EDNOTE. Two thoughts evoked by this charming
item 1) VN was not above drawing on ads for allusions. Cf. the use in
ADA of the New Yorker Barton & Guestier wines ad, an overlay of a
Toulouse-Lautrec poster with a figural prototype for Lucette and 2) Nicholas
Nabokov, the composer cousin who helped VN settle in the States had close ties
with the Ballet Russe (although not so far as I know offhand with the
ballet in question.
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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 7:41 PM
Subject: Quelques Fleurs: the ballet; the perfume
Found on the web:
In
1948, the Houbigant Perfume Company commissioned a ballet to be named Quelques
Fleurs, from choreographer Ruthanna Boris and composer Francois Auber. They
allowed the creators free rein in the libretto and all artistic decisions,
simply requesting the ballet have something to do with perfume.
The result
was a comedic, one-act ballet about a haughty Contessa, Contessa Ilaria del
Caretto, who, unsuccessful in her attempts to snare Zenobio Bonaventuro, a gay
young man of fashion, seeks help from an alchemist who presents her with three
wondrous perfumes, which causes the young man to swoon at their loveliness.
Ultimately, this gift proves to be of no avail, as the youth still rejects the
Contessa, prefering the fragrances to the woman.
The ballet was premiered
in New York, September 30 1948, by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Here's an interesting bit of fragrance history trivia for you: what was
the first commercially sold perfume based on multiple floral notes, as opposed
to a single floral note? Quelques Fleurs, by Houbigant, one of the most
important fragrances in history. Introduced in 1912, and relaunched by
request to a whole new generation of appreciative wearers in 1988, Quelques
Fleurs, by eminent turn-of-the-century Houbigant perfumer Robert Bienaimé, is a
devastatingly feminine floral fragrance. An Intoxicating and Sophisticated
Blend of Over 300 Floral Essences
Quelques Fleurs is a floral fragrance.
Top notes:
greens, bergamot, orange blossom, lemon, tarragon
Heart notes: rose, jasmine,
tuberose, lily-of-the-valley, ylang-ylang, carnation, heliotrope, orchid,
orris
Base notes: sandalwood, oakmoss, amber, musk, tonka bean, civet