Diaghilev was anxious to know what was the state of progress with the ballet. I outlined the subject to him, and then played through the music. This provoked a monumental discussion along the following lines: 'What an earth are you, a Russian composer with a Russian theme, thinking of, writing international music?! This will not do.' In Diaghilev's view, there can be no place for international music. Naturally, the term 'national' should not be taken to mean simple folk melodies or a narrow interpretation, but it was a sine qua non that there should be a bedrock of the Russian spirit.