How did Serge Diaghilev influence Igor Stravinsky’s transformation of Petrushka from a piano concerto idea into a ballet?

Serge Diaghilev exerted a profound psychological influence over Igor Stravinsky, which was instrumental in the transformation of Petrushka from a piano concerto into a ballet. While Stravinsky was working on a piece conventionally conceived as a piano concerto, Diaghilev insisted that he adapt the music into a mimed ballet.

This intervention successfully shifted the project’s focus, resulting in a work that brought to life the fantasy dramas of puppets at a showman’s fair. This collaboration is considered one of the greatest of the Ballets Russes productions and serves as a clear example of the extraordinary influence Diaghilev held over his artistic collaborators.1