Mihail Chemiakin (Production design)
© State Academic Mariinkiy Opera and Ballet theatreBorn 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. He was expelled from art school for failing to conform to Socialist Realist norms, and from 1959-1971 worked as a laborer in various capacities. He was subjected to compulsory treatment at a mental institution, which was a standard way of dealing with ideological dissidents at that time. For five years he worked on the maintenance crew of the Hermitage Museum. In 1967, the artist 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.
Chemiakin‘s Nutcracker at the Mariinsky Ballet and Opera
AP Photo/ITAR-TASS, (Alexei Panov) Presidential Press Service
President George Bush, left, shakes hands with Mihail Chemiakin as Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, looks on at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg on Saturday, May 25, 2002. Both Presidents, accompanied by their wives, enjoyed a specially scheduled performance of Chemiakin‘s Nutcracker ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre. The two Presidents had just concluded a nuclear arms reduction summit with the signing of an historic treaty on Friday in Moscow.
AP Photo/ITAR-TASS, (Alexei Panov) Presidential Press Service
First Lady Laura Bush looks through the program for The Nutcracker as she talks with Mihail Chemiakin, left, and theatre director and conductor Valery Gergiev, center, at the Mariinsky Theatre on Saturday evening May 25, 2002.
Chemiakin‘s new staging of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, the Nutcracker, premiered at St. Petersburg‘s Mariinsky Theater on February 12, 2001 to enthusiastic reviews by audience and critics alike. The production was the highlight of the inaugural International Ballet Festival slated to be an annual event in St. Petersburg.
The new ballet is much closer in spirit to the original tale byE.T.A. Hoffmann and is a departure from the children’s version with which we are all familiar.
Joel Lobenthal reviews the International Ballet Festival forThe New York Times, highlighting the production of the Nutcracker, in the April 8th edition. Nadine Meisner reviewed the Ballet Festival in the February 27 edition of theThe Independent (London). Nina Alovert filed a dispatch for the dance magazinePointe on the Nutcracker premiere.Dance Magazine‘s Arsen Degen reports on the "Rats in the Marzipan" in the June issue. All in English.
For a complete in-depth review of the events leading to the premiere of the Nutcracker see the accompanying article by Geoffrey York of Toronto‘sGlobe and Mail. In English. Also see theMoscow Times article by Claire Bigg from Reuters published on March 31. In English.
Russian language press coverage of the premiere was extensive with some 70 articles published in the weeks leading to and just after the premiere. An article published on March 7, 2000 inNezavisimaya Gazeta (Moscow) devoted to Chemiakin‘s preparation for the Nutcracker. Russian television (NTV) also covered the premiere. In Russian.
TheMoscow Times ran an interview with Chemiakin on February 9, 2001. In English. An interview with Chemiakin by Larisa Doctorow was published by theRussia Journal. In English.
Anton Adassinsky, the Russian expatriate whose Dresden basedDerevo experimental theater group brings cutting edge works to audiences throughout the world, plays Drosselmeyer in the Nutcracker. See hisselection of rehearsal photos.
The Paris premiere of Chemiakin‘s Nutcracker at the Theatre du Chatelet from October 22 - 26, 2002 was both a critical and popular success. The reviews inLe Figaro,Le Monde,Les Echos, andLe Parisiene acclaimed the production and the Chatelet has invited The Nutcracker back for an extended run during the theatre‘s 2005 season. (Also read the review in the Russian newspaperIzvestia)
© Photos: Natasha Razina; © Text: www.chemiakinbooks.com
© State Academic Mariinkiy Opera and Ballet theatre
- Home
- |
- Tours
- |
- Day tours
- |
- Rail tours
- |
- Shore excursions
- |
- My trip
- |
- About
Group Tour Packages
Company Information
US office
3422 Old Capitol Trail Suite 1252,
Wilmington DE, 19808 USA.
US toll-free: 1-888-845-8877
Russian office
Ligovsky pr. 57, Office 19,
191040, St. Petersburg, Russia
tel: +7-812-309-5339
© 2001 – 2024 by Northern Crown, Ltd. uVisitRussia and uVisitRussia.com are registered trademarks. Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy
Why Do You Need Our Travel Expert
Contact our experts, and they will help you to plan your best trip to Russia, with attention to every detail!
Our Experts have been in the travel industry for many years, guarantee to offer first class customer service, excellent value for money and unbiased advice. They are standing by to find and build your dream holiday to one of the world's most fascinating destinations - Russia.
Your personal Travel Expert will guide you through each stage of the travel process, from choosing a program that fits you best to support during your trip.
Just tell us your e-mail, and we'll take care of everything!
Ask a Travel Expert
Leave your phone number
Your tour request has been received. Thank you !
We have sent you the confirmation message to [email]
Please make sure that you receive this message (sometimes e-mail messages may go to the spam/junk mail).
If you did not get this message, it means you will not get message with the tours' selection as well. If you use a Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL or Hotmail, we recommend to add request@uvisitrussia.com to your address book.
We recommend to leave your phone number. If we will not heard back that you received the e-mail with the tours' selection, we will contact you by phone.
And you will not miss the best tour for you.
Thank you ! Your request for Travel Expert assistance has been sent. We will e-mail you within 1 hour.