A Tragedy of

Fashion

A Tragedy of Fashion, or the Scarlet

Scissors is a ballet which was first
choreographed and performed on 15 June
1926 by Frederick Ashton, who starred
with Marie Rambert. The BBC described
this debut as "a pivotal moment in the
history of ballet," as it launched the careers
of both Ashton and Ballet Rambert.[1] The
music was by Eugene Goossens, arranged
by Ernest Irving.

The ballet was inspired by the tragic

suicide of the 17th-century French chef,
François Vatel. In 1671, Vatel was
responsible for a grand banquet in honour
of King Louis XIV and became so upset
that the fish delivery was late that he killed
himself with a sword.[1][2] In the ballet, the
tale is of a couturier who despairs when
his work is not liked and then kills himself
with a pair of scissors.[3] The style of the
ballet was influenced by the sophisticated
productions of Sergei Diaghilev in the
1920s such as Les biches.[4]
It was Ashton's first choreographed work
and it was for a 1926 revue staged by
Nigel Playfair and Rambert's husband
Ashley Dukes. The Observer commented:

an engaging little ballet called 'A

Tragedy of Fashion: or The
Scarlet Scissors' which Mr.
Eugene Goossens has set most
suitably to music. Miss Marie
Rambert, as an impudently
vivacious mannequin, and Mr.
Frederick Ashton as a distracted
man modist, lead the dancing. It
is as chic a trifle as Mr Playfair's
 modish establishment leads you
to expect.[5]

The costumes and scenery were by Sophie

Fedorovitch, who continued to work with
Ashton for more than twenty years, and
became, in his words, "not only my dearest
friend but my greatest artistic collaborator
and adviser."[6]

In 2004, Ballet Rambert revived it as part

of their celebration of Ashton's birth
centenary, reinterpreted and restyled by
choreographer Ian Spink, following six
months of research. The Guardian review
gave it four stars and commented "It is a
witty and clever achievement but Spink and
his superb collaborators have gone one
better. They have imbued Tragedy with the
quality that made Ashton irresistible – his
charm."[7]

References
1. Caroline Briggs (1 June 2004), Ballet's
Ashton celebrated in style , BBC News
2. Madame de Sévigné edited by James
A. Harrison (1899), Letters of Madame
de Sévigné , p. 35
3. Frederick Ashton interviewed by Dick
Cavett, edited by Mindy Aloff (2006),
Dance Anecdotes , Oxford University
Press, ISBN 9780195054118
 4. David Vaughan (1977), Frederick
Ashton and His Ballets, Knopf, p. 16
5. "Riverside Nights", The Observer: 13,
20 June 1926
. Genné, Beth (1996), "My Dearest
Friend, My Greatest Collaborator" ,
Following Sir Fred's Steps, Dance
Books, ISBN 1-85273-047-1, archived
from the original on 2013-10-04
7. Judith Mackrell (27 May 2004),
"Rambert Dance Company" , The
Guardian

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=A_Tragedy_of_Fashion&oldid=980842329"

Last edited 4 months ago by Citation bot

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.