A Triptych from the Russian Theatre: An Artistic Biography of the Komissarzhevsky Family [Hardcover]

Victor Borovsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2001

This is a collective biography of three generations of the Komissarzhevsky family whose artistic activities had an enormous impact on Russian and world theater. 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Victor Borovsky teaches Russian theatre history at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London. His published works include The Moscow Private Opera of S. I. Zimin, Chaliapin, and (as coauthor) Stravinsky on Stage; he is also a contributor to and coeditor of A History of Russian Theatre.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 588 pages
• Publisher: University Of Iowa Press; 1 edition (February 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877457336
• ISBN-13: 978-0877457336
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,910,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Astonishing Feat of Family 'Portraiture', April 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Triptych from the Russian Theatre: An Artistic Biography of the Komissarzhevsky Family (Hardcover)

As a lover of music and theatre I was thoroughly engrossed in this astonishing feat of family 'portraiture' of three people dedicated to their art. Although I had not previously known anything about this particular theatrical dynasty, many of the other names, plays and operas were not unfamiliar to me and I was fascinated to discover how they were connected to each other. Stanislavsky, Meyerhold and Chekhov are household names in the theatre world, but it is always enriching to learn something new about them. And because our opera and theatre traditions in the West developed separately, it is interesting to see how closely allied they were in Russia and then see how the Russian tradition in turn influenced ours. As for the Komissarzhevskys themselves, I was carried along with their joys, hopes and disappointments. I only wish I'd been alive at the time to be able to sit in a darkened auditorium and witness their genius, whether it be singing, acting or directing.

The author has obviously consulted and collected a great deal of material in the writing of this book. He gives the reader a balanced view by the many wonderful reviews, both 'good' and 'bad'(and sometimes funny), of the various performances. The excellent quality of the photographs helps to bring these people and their work to life, re-creating the atmosphere of the age.