{"id":3719,"date":"2020-09-18T07:44:54","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T07:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sergelifar.org\/?page_id=3719"},"modified":"2020-09-18T07:44:54","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T07:44:54","slug":"yves-brayer-theatre-designer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sergelifar.org\/en\/serge-lifars-collaborations-with-other-artists\/serge-lifar-and-yves-brayer\/yves-brayer-theatre-designer\/","title":{"rendered":"Yves Brayer, theatre designer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yves Brayer\u2019s style was influenced by his years in Italy: his taste for opulence and grandeur and his appreciation of how figures can bring an architectural backdrop to life can be traced back to this period. The interest he developed in \u2018d\u00e9cor\u2019 at that time made his later move into theatre a perfectly logical step.<\/p>\n

In 1942, Jacques Rouch\u00e9 \u2013 the Op\u00e9ra de Paris\u2019s new director, credited with restoring the Op\u00e9ra to its former glory \u2013 gave Yves Brayer his first opportunity in theatre, commissioning him to design the sets and costumes for the ballet Joan von Zarissa<\/em>, set to music by Werner Egk. Serge Lifar, then at the height of his fame, created the beautifully expressive choreography. Lifar also took the leading role \u2013 a 15th-century Flemish-Burgundian Don Juan \u2013 dancing alongside the full complement of danseuses \u00e9toiles from that period: Yvette Chauvir\u00e9, Solange Schwartz and Lycette Darsonval.<\/p>\n

Undaunted by the vast expanse of the Op\u00e9ra\u2019s stage, Brayer filled the space with striking sets in simple colour schemes and frequently added outsized elements to underscore the theatrical setting, to powerful effect.<\/p>\n

Just a few months later, Brayer was back at the Op\u00e9ra as designer for El Amor Brujo<\/em>, with Teresina and Serge Lifar in the lead roles. Manuel de Falla\u2019s remarkable music conjured up for Brayer the idea of a fairy-tale cave, looking out over a city that comes into view bathed in light as the ballet draws to a close.<\/p>\n

These first two experiences in the theatre introduced Brayer to a whole new world: ballet. The scenes to which he was privy on the stage, in the wings and at rehearsals inspired a great many watercolours as well as a number of paintings.<\/p>\n

He worked at the Op\u00e9ra de Paris on several more occasions, under different directors. He designed the premiere of Claude Delvincourt\u2019s opera Lucifer<\/em> in 1948, the reprise of Florent Schmidt\u2019s Trag\u00e9die de Salom\u00e9<\/em> in 1954, and returned to ballet with the premiere of Jeanne Leleu\u2019s Naut\u00e9os<\/em>, also in 1954.<\/p>\n

When the Op\u00e9ra de Nice organised the Festival de Cimiez, they engaged Brayer as designer for a series of three ballets, including the premiere of Darius Milhaud\u2019s La branche des Oiseaux<\/em>, based on a libretto by Andr\u00e9 Chamson, and Daniel Lesur\u2019s Le Bal du Destin<\/em>, choreographed by Janine Charrat.<\/p>\n

Yves Brayer only ever worked on two plays, however: Mithridate<\/em> at the Com\u00e9die Fran\u00e7aise and George Dandin<\/em> on Fernand Ledoux\u2019s South American tour.<\/p>\n

Brayer typically reached for his paintbrush when creating the initial mock-ups for his set designs. These mock-ups were veritable miniature works of art in their own right, bearing all of Brayer\u2019s hallmarks: his verve, use of colour and fluid lines. His costumes were the ideal complement to his scenography, in the same way that the inclusion of figures can bring a landscape painting to life. His designs were unmistakably the work of a painter.<\/p>\n

Brayer knew Spain well, and this earned him several commissions. As well as El Amor Brujo<\/em>, mentioned above, he was also chosen to design an homage to Manuel de Falla at the Holland\u2019Festival in Amsterdam in 1953, including La Vida Breve<\/em> and El Retablo<\/em> de Maese Pedro. He returned to the same festival the following year to work on Carmen<\/em>. Andr\u00e9 Jolivet picked Brayer to work on the design for the production in Lyon of his op\u00e9ra bouffe set in Spain: Dolor\u00e8s (ou le Miracle de la Femme Laide)<\/em>. That same year, Brayer truly showcased his Spanish credentials by designing six sets and a host of costumes for Goya, an opera commemorating one of his favourite painters, with music by Tony Aubin and libretto by Raymond Escholier. Brayer\u2019s innate understanding of all aspects of theatre d\u00e9cor was once again on display in this production at the Op\u00e9ra de Lille, with impressive recreations of street scenes in Madrid and of Goya\u2019s Quinta del Sordo estate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yves Brayer\u2019s style was influenced by his years in Italy: his taste for opulence and grandeur and his appreciation of how figures can bring an architectural backdrop to life can be traced back to this period. The interest he developed in \u2018d\u00e9cor\u2019 at that time made his later move into theatre a perfectly logical step. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":3714,"menu_order":30,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-brayer.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3719","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYves Brayer, theatre designer - Serge Lifar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yves Brayer, theatre designer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sergelifar.org\/en\/serge-lifars-collaborations-with-other-artists\/serge-lifar-and-yves-brayer\/yves-brayer-theatre-designer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yves Brayer, theatre designer - 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