Walton (William) Autograph letter, Russian Ballets Interest

The letter, addressed to Sacheverell Sitwell ("My dearest Sachie") at Amalfi (where Sitwell was on his honeymoon), reads in part ".... I have a lot to tell you. Dima I see every day. We are fast & furious friends. I must now tell you the history of Kid's ballet. Diaghileff has taken it.... It was a week last Friday when Kid &, I went to see Dima. Kid took his ballet. I' nothing. The ballet went down very well.... on the Saturday I saw Dima alone with P.P. It completely staggered him & he took me immediately to Diaghileff to play it so as to get it in first, Kid having an appointment with Diaghileff for the Sunday. Well you know how badly I play in the best circumstances. But... Diaghileff was quite delighted, Kochno enthusiastic, but Diaghileff said it was no use for a ballett....... being really a concert- piece. Kid had an interview and was more or less success- ful...... On Wednesday Dima & Rieti played P.P. again to Diaghileff. He came to the same conclusion but all said I was infinitely superior, in fact as Poulenc is to Auric so is Kid to me..... Meanwhile Kid is lunching with Diaghileff to-day to fix things up. John is to do the Scene...on some 1830 paintings he found by a sailor. I'm really. awfully pleased about Kid....... Meanwhile Kit Wood has blossomed unexpectedly into a very good painter. John may give him the scenery to do for Kid..... And Kid's brother [the bruiser the Sculptor Maurice Lambert] has done a marvellous sculpture of some pigeons. I shall see Diaghileff again soon. He still has P.P. Kid has hit on a very lucky time. Diaghiloff has a passion to produce a British ballet...and here Happens to be what he wants, nothing very wonderful, but fresh & "young, naive, etc..... I saw Diaghileff... yesterday. He says he's starting a new school in to the Ecole d'Aruill called Ecole de Cloixelles opposition (where Dima wrote Zephyr) consisting of Dima, Kid & myself...", three pages, folding marks, light yellowing, 4to, 2 Carlyle Square, Chelsea, with original mailing envelope postmarked 24 November 1925.

***A long and extremely interesting letter written from Osbert Sitwell's house (where Walton lived for 10 years), describing how 'Kid' (i.e. Constant Lambert) was introduced to, and how his ballet music was accepted by Diaghilev, and how he, Walton, offered his overture' Portsmouth Point' (referred to as 'P.P.') which Diaghilev declined. With constant references to 'Dima' (i.e. Vladimir Dukelsky whose ballet Zephyr et Flora had been commissioned by Diaghilev), and mention of Augus- tus John, Christopher Wood, & others.