Mamontov's Private Opera: The Search for Modernism in Russian Theater

The Moscow Private Opera, founded, sponsored, and directed by Savva Mamontov (1841-1918), was one of Russia's most important theatrical institutions at the dawn of the age of modernism. It presented the Moscow premieres of Lohengrin, La Bohème, and Khovanshchina, among others; launched the career of Feodor Chaliapin; gave Sergei Rachmaninov his first conducting job; employed Vasily Polenov, Victor Vasnetsov, Valentin Serov, Konstantin Korovin, and Mikhail Vrubel as set designers; and served as a model for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Part commercial enterprise, part experimental studio, Mamontov's company revolutionized opera directing and design, and trained a generation of opera singers. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished primary sources and evidence from art and theater history, Olga Haldey paints a fascinating portrait of a railway tycoon turned artiste and his pioneering opera company.

Author: Olga Haldey
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 06/16/2010
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780253354686

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2011

About the Author

Olga Haldey is Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Maryland, College Park.