After attending a tour of Diaghilev’s Ballets russes in London, composer Arthur Bliss developed a particular interest in this repertoire. He wrote two splendid scores, still performed nowadays by the major British ballet companies. Adam Zero is a very somber work on human life cycle, as for Checkmate, as its title indicates, it narrates the fight between Love and Death on a chessboard, each represented by a set of pieces. It was initially choreographed by Ninette de Valois, a former member of the Ballets russes. The suites including the most captivating moments of these two underrated works are performed by modern British music advocate Vernon Handley. © Warner Classics