Diaghilev commissioned Stravinsky to compose a score for his new ballet, The Firebird. Stravinsky wrote the music in 1909 and the ballet was staged in Paris in May 1910. It was an immediate success and made the composer famous. In Paris, Stravinsky was surrounded by a galaxy of brilliant dancers, choreographers, artists, and designers. Other composers active in Paris at the time included Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. It now seemed that Stravinsky's future lay in Paris with Diaghilev's...