In 1908, Roussel married Blanche Preisach, and the couple honeymooned in India and Asia. Evocations for chorus, soloists, and orchestra was a tonal picture of that honeymoon. Among the melodies is the song of the fakirs (itinerant religious men who have renounced worldly goods) at Benares. The opera-ballet Padmdvâtî is also based on a Hindu legend. Roussel's first success was the ballet Le festin de l'araignée (1913). Its popularity led to his appointment as director of the Theatre National...