When the visionary choreographer Sergei Diaghilev asked him in 1909 to create a new work for Les Ballets Russes, the young Maurice Ravel chose to present an intense Greek love story with Daphnis et Chloé. Ravel’s approach—emphasizing color and atmosphere—initially met with misunderstanding and resistance. Yet even Stravinsky declared, “It is not only Ravel’s finest work but also one of the most beautiful masterpieces of French music.”