Devil's Holiday
Backdrop for Devil's Holiday
The Ballet Russe Collection
Ballet in 3 scenes and 2 entr'actes choreographed by Sir
Frederick Ashton.
Libretto and music by V. Tommasini (after Paganini).
Scenery by Eugene Berman.
First production by the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo, Monte
Carlo, October 26, 1939.
Original title: Le Diable s'amuse.
"The ballet tells of the love affair between the daughter of an
impoverished lord and a poor young man. Her father wants to marry a
rich man, and so the devil has to play some tricks during carnival
to straighten things out."
Horst Koegler, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of
Ballet
"Devil's Holiday was what finally resulted from that
often discussed plan to do a ballet about the life of Paganini.
Initially, Balanchine was to choreograph it; then the project was
entrusted to Ashton. But by the time he was ready to begin, Fokine
was preparing his own Paganini for de Basil and,
understandably enough not wishing to compete with Fokine, a new,
rather thin, story was concocted concerning the devil's attempts to
meddle in human affairs, especially in human love affairs."
Jack Anderson, The One and Only: The Ballet Russe de Monte
Carlo
Below are the pictures of the scenery for each movement.
Interior scene (cut drop)
Backdrop from Devil's
Holiday
Another interior scene (cut drop)