternal, you can't do without them,
succeed in it. and that gave me Sacre du Printemps any of my work I very soon find you can't spring unless you have a
DS: And do you equate the piano right away, and so many years later, my mistakes now ; I don't need to certain élan which brings you from
with one group of dancers, or with a now in Florence when I revived it, I go to the critics. I soon see what's the first to the second elevation.
solo dancer, constantly throughout the was amazed to see how at the very lacking in the work in respect These things will remain, you have
thing and the orchestra with another, beginning of my experience as of rhythm, in respect of life of three to use it for dynamic, for crescendo
or is there no special link between choreographer I had that desire to dimensions, each one being there at of dynamic you have to do that, but
them ? Because you haven't done get away from the conventional lines all times. If we don't realize what we're you do that as a passing element
anything before to a concerto, have and established symmetry of ballet, doing the audience will, they will see when you want to whip something,
you ? and that I intend to use very much. suddenly a body paralysed, they will you understand, and you go into
LM : No, but you see the sort of It was certainly a very, very vital see suddenly an arm that will repeat something else and not standing dead
relief of certain passages is quite thing to the future of choreography. the same movement, and of course in front of an audience, turning five
evident in it if you remember the DS: Cubism ? one of the primary things is putting the times, stop and the applause comes.
Baudelaire poem ; it's quite LM : Oh yes. It will permit me to symmetry into its place. Because we That is ridiculous. As elements of
extraordinary in strength and manipulate my groups in an entirely have a right and left side that doesn't motion, classical dance is eternal.
expression. One line of his poem different way and to treat them as a mean that we have a right and left And the rest of their inventions are
gives ideas for the whole movement, volume, an organic volume of side in choreography, you see it's valid by intervals. To create curves,
Viens-tu du ciel profond ou sors-tu harmony, of counterpoint, of optical exactly the opposite. There are all to create live shapes, it's all valid but
de l'abîme, 0 beauté ? describes it counterpoint, and a lot of devices sorts of symmetries acceptable to not in the way it is frozen in the
marvellously —that and all these which come from it, you see. a very minimum extent. It's necessary classical ballet. 'You can do that' and
elements are assembled as a part that I DS: And at what point did you because without it it will be an 'you cannot do this' ; such things are
have to fit to the mood of his concerto. become conscious of doing this ? element missing but it won't be completely obsolete.
DS: At what point did you When you first did Sacre for millions of productions all danced DS: Now, would the kind of attitude
suddenly see the connection Diaghilev ? symmetrically; that's killing, that's to movement that you're talking about,
between the Brahms and the LM : Yes, it was 1920. a terrible poverty and would it not imply that in the
Baudelaire? How did it click, this DS : And that influenced your later misunderstanding of what the performance of a ballet there would
sudden vision of the connection ? work too ? human being is and how it can be be an almost inevitable need for
LM : Well it is like in much research LM : Well, unfortunately there was used. It still will be right for this improvisation ? Do you think that those
work—you can't discover the whole no more possibility because that historic remarkable invention of principles and that kind of freedom
thing but suddenly, by listening and corresponded to that extraordinary classical dancing ; it will be dead that you're talking about remain
by reading, at certain points things do score of Stravinsky's. Now I am right there, but nowhere else. It is a reconcilable with completely set
that ; you see they can make contact. coming back to it because I am more closed form. So that is what in fact movements which the dancer
And from that little spark in one spot and more versed in the symphonic we are now elaborating and the repeats at every performance ?
comes all the rest. You think if this form. I believe this a great reform and results are very promising. LM : Look, if we want to have some
exists in one point it must exist in the my book, which I am publishing now There's a lot of young artists who order and some intelligent approach
others, and little by little it's justified. in London, tells the whole thing, not might be little short in the neck or to body motion it must be precise.
It's a very interesting process, a in words but in demonstrations. The their legs might be not so perfect or To that extent like a pianist
process which leads to most great reform consists in a very they have a little peculiarity in the interpreting Beethoven he might give
fascinating things for me who started brief statement : it's the first time in construction of the body and they an accent there or do that or do that
to deviate from ballet a long time ago the history of all ballet that I have are rejected in the ballet, in classic according to the style of the piece,
to find new possibilities, and I'm come to the conclusion that the ballet immediately, whereas it is these like Wilhelm Kempff does you see, but
developing it now more and more. movements have their harmony elements which have more in them, the thing must be precise. It must be
DS: And who is going to design it ? directly, precisely the same as in you see; they can express much more written and it should not deviate
LM : I don't know yet. I am only in music. And that harmony is the main than a line dancer. from what's written but the writing
the process of trying, like a layman, object of all creative work. DS: That's very interesting because must be intelligent, the writing must
to put stone like that, stone like that, Without it things are dead, be it in that's happened in recent years in not limit an artist; it must open the
stone like that, and finally see that one form or in the other it must exist; drama. Actors with irregular doors to him ; to me it is an
that's how it should be. I'm working as in music you can't listen to the faces or actors who speak an unshakeable principle. Improvisation
with elements, you see, at present. music which has no harmonic unorthodox English with the 'wrong' in ballet is terrible ... inadmissible !
DS: Your first interest in painting was context in chords, in the kind of accent are now appearing in
in the Italian primitives ? interpretation of the cante in all that; Shakespeare plays who 30 years ago [Interview recorded on May 10 and
LM : I started with Byzantine art and it is the same thing in ballet, you can't would not have beeen acceptable. transmitted on BBC Radio 3 on
that was the corner stone of my look at the dry straight figures and say LM :Well that I'm glad to hear; that is May 17. Photographs courtesy
education ; Italian history. this is contemporary, that's nonsense. new to me but I have now, every day, London Festival Ballet.]
DS : Were you drawn to that because The harmony is of all time, it's an experiences in that. Now I am giving a
of having been brought up with eternal thing as old as man. As soon as diploma to three girls this year and