Word: scythian
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...legendary Russian impressario of the arts, who, among other things, presented the first performance of Stravinsky's Le Sacre in 1913, with choreography by Nijinsky. Though he confessed that, because of a lot of schedule conflicts, Friday's program (L'apres-midi d'un faune and Jeux by Debussy: Scythian Suite 'Ala and Lolli' by Prokoflev: and Stravinksy's Les Noces) was not one of his more daring adventures. Thomas was justifiably excited about it: "...the figure of that man is monumental. It's just unbelievable the number of things he brought off!... The world needs more impressarios, not more...
...SCYTHIAN SUITE was jovially described by Thomas as Prokoflev's attempt at a barbaric Russian ballet, in response to Le Sacre. Diaghilev rejected the score, and it is not too hard to imagine why, I cannot help but predict its future renown as music for a rousing John Wayne movie...
...exhibition runs from prehistoric pottery to early 19th century silver samovars; from a 5th century B.C. Scythian wood-and-gold finial of a stylized griffin's head, to new figurines that are apparently the Russian equivalent of those excruciating ashtrays one is offered in Texas airports. Mother Russia has dumped the contents of her apron into the Corcoran, and the result is a heterogeneous pile of modern kitsch, late czarist elegance and early barbaric splendor, mingled with the beautifully wrought and unpretentious products of pre-Revolutionary folk artists. The less said about official post-Revolutionary folk art the better...
...discovery of the royal tomb, which contains the skeletons of a prince, a princess and an infant-as well as other recent digs in the U.S.S.R.-gives the old stories the ring of historical fact. Herodotus tells, for instance, how the Scythians beheaded their fallen enemies and brought the skulls back to camp to use as wine goblets. Archaeologist Renate Rolle, a young West German woman and the first Western scientist allowed to participate in a Soviet dig since 1920, reports that there is new evidence of Scythian ferociousness. Lances and bows and arrows found in graves along with female...
Stitch Job. The Scythians were not always preoccupied with war. Besides tippling, they apparently liked tripping. Ancient bronze vessels found in Scythian graves in the Altai mountains, near China and Mongolia, still contain remnants of the nomads' favorite hemp seeds. They were also highly successful herdsmen and farmers who traded their grain to indulge their taste for expensive jewelry, such as a magnificent gold pectoral ornament recovered from the new-found grave in the Ukraine. Crafted by Greek goldsmiths, who probably lived among the Scythians along the Black Sea, the chestpiece contains no fewer than 44 exquisitely carved animals...