Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (russian: Бори́с Евге́ньевич Кохно́; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer and librettist.

Early life

Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His father served as a colonel in the hussars. He studied at the

Imperial Lyceum The Imperial Lyceum (Императорский Царскосельский лицей, ''Imperatorskiy Tsarskosel'skiy litsey'') in Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg, also known historically as the Imperial Alexander Lyceum after its founde ...

in Moscow before emigrating to Paris in 1920.

Career

He was close with

Karol Szymanowski Karol Maciej Szymanowski (; 6 October 188229 March 1937) was a Polish composer and pianist. He was a member of the modernist Young Poland movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century. Szymanowski's early works show the inf ...

, who gave him as a gift a Russian translation of the chapter ''The Symposium'' from his unpublished novel ''Efebos''.Stephen Downes, "Eros and Paneuropeanism", in Harry White and Michael Murphy, eds., ''Musical Constructions of Nationalism: Essays on the History and Ideology of European Musical Cultute, 1800-1945'' (Cork University Press, 2001), 51-71, esp. 52, 66-7 Szymanowski also dedicated four poems to him. In 1920 he became Sergei Diaghilev's secretary, librettist, and eventually main collaborator. They were also briefly lovers. Kochno wrote the libretto of

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

's '' Mavra'' (1921),

George Auric Georges Auric (; 15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, France. He was considered one of '' Les Six'', a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. Before he turned 20 h ...

's '' Les Fâcheux'' (1924), Henri Sauguet's ''La Chatte'' (1927), and of Sergei Prokofiev's ballet score ''

The Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of Jesus from the Bible. The Prodigal Son or Prodigal Son may also refer to: Film * ''L'Enfant prodigue'' (1907 film) (The Prodigal Son), by Michel Carré, based on his play * , a short silent film b ...

'' (1929). He also wrote a libretto for Massin's ballet ' to

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

music (1932). Upon Diaghilev's death, Kochno and Serge Lifar tried but failed to hold the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

together. The two inherited part of Diaghilev's archives and collections, which Kochno completed and part of which was acquired by the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

. In 1933 he co-founded, together with

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

, the short-lived but history-making company Les Ballets 1933, which made its debut that summer at the

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...

. That same year, he and Edward James commissioned Brecht and Weill's last collaboration, '' The Seven Deadly Sins'', which Balanchine produced, directed, and choreographed. At the end of World War II, Kochno entered into a partnership with

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Rose ...

, with whom he founded the

Ballets des Champs-Élysées Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

. His later career included a position as ballet director with the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and its a ...

, where he became an influential figure in post-World War II French ballet. Kochno authored several works, including ''Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes'', a record of the Diaghilev era, and ''

Christian Bérard Christian Bérard (20 August 1902 – 11 February 1949), also known as Bebè, was a French artist, fashion illustrator and designer. Bérard and his lover Boris Kochno, who worked for the Ballets Russes and was also co-founder of the Ballets d ...

'', a scrapbook of artwork by Bérard, Kochno's former lover and collaborator, along with reminiscences.

Personal life

In 1925, Kochno had a "passionate affair" with American composer and songwriter

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

, with whom he carried on a lengthy correspondence, as well as Porter's friend, the American diplomat and heir, Hermann Oelrichs Jr., a son of Hermann and

Theresa Fair Oelrichs Theresa Alice "Tessie" Fair (June 30, 1871 – November 22, 1926) was an American socialite. She went from being the daughter of a hard-scrabble California miner to become heiress to a fortune in Comstock Lode gold and silver, the wife of steamsh ...

. Today, two of Oelrich's handwritten love letters to Kochno are in the National Library of France, which "leave no doubt that the two had a sexual relationship." He died on 8 December 1990 in Paris following a fall. He was buried in the

Père Lachaise A name suffix, in the Western English-language naming tradition, follows a person's full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accredit ...

cemetery in Paris, next to Wladimir Augenblick (1911–2001).

References

Literature

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kochno, Boris Musicians from Moscow Ballets Russes and descendants Ballets Russes dancers 1904 births 1990 deaths LGBT writers from Russia Ballet librettists Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Russian male poets 20th-century Russian writers 20th-century Russian poets Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in France Writers from Moscow 20th-century Russian male writers LGBT dancers 20th-century LGBT people Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France