Serge Diaghilev was born in 1872 in the province of Novgorod, Russia, and spent much of his childhood in Perm, a small city near the northern Ural Mountains. His family prospered from a vodka monopoly and their home, notwithstand- ing its remote location, became a salon where operas, concerts, and plays were staged. But in 1890 the family’s fortunes turned when their business, feeling the e ects of Russia’s economic reforms and increased competition, went bankrupt.
at same year, Diaghilev arrived in
St. Petersburg to study law and nd the means to support his family, but he soon fell under the spell of the capital city’s cultural activities. He counted Pyotr Tchaikovsky an old family friend (“Uncle Petya”) and became part of the circle of artists that included Alexandre Benois and Léon Bakst. ough young, Diaghilev exuded con dence, even devising a suc- cessful plan to travel to Moscow to meet