Yuri Lyubimov
Encyclopedia
Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov is a Soviet and Russia
n stage actor and director associated with the internationally-renowned Taganka Theatre
which he founded http://www.kp.ru/daily/23976/74040, http://www.nashfilm.ru/teatrstars/1637.html. He is one of the leading names in the Russian theatre world.
during the World War II
, Lyubimov joined the Vakhtangov Theatre (founded by Yevgeny Vakhtangov
). In 1953, he received the USSR State Prize
. Lyubimov started teaching in 1963 and formed the Taganka Theatre the following year. Under Lyubimov, the theatre rose to become the most popular in Moscow
, with Vladimir Vysotsky
and Alla Demidova
as the leading actors.
Long a Soviet underground classic, Mikhail Bulgakov
's novel The Master and Margarita
was finally brought to the Russian stage at the Taganka in 1977, in an adaptation by Lyubimov.
After Vysotsky's death in 1980, all of Lyubimov's productions were banned by the Communist authorities. In 1984, he was stripped of Soviet citizenship. Thereupon Lyubimov worked abroad before returning to the Taganka Theatre in 1989. His staging of Eugene Onegin
premiered in the Taganka on his 85th birthday to much critical acclaim.
While in the West he maintained a busy directing career. In the US he directed Crime and Punishment
at Arena Stage
and Lulu
at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 1983 he directed Crime and Punishment
in London, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Director. His effort to re-stage his famous The Master and Margarita at the American Repertory Theater failed to materialize due to a disagreement with the management of that company.
In June, 2011 before a performance of Bertolt Brecht
's play 'The Good Person of Szechwan' in Czech
, the actors of Taganka refused to rehearse unless they were paid first. Lyubimov paid the money and left the theatre. "I've had enough of this disgrace, these humiliations, this lack of desire to work, this desire just for money", he told. Lyubimov retired from the theatre the following week. Two leading actors of theatre, Dmitry Mezhevich
and Alla Smirdan, as well as some administrative assistants, followed Lyubimov.
Vladimir Visotsky dedicated some of his famous songs (included It's Not Evening Yet) to Yuri Lyubimov.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n stage actor and director associated with the internationally-renowned Taganka Theatre
Taganka Theatre
Taganka Theatre is a theater located in the Art Nouveau building on Taganka Square in Moscow. The theatre was founded in 1964 by Yuri Lyubimov and continued the traditions of his alma mater, the Vakhtangov Theatre, while also exploring the possibilities of Bertolt Brecht's "epic theatre".Under...
which he founded http://www.kp.ru/daily/23976/74040, http://www.nashfilm.ru/teatrstars/1637.html. He is one of the leading names in the Russian theatre world.
Biography
After service in the Soviet ArmySoviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lyubimov joined the Vakhtangov Theatre (founded by Yevgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov was a Russian actor and theatre director who founded the Vakhtangov Theatre. He was a friend and mentor of Michael Chekhov.Vakhtangov was born to Armenian-Russian parents from Ossetia in Vladikavkaz...
). In 1953, he received the USSR State Prize
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
. Lyubimov started teaching in 1963 and formed the Taganka Theatre the following year. Under Lyubimov, the theatre rose to become the most popular in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, with Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
and Alla Demidova
Alla Demidova
Alla Sergeyevna Demidova is a Russian actress internationally acclaimed for the tragic parts in innovative plays staged by Yuri Lyubimov in the Taganka Theatre. She was awarded the USSR State Prize in 1977.- Biography :...
as the leading actors.
Long a Soviet underground classic, Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
's novel The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider the book to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and one of the foremost Soviet satires, directed against a...
was finally brought to the Russian stage at the Taganka in 1977, in an adaptation by Lyubimov.
After Vysotsky's death in 1980, all of Lyubimov's productions were banned by the Communist authorities. In 1984, he was stripped of Soviet citizenship. Thereupon Lyubimov worked abroad before returning to the Taganka Theatre in 1989. His staging of Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin.It is a classic of Russian literature, and its eponymous protagonist has served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes . It was published in serial form between 1825 and 1832...
premiered in the Taganka on his 85th birthday to much critical acclaim.
While in the West he maintained a busy directing career. In the US he directed Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
at Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
and Lulu
Lulu (opera)
Lulu is an opera by the composer Alban Berg. The libretto was adapted by Berg himself from Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora .-Composition history:...
at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 1983 he directed Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
in London, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Director. His effort to re-stage his famous The Master and Margarita at the American Repertory Theater failed to materialize due to a disagreement with the management of that company.
In June, 2011 before a performance of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's play 'The Good Person of Szechwan' in Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, the actors of Taganka refused to rehearse unless they were paid first. Lyubimov paid the money and left the theatre. "I've had enough of this disgrace, these humiliations, this lack of desire to work, this desire just for money", he told. Lyubimov retired from the theatre the following week. Two leading actors of theatre, Dmitry Mezhevich
Dmitry Mezhevich
Dmitry Mezhevich is a Soviet and Russian actor and bard.Mezhevich has long worked in the Moscow Taganka Theatre where he played in The Good Person of Szechwan , Hamlet, Woe from Wit, Tartuffe and many other stagings. Mezhevich studied hoboe, then started to play on guitar. He is a known bard in...
and Alla Smirdan, as well as some administrative assistants, followed Lyubimov.
Vladimir Visotsky dedicated some of his famous songs (included It's Not Evening Yet) to Yuri Lyubimov.
Awards
- Medal for the Defence of LeningradMedal for the Defence of Leningradthumb|200px|right|The Medal for the Defence of LeningradThe Medal for the Defence of Leningrad was established on December 22, 1942, and was awarded to all members of the Soviet Army, Navy, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and civil citizens who took part in the defense of Leningrad during its siege...
(1943). - State Prize of the USSR (1952).
- First Prize of “Theatrical Meetings in Warsaw” II International Festival, Poland (1980).
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Evening Standard Award for “Crime and Punishment” by F. Dostoyevsky (1983). - People's Artist of RussiaPeople's Artist of RussiaPeople's Artist of Russia, also sometimes translated as National Artist of Russia, is an honorary title granted to citizens of Russia.It succeeded both the all-Soviet union award People's Artist of the USSR , and more directly the local republic award, People's Artist of the RSFSR , after the...
(1991). - Spectator’s Sympathy Prize of the International Theatrical Festival in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
(1995). - Order of Merit for the FatherlandOrder of Merit for the FatherlandThe Order of Merit for the Fatherland was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights....
, Third Grade, Russia (1997). - State Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian Federation is a state honorary prize established in 1992 as the substitute for the USSR State Prize. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates and the status of the award was significantly changed making them closer to such awards as Nobel Prize or the Soviet Lenin...
(1997). - Honorary Medal of the President of the Hungarian Republic (1997).
- Grand Prix of the International Festival in Saloniki (1999).
- “Golden MaskGolden MaskThe Golden Mask is a Russian theatre festival and the National Theatre Award established in 1994 by the Theatre Union of Russia. The award is given to productions in all genres of theatre art: drama, opera, ballet, operetta and musical, and puppet theatre. It presents the most significant...
” in the nomination “For Honor and Dignity”, MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(2000). - French Order of Arts and Letters for outstanding work in theater (2002).
- Order of the Star of Italian SolidarityOrder of the Star of Italian SolidarityThe Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity was founded as national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or foreigners who made an outstanding contribution to the reconstruction of Italy after World War...
(2003). - Order of the Polar StarOrder of the Polar StarThe Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, (2004). - Order of the Rising SunOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(2007).
Selected filmography
- MichurinMichurin (film)Michurin is a 1948 Soviet film directed by Alexander Dovzhenko about the life of Russian practitioner of selection Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin...
(1948) - Cossacks of the KubanCossacks of the KubanThe Cossack of the Kuban from Mosfilm is a color film, glorifying the life of the farmers in the kolkhoz of the Soviet Union's Kuban region, directed by Ivan Pyryev and starring Marina Ladynina, his wife at that time.-Cast:* Marina Ladynina, as Galina...
(1949) - BelinskyBelinsky (film)Belinsky is a 1953 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev, based on the life of Russian literary critic Vissarion Belinsky . The production of the film was completed in 1951 but it was not released until 1953, following the reshooting of various scenes demanded by Stalin.-Cast:* Sergei Kurilov...
(1953) - Kain XVIIIKain XVIIIKain XVIII is a 1963 film from the Soviet Union, adapted from Evgeny Shvarts' tale Two friends. The Soviet film industry reported that 21.7 million spectators saw the film.-Plot:...
(1963)