Stanislavsky (real name, Alexeiev), Konstantin (Sergeievich)
Stanislavsky (real name, Alexeiev), Konstantin (Sergeievich)
Stanislavsky (real name, Alexeiev), Konstantin (Sergeievich), famous Russian actor and theater and opera director; b. Moscow, Jan. 17, 1863; d. there, Aug. 7, 1938. He received practical experience by performing in and directing operettas in his family’s private theater; studied voice with Komisarzhevsky, but gave up all hope of a career in opera when his voice proved inadequate. Then, with Nemirovich-Dan-chanko, he founded the Moscow Art Theater in 1898; it became an innovative setting for both stage plays and operas. In 1918 he founded the Bolshoi Theater Opera Studio, which became an independent studio in 1920; it was named the Stanislavsky Opera Theater in his honor in 1926. The Stanislavsky method as applied to opera concentrates upon the musical score as the guiding force of a production, allowing all elements to evolve naturally to present a realistic work of art. He wrote several books on his theater methods.
Bibliography
G. Kristi, Rabota Stanislavskovo v opernom teatre (S.’s Work in the Opera Theater; Moscow, 1952); I. Vinogradskaya, ed., Zhizn i tvorchestvo K.S. Stanislavskovo: Letopis (The Life and Work of K.S. S.: A Chronicle; Moscow, 1973); E. Hapgood, ed., S. on Opera (N.Y., 1975).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire