Staging the Nutcracker [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Mikhail Chemiakin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2001

Staging the Nutcracker is an extraordinary record of artist Mihail Chemiakin's commission from the legendary Kirov Ballet for a new version of The Nutcracker ballet. In this entirely new work, based on an internationally recognized and fiercely defended classic Chemiakin's innovative costume sketches and stage sets reveal a pwerful imagination at work -- one that breathes new life into this world-famous ballet. With a nod to his childhood love for the work of the German writer E.T.A. Hoffman, on whose fairy tale the original Nutcracker ballet was based, Chemiakin has brought a bolder vision to his version of this popular ballet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A breathtaking new Nutcracker, a powerful new reading." -- Le Monde, October 27-28, 2002 (Dominique Fretard)

"Chemiakin's Nutcracker ...was wonderful, amazing -- exactly like a fairy tale, with lots of surprises. The scenery was fabulous." -- Vladimir Malakhov, American Ballet Theater

"Chemiakin, a virtuoso of invention, of expression through color and unexpected interpretation, could not be better fitted to fairytales." -- Rossiskaya Gazeta, February 14, 2001 (Julia Malakhova)

"What a difference a true artist can make in the costume and decor!" -- The Washington Post, December 25, 2003 (Sarah Kaufman)

About the Author

Mihail Chemiakin was born in Moscow in 1943, grew up in occupied East Germany, and returned to Russia in 1957 where he was admitted to the Special High School of the Repin Academy of Art in Leningrad. In 1967, Chemiakin founded the St. Petersburg Group and developed the philosophy of Metaphysical Synthesism, dedicated to the creation of a new form of icon painting based on the study of religious art of all ages and peoples.

In 1971 Chemiakin was forced out of the USSR by the Soviet authorities. He settled first in France, then moved to New York City in 1981, and now lives in upstate New York.

Since 1989 Chemiakin has been able to return to post-Communist Russia. He has had numerous exhibitions there, staged a compeletely new version of “The Nutcracker” for the Kirov Ballet and created monuments for St. Petersburg and Moscow. Other sculptures stand in New York and London.

The research begun in the 1960s into the art of all ages and peoples has developed into a collection of millions of images organized into technical, historical and philosophical categories which has earned the artist five Honorary Doctorates and is the basis for his Institute of the Philosophy and Psychology of Art.

Chemiakin's work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Metropolitan Museum (New York), the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Sao Paolo Museum of Art (Brazil), the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris, as well as smaller museums throughout Russia and the United States.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (September 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847823466
• ISBN-13: 978-0847823468
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,202,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mihail Chemiakin (b. 1943) studied at the Special High School at the Repin Academy of Arts in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). In 1971 Chemiakin, by then a well-known "underground" artist, was exiled from the USSR by the Soviet authorities. He settled first in France, then moved to New York in 1980. Chemiakin returned to Russia for the first time in 1989 for a major retrospective exhibition of his work in Moscow. Since then he has continued to exhibit and create public sculpture in Russia, as well as stage ballet productions at the Mariinsky Theater. Concerned about the education of a new generation of artists in Russia, he made a series of televised lectures on the history of art for Russia's "Kultura" channel and regularly conducts master-classes both in Russia and at his studio, now located in central France.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, Beautiful, November 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Staging the Nutcracker (Hardcover)

A gorgeous explanation and representation of a gorgeous show. Chemiakin is a brilliant artist, and this book gives us a closer look at his spectacular new The Nutcracker. The text sheds light on the genius, covering Chemiakin's thoughts on the progression of the play, act by act, scene by scene. But most of all this is a visual representation of the magic of the show, its source and development, the perfect picturebook for every age. Hurrah!