Background
KHESSIN, Aleksandr was born on October 19, 1869 in St. Petersburg.
KHESSIN, Aleksandr was born on October 19, 1869 in St. Petersburg.
1899 graduate St. Petersburg Conservatory in N. F. Solov’yov’s composition class. 1899-1900 studied conducting under A. Nikis in Leipzig. 1900 studied under F. Motl in Karlsruhe.
1904-1905 director, Moscow Philharmonic College. From 1910 artistic director and chief conductor, Shcrcmetev Music and History Social. 1915-1917 opera conductor, House of the People in Pctrograd.
1918-1919 conducted at various Mariinskiy Theater productions in Pctrograd. 1922 helped found Moscow Philharmonic. From 1935 artistic director and chief conductor.
Opera Studio, Moscow Conservatory. 1943-1953 directed, Soviet Opera Ensemble. All-Russian Theatrical Social in Moscow, where he supervised the production of more than 20 new Soviet operas, including: Prokofiev’s Voyna i mir (War and Peace) (1944).
Koval’s Sevastopol’tsy (The People of Sebastopol) (1948). Kas’yanov’s Foma Gordeyev (1946), etc. Staged various operas neglected by the Moscow theaters, such as: Tancyev’s Oresteya (1945).
Gershwin’s "Porgy and Bess” (1945). Moniuszko’s "The Enchanted Castle” (1946). Smetana’s ’’Dalibor” (1944), etc.
From 1924 taught at State Institute of Stagecraft.