Getting into his grandfather's pottery workshop at night, a little boy finds an unusually large vase. Fascinated, the child feels the still-warm material, which - whether by a miracle or the hand of a magician, who knows? - at once changes into a magnificent piece of Chinese porcelain. Presently, from behind the great blue-enamelled trees, there appears a fisherman in his sampan....That's how the story of The nightingale, told all in music, begins,...

Firebird: Prince Ivan goes into an enchanted garden where he surprises the firebird and catches her. He agrees to release her in return for a feather and a promise that she will return if he should need help. Twelve princesses come into the garden. The prince's favorite, Tsarevna tells him that they are held captive by Kostcheï. Ivan confronts Kostcheï, who tries to turn him to stone. Using his promise, Ivan has the firebird use her powers to make...

A sampler of great performances of classical music.

"The impresario Serge Diaghilev was the creator and driving force of the Ballets Russes. He persuaded, cajoled, and charmed the greatest talents of the early twentieth century to join his company. Artists (Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse), composers (Igor Stravinsky and Erik Satie), choreographers (Michel Fokine and George Balanchine), and dances (Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova) all collaborated to realize Diaghilev's dream of a seamless fusion...