Family is like a tree. The deeper the roots, the stronger they hold; it is almost impossible to pull out such a tree. To each to a normal person over time, it becomes interesting who his ancestors were, because the roots of the family are the pedigree.
Unfortunately, there is no one left in the family from the older generation, but a fairly large archive has been preserved. The successor of the opera dynasty, Maria Maksakova, the daughter of an actress who inherited from her grandmother not only her name, but also a beautiful voice, helped Lyudmila Vasilyevna sort out the documents and begin her search.
Lyudmila Vasilyevna began her search for her roots from her mother’s side. Most of the family archive is photographs of Maria Petrovna, a gallery of her stage images. The People's Artist of the USSR had great dramatic talent and a bright temperament; “the leader of the people,” Joseph Stalin, loved to listen to her velvety voice and called her “my Carmen.”
My grandparents lived in Astrakhan and bore the surname Sidorov. Maksakov - stage name opera singer Maximilian Schwartz, the first husband of Lyudmila’s mother, whom the actress never saw, since she was born after his death.
Before going to Astrakhan, hometown mother, Lyudmila turned to the specialists of the genealogical center and submitted a request to the archives of the Astrakhan region. Once in the city itself, the actress finds out that her grandfather is from Saratov. Most likely, it was on merchant business that he ended up in Astrakhan, where he met his future wife. The archive staff managed to find a unique document - the passport of Lyudmila Maksakova's great-grandfather.
As for the main question that the actress asked when starting to compile her pedigree, then according to the main version, which she adhered to earlier, her father was Alexander Volkov, a wonderful singer. According to eyewitness accounts, some kind of relationship existed between Alexander and Maria, but was not properly advertised, so Lyudmila never received a definite answer. The actress decided to go to the museum Bolshoi Theater, to at least slightly lift the mysterious curtain of the history of your family. The museum preserved stage costumes and some personal belongings of Maria Petrovna, among which was a portrait of Maximilian Schwartz, but details indicating acquaintance with Alexander Volkov could not be found.
Is it possible to ride through the centuries on the “Time Machine” - our famous singer thought about this:
- Family rarities of Andrei Makarevich..
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Chapter 2. ROSA KAGANOVICH.
After the death of Nadezhda Sergeevna, there was talk about future wife Stalin. Naturally, assumptions and versions were born, and rumors spread throughout Moscow. In the understanding of the people, the leader could not live without a wife; he must have a companion, and everyone was sure that in a year the bride’s candidacy would be announced. There were many versions, one more beautiful than the other, but Rosa Kaganovich was considered the most real contender among the Moscow elite and emigrants abroad.
The myth about Stalin’s third wife arose back in 1932. Ostensibly wanting to distract Stalin from his worries, members of the Politburo decided to introduce him closer to Rosa Kaganovich. “She was very beautiful, and Lazar hoped that the presence of an interesting woman next to the leader would relieve Stalin’s attacks of persecution mania, which, like Ivan the Terrible, began immediately after the death of his wife,” notes researcher Kraskova in her book “Kremlin Mistresses.” " Then they said that he would marry Rose. About the same episode, D. Volkogonov wrote: “People from his circle soon (after the death of N.S. Alliluyeva) tried to arrange another marriage for Stalin - with one of the relatives of a person close to the leader. Everything seemed to be decided. But, for reasons known only to the widower, the marriage did not take place.”
The first to document Rosa Kaganovich was Alexander Barmin, a Soviet diplomat who asked political asylum in France in 1937, then moved to America, where in the late 1930s and after the war he wrote several books about the Soviet Union. He reported that: “soon after Nadezhda’s death we learned that Stalin had married Kaganovich’s sister. Until now, however, not a word has been said about this in the Soviet press.” Among other things, he noted that after Alliluyeva’s death, everyone said that Stalin became interested in Rosa while Nadezhda was still alive, and that, unable to bear the grief of her husband’s betrayal, she committed suicide, and that Lazar Kaganovich’s sister, a certain Rosa Kaganovich, was the culprit.
The Gestapo became interested in Rosa Kaganovich. When Yakov Dzhugashvili was captured during the war, the Germans during interrogations persistently tried to find out from him everything about Stalin’s third wife. Yakov denied the existence of any third wife, but the Germans insisted on her existence and called her Kaganovich. “The Gestapo and counterintelligence were looking for the people they needed in the occupied territories. Preserved German lists with the names of people for whose arrest in the territory of Eastern Europe reward was given. Biographical information was given there, and the department that was interested in this person was named. And among them there is “Kaganovich-Stalin Roisa, Stalin’s wife, Moscow, Kremlin.” According to the memoirs of front-line soldiers, in the first half of 1941, the German authorities distributed leaflets in which it was written that the Soviet Supreme Commander-in-Chief was an agent of international Zionism, and that Stalin was influenced not only by Lazar Kaganovich, but also by Rosa Kaganovich. The command offered to catch Rosa for a reward and deliver her to the Gestapo.
After the war, all the authors who wrote about Rosa Kaganovich referred to the book by Nikolai Bakhesis “Stalin”, published in 1952. The author was an economist and journalist, born in Moscow and received German citizenship, lived constantly in Moscow, moved in circles close to The Kremlin. It was he who wrote about the rumor according to which the Politburo at a secret meeting chose Stalin’s wife. The authors who referred to him were no longer talking about a rumor, but about a fact, and that it was as if Bahesis was personally acquainted with Rosa. “The first mentions of Rosa speak of a beautiful Jewish woman who is much older than Stalin. In more later works Rose is getting younger and younger. And already in one of the later references she turns into a 16-year-old schoolgirl.”
About Rosa Kaganovich he wrote a book “The Kremlin Wolves”, published in the USA in 1990, S. Kagan. He illuminated this episode, as befits a writer, brightly, sparing no colors: “After the voluntary departure from life of the beloved and only wife of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Nadezhda Sergeevna Alliluyeva, Secretary General The Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks had a common-law wife, Roza Moiseevna Kaganovich, Native sister Lazar Moiseevich. With huge black eyes, tar-colored hair with a purple tint and a beautiful chiseled nose, this woman was exceptionally attractive. Average height, s strong legs, wide hips and thin waist, she confessed life principle“everything is good that is good for the Jews.” She was 37 years old, and they met with her brother Lazar in house No. 2 on Dzerzhinsky Square, where her brother worked at that time.
Lazarus began the conversation:
- He now needs a person like you... He needs a doctor whom he can trust. He knows you, so he will trust you and trust your treatment.
Second: he needs a more stable family life. His daughter Svetlana is six years old. We must, we must arrange a family for him.
Finally, you should become a kind of anchor, a woman who will not interfere with him, will not argue with him, a woman whom he will eventually begin to call upon and come to her himself, as if into a safe haven...
Rose listened to her brother’s words soulfully and unconditionally took them into action. Having entered Stalin's family, she, first of all, remodeled Stalin's dacha. She pasted up some dull wallpaper, brought in new furniture and began organizing entertainment twice a week, holding receptions, inviting her friends to them, and, above all, her close friend, doctor Nadezhda Bulganina...
Lavrentiy Beria’s son, Sergo, in his book of memoirs about his father “My Father Lavrentiy Beria” wrote: “Kaganovich’s sister or niece Rosa... was not the wife of Joseph Vissarionovich, but she had a child from Stalin. She herself was very beautiful and very smart woman and, as far as I know, Stalin liked it. Their closeness was the direct cause of the suicide of Nadezhda Alliluyeva, the wife of Joseph Vissarionovich. I knew the child who grew up in the Kaganovich family well. The boy's name was Yura. The boy looked very much like a Georgian. His mother left somewhere, and he stayed to live with the Kaganovich family.”
L. Vasilyeva in her book “Kremlin Wives” claimed that Yuri died in 1951, and S. Krasikov claimed that he saw Yuri on March 9, 1953, on the day of Stalin’s funeral. The leader’s son, Yuri, was also mentioned by the writer V.A. Soloukhin.
There is a legend about the relationship between Stalin and Shamil Basayev: “The leader’s son Yuri was kicked out of his house by Lazar Moiseevich back in the early 1950s for stealing rabbits from his dacha in Serebryany Bor. Even then, Yuri began to become an alcoholic and stole everything he could get his hands on from the house. He enlisted in the gold mines in Yakutia. Then in the 1960s he moved to Chechnya. There he met a Chechen woman, a teacher kindergarten, with whom they had a child. Yuri Kaganovich himself - Stalin died in 1976, but his son (the grandson of “Stalin”) later became a prominent Chechen separatist.”
All these versions wandered and were heard when there was no Internet, and in order to get information about the Kaganovich family, you had to go to Lenin’s library and search and search. Not everyone had the patience and time, so they believed and were sure that there was a third wife, Rosa Kaganovich. Now everything is simple, you type in the search engine - Roza Kaganovich - and you get an answer. “There were four brothers and one sister in the Kaganovich family. Lazar Kaganovich's sister's name was Rachel, and she was 17 years older than him. Rachel married early, gave birth to six children and died in 1926 in Chernigov. As far as we know, she never came to Moscow.” In addition, “Kaganovich had a niece, who was also named Rachel (she was the daughter of Yuliy Moiseevich Kaganovich, Lazar’s brother). Kaganovich's niece was born in 1918, lived in Nizhny Novgorod, got married and changed her last name to Karpova, and died in 1994.”
When Lazar Moiseevich Kaganovich's sister, Rachel (1926), died, he had just begun his ascent to power. Nadezhda died in 1932, so there was no way Rachel could become Stalin’s third wife. Niece Rakhil Yulievna was only 14 years old in 1932, and the Politburo could hardly recommend her as a wife to the leader. Moreover, the leader could not have had any close ties with 13-year-old Rose before Nadezhda’s death. The name Rosa became popular thanks to Rosa Luxemburg and is one of the transformations of the Hebrew name Rachel, like Michael from Moishe, Boris from Borukh. Another popular transformation of the name Rachel is Raisa.
After the war, another version appeared that Stalin married Kaganovich’s daughter, Maya Lazarevna, (born in 1923) and that in 1953 she walked behind his coffin, holding the hand of a girl who looked so much like the dictator. Maya responded to this tale: “Firstly, I didn’t follow his coffin, and secondly, look at my Yulia - does she look like Stalin? And thirdly, this is such nonsense! When this rumor started, I was a pioneer. We in the family were terribly afraid that it would not reach Stalin.”
Chapter 3. CONCUBINES FROM THE BOLSH THEATER.
After 1932, the widower Stalin was in no hurry to get a wife, there was officially no woman next to him, he lived as a bourgeois. But the people could not imagine their almighty leader living without women. According to the ideas of the population brought up on fairy tales, he should have a harem like any eastern ruler. And rumor gave rise to a legend that the artists of the Bolshoi Theater, where he often came to performances, became his concubines. And oddly enough, this version did not raise any doubts even among the intelligent public; moreover, it was overgrown with piquant details. What was this version based on?
1. The leader could not live without a woman.
2. He, as the Lord, could have countless numbers of them. All he had to do was beckon with his finger.
3. He was an opera and ballet music lover and often visited the Bolshoi Theater
4. He invited artists to the Kremlin or to the dacha.
When receiving foreign delegations in the Kremlin or at the dacha, Stalin liked to complete business meeting concert. According to the memoirs of the head of the security, Vlasik: “in October 1943, Stalin hosted the British and American delegations. At about one o'clock in the morning, on the instructions of Joseph Vissarionovich, he brought the artists. Many were lifted out of bed. These were Davydova, Shpiller, Lemeshev, Barsova, Zlatogorova, Raikin and others. After the guests left, Stalin approached the artists and said sternly: “Comrade Davydova, you made foreigners smile with your ultra-fashionable clothes (it was wearing some kind of belt with a bouquet below navel). Spiller too interesting woman, but she is dressed as a Soviet woman should be.”
Among the ballerinas to whom Stalin was partial and whom he showered with awards, the public singled out Marina Semenova and Olga Lepeshinskaya; among the singers they talked about Valeria Barsova and Natalia Shpiller. Maria Maksakova. But above all, rumor connected him with Vera Davydova. She had the nickname "Tsar Baba" for her amazing voice mezzo-soprano and for rare beauty.
The version of Stalin’s secret relationship with Vera Davydova was literary processed by Leonard Gendlin. His book “Confession of Stalin’s Mistress” was first published in London in 1983. It appeared in Russian in 1994 in St. Petersburg under the title “Behind the Kremlin Wall.” And then, under the title “Confession of Stalin’s Mistress,” it was published in 1996 in Minsk and republished in Moscow in 1997. The book was written as if on behalf of the singer Vera Davydova, who, as it is written in the annotation to the book, in the 1930s-x-1940s In the 1960s, she “was intimate with the great leader.”
The singer shares with the reader intimate, secret things, her experiences and fears, talks about her romance novels, adventures and hopeless situations in which she found herself, being between communist leaders fighting for her body. In the preface to the book, the author writes on behalf of Davydova: “I am an actress! And, perhaps, I was the only one in the whole wide world that the incredulous Stalin believed to the end... For many years I led double life, which had to be divided between the theater - rehearsals, performances, concerts - and his passionate, sometimes hysterically stormy caresses. I’m talking about this because I want humanity to recognize another Stalin, naked, after my death.”
The author spoke about Davydova’s first visit to Stalin with details that no woman would mention even in confession to a priest. According to the story, Vera Alexandrovna found a note in her fur coat pocket after the performance: “A car will be waiting for you near the Manege. The driver will take you to your place. Save the note." The singer proceeded to the appointed place, understanding what would happen. She was married, loved her husband, but was forced to obey the instructions. She was taken to Stalin's dacha. “After strong hot coffee and delicious grog, I felt completely good. The fear and confusion disappeared. I followed him. It turned out that I.V. taller than me. We entered a room where there was a large low couch. Stalin asked permission to take off his jacket. He threw an oriental robe over his shoulders, sat down next to him, and asked: “Can I turn off the light? It's easier to talk in the dark." Without waiting for an answer, he turned off the light. I.V. He hugged me and skillfully unbuttoned my blouse. My heart began to flutter. "Comrade Stalin! Joseph Vissarionovich, dear, don’t, I’m afraid! Let me go home!..” He did not pay any attention to my pitiful babble, only in the darkness his animal eyes lit up with a bright flame. I tried to break free again, but it was all in vain.” Stalin was then 54, Davydova - 28. Their relationship lasted 19 years. A three-room apartment, titles and awards were awarded as if by magic. But the wand really is magic.”
"Confession" instantly became a worldwide bestseller. The book is presented by the author as fiction novel, the reliability of the events presented in which is not required. Book characters can have names historical figures, but their actions in the novel do not necessarily correspond to reality. This - fiction, and historians cannot make any claims against the author.
Lina Tarkhova in her book “Hostages of the Kremlin” cited the opinion of Stalin’s grandson, Alexander Burdonsky, regarding the “Confession”: “I can’t say anything about this. I saw Davydova in a TV documentary. She has the type, I know this from the Alliluyevs, that Stalin liked: a strict, smooth hairstyle, black skirts, light blouses.” G. Krasnaya, in the collection “Secrets of the Kremlin Wives,” perceived the book “Confession” as a fantasy: “I think that all this is from the sphere of assumptions and fantasies,”
The writer and lawyer A. Vaksberg noted: “Stalin himself, as is known, was not an ascetic, but he never advertised it and was distinguished by undoubted moderation, which gave him the moral right to demand the same from others.” According to Larisa Vasilyeva, Vera Davydova was never Stalin’s mistress. The leader actually proposed to her, but she refused, citing her marriage to Mchedlidze.
Vera Davydova herself categorically denied her closeness to the leader. And she learned about the very existence of the book by accident. This episode was described in detail by her granddaughter Olga: “When my grandmother learned the contents in detail, she felt bad. It turned out that Gendlin’s essay, which he passed off as Davydova’s memoirs allegedly dictated to him, was published in Europe in the 70s, almost instantly became a bestseller all over the world, and was translated into several languages. Moreover, in Hollywood they were going to make a film based on this book. First of all, my grandmother demanded that the book be translated into Russian for her. First, we read the text and decided not to show it to grandma. But she wasn’t the kind of person who wouldn’t get her way. As a result, she suffered a seizure. And I think her passing was a consequence of this book. She wasn’t sick with anything.”
The granddaughter of Vera Davydova clarified: “my grandmother herself said that she met Stalin more than once. But each time this happened during government receptions, to which she was invited as the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. Grandmother was already married to Mchelidze, and therefore knew a little Georgian and could answer Stalin in his native language, which, of course, he really liked. Stalin often came to her performances at the Bolshoi Theater. But, as far as I know, a personal meeting between the grandmother and the leader took place only once. Davydova was taken to Stalin’s Near Dacha right after the performance. At home, of course, no one slept that night. They were waiting to see what grandma would return home with - and whether she would return at all. She arrived in the morning and told the following. She was brought to the dacha and immediately taken to Stalin’s office. He stood with his face turned to the window. Without a jacket, just a shirt. When my grandmother crossed the threshold, Stalin turned to her with the words: “I am already many years old. And you are the only person with whom I would like to spend my last years. Do you mind?” To which the grandmother replied that she was married and for Stalin’s sake she was ready to do anything, even throw herself under a tank, but not what he asked her to do. After this, Stalin asked how he could help Davydova. And she replied that she was asking for the title of People’s Artist to be awarded to her teacher. Stalin went to the table and wrote down his grandmother’s words on the calendar. And he gave the order to take her home. That’s where it all ended, she said.” People did not stop talking about Stalin's mistresses, even some stubbornly insisted that Vera Davydova's son, Ramaz, was Stalin's son.
Vera Davydova achieved all titles and awards with her extraordinary voice, her musical abilities and daily, long hours of work
In 1920, during the Japanese occupation Far East, the entire Davydov family had to flee to Blagoveshchensk. Vera continued her studies here; she already sang well, played the piano and was familiar with music theory. The singer Akhmatov came to Blagoveshchensk and organized an amateur group, where Vera began singing opera parts for the first time. She was noticed by professional opera singers who came on tour and recommended that she continue her singing studies. In 1924 she entered the Leningrad Conservatory. During the entrance exams, Professor A.K. Glazunov was amazed by the beauty and power of the applicant’s voice and spoke approvingly of her performance. From the first year of the conservatory, Vera Alexandrovna was immediately transferred to the third and began to take part in the work of the opera studio at the conservatory. Here she met a talented student, bass from Georgia, Dmitry Semenovich Mchedlidze, whom she married. Together they graduated from the conservatory. After performing the role of Carmen in the studio in 1929, she was invited to Mariinskii Opera House. Vera's debut was the role of the page Urban in the opera "The Huguenots", and soon after that she performed the roles of Amneris in "Aida" and Martha in "Khovanshchina". Three years of work at the Mariinsky Theater were marked by many creative successes singers. They started talking about her as something new young talent. In 1932, V. A. Davydova was invited to the Bolshoi Theater, she made her debut in the opera “Aida”. Her husband was invited to the Bolshoi Theater in 1933. Over the years of work at the Bolshoi Theater, Vera Alexandrovna sang more than twenty roles. Her voice was called divine, velvety, unique. Its owner graced the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for many years, and her name stood on posters among the star scattering of names, titans of the Russian vocal school: Sobinov and Nezhdanova, Derzhinskaya and Obukhova, Lemeshev and Kozlovsky, Khanaev and Ozerov, Barsova and Stepanova, Reisen and Mikhailov, brothers Pirogov and Shpiller. She repeatedly performed abroad with great success: in Finland (1937), in Norway, Denmark and Sweden (1946), in Hungary (1948), in Iran. Everywhere Vera Alexandrovna Davydova was received enthusiastically. During performances in Norway in 1946, composer Klaus Egge wrote: “Davydova’s singing is magnificent musical evening. Form, sound, outline and interpretation - the singer combined all this in such perfect unity that each song received its own completeness. There is a great sense of culture and style throughout.”
Her stage colleagues, who were also included as Stalin’s mistresses, became People’s Artists of the USSR, but Davydova did not receive this highest title; she was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the RSFSR. Perhaps, for refusing to become Stalin’s companion, Davydova was removed from the lists for the title of People’s Artist of the USSR. This is how the offended leader of the peoples punished her.
She lived with her husband, Dmitry Mchedlidze, for a long time and happy life, 54 years old. Relatives and acquaintances always admired this loving, helping couple. In 1952, Dmitry was invited to the Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater, where he became a director, a soloist, and a director. Vera Alexandrovna followed him and performed with her husband on the stage of the Georgian Theater. Dmitry Mchedlidze died in 1983, Vera Davydova survived her husband by ten years.
According to rumors, in Stalin’s “harem”, in addition to Davydova, there were people’s artists of the USSR: singers V.V. Barsova, Maria Maksakova, N.D. Shpiller, ballerinas O.V. Lepeshinskaya. And Maria Maksakova’s daughter, Lyudmila, was called Stalin’s daughter.
Maria Maksakova at the age of 17 was enrolled in the troupe of the Astrakhan Opera Theater. In 1920, the famous baritone, entrepreneur, Austrian Maximilian Karlovich Schwartz came there on tour, taking the pseudonym Maksakov. Maria was 18 and he was 50 when they got married. Three years later, Maria Maksakova made her debut on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in the opera “Aida”. The success was enormous. S. Lemeshev, who heard the debutante, recalled that he was amazed by the purity of her voice, which flowed freely and easily. For the next 14 years she was the leading voice of this scene. In 1936, her husband died. While on tour in Warsaw, Maria Petrovna met Soviet ambassador Yakov Davtyan (Davydov). But their living together was short. Six months later he was shot. The singer’s daughter, Lyudmila, later said: “My mother’s husband (he was the ambassador to Poland) was taken at night and taken away. She never saw him again. And so it was for many. After her husband was imprisoned and shot, she lived under the sword of Damocles, because it was Stalin’s court theater. How could a singer with such a biography be in it? They wanted to send her and the ballerina Marina Semenova into exile. But then the war began, my mother left for Astrakhan, and the matter seemed to be forgotten.” In 1940 Lyudmila was born. Her father was Bolshoi Theater baritone Alexander Volkov, who emigrated to America two years later. Taking care of future life daughter, she entered her middle name into her birth certificate - Vasilievna. When did the second one begin? World War, Maksakova left for Astrakhan, and then moved to Kuibyshev, where the theater actors were evacuated. In 1953, the theater sent Maria Petrovna into retirement. “Mom worked like crazy all her life. First in the theater, later engaged in active concert activities. She traveled all over Russia with performances,” recalled Lyudmila. When Vera Davydova tried to defend her name and prove that she did not have a close relationship with Stalin, Maria Maksakova tried to help her with this.
There is no information about the secretary general’s romance with the opera queen Valeria Vladimirovna Barsova (Vladimirova). But still, she is also ranked among the host of “concubines.” The justification is elementary - in 1947 she left for Sochi, where on the shores of the Black Sea she began to build a dacha, which was called “Valeria”. Naturally, according to “informed” people, such a dacha could only be built by order and support of the Supreme Commander. 40 years after the singer’s death, it was discovered that she had a lot of jewelry. So, in one of thrift stores Sochi offered her ring with a sapphire framed with diamonds. And again, only Comrade Stalin could give such expensive gifts. Not too much, but great singer, People's Artist of the USSR, “possessing easy mobility in a beautiful voice- soprano, filigree vocal technique,” they threw mud at me. She performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater until 1948, and in 1952 she became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory.
Got it from evil tongues and ballerina Olga Lepeshinskaya. She was also included in the harem, and, according to their stories, she delighted the leader not only with her dances in his boudoir, but also in bed. Judging by her success on stage, these great Pinkertons came to the conclusion that Stalin was crazy about her. But all those who came up with such “brilliant” ideas would do well to at least read her biography. And even this compressed data would make them doubt her performance as a geisha.
Olga was so extraordinary and expressive in dance that she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater immediately after graduating from college in 1933 at the age of 17. Three years later she's at the premiere new production The Sleeping Beauty was danced by Princess Auror. Her performance was met with a standing ovation. It was a triumph. Lepeshinskaya became prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater. She got married. Her first husband was film director and screenwriter of Lenfilm Ilya Zakharovich Trauberg. She divorced him in 1941, shortly before the start of the war. Possessing sparkling technique, filigree precision of movements, and lively temperament, she successfully danced the roles of Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake. Lepeshinskaya received her first order at the age of 21. Together with Galina Ulanova, she became the first ballerina to be awarded the high title people's artist THE USSR.
In October 1941 ballet troupe The Bolshoi Theater was evacuated to Kuibyshev. A front-line concert brigade was formed, in which Olga Vasilievna took an active part. The brigade performed concerts in hospitals, at the front, in liberated and destroyed cities. On December 5, 1943, the premiere of the ballet “ Scarlet Sails"Based on the story by Alexander Green. The role of Assol was masterfully performed by Lepeshinskaya.
Olga Lepeshinskaya was a four-time winner of Stalin Prizes, among her awards are the Order of Lenin, October revolution, Red Banner of Labor, “For Services to the Fatherland”, III degree.
Answering questions from the Estonian publication Postimees at one time about why ballet was so popular in the country, and the Bolshoi Theater troupe reached such heights and world fame, Lepeshinskaya bluntly stated: “Because Stalin came to the Bolshoi Theater. When did he have free time, he always came, sat in his box, and we knew that Stalin was in the theater. A lot of young people appeared behind the scenes, good dressed men. Stalin was very fond of the ballet “Flames of Paris”, which was sacred for us too. He often came to only one act, in which the capture of the Tuileries took place. Stalin did a lot for the Bolshoi Theater, under him the theater turned into a single whole. First-class musicians appeared, and the orchestra itself became a workshop like ballet and opera.”
In the 1930s, her aunt and two nieces were arrested. In the early 1950s, her second husband, MGB Lieutenant General L.F., was arrested. Reichman, and she herself was summoned by Beria to the Lubyanka. She was expelled from the party and everyone public organizations. Reichman did not return to his wife after his release. With her third husband, Army General A.I. She met Antonov in 1956, and they got married that same year. Antonov died in 1962. They lived together for six happy years. The death of her husband, Alexei Antonov, was such a strong shock for her that she lost her sight. In 1963, the government sent Olga Vasilievna to Italy for treatment. Her vision was restored, but for a long time she required constant medical supervision.
In these short biographies There is no place for our great actresses for a leader. In addition to awards, visits to the theater, gifts, there should have been some traces of joint leisure activities. If the leader had wished, then the one chosen would become the queen. And this would have been known - one of the guards or close comrades could have accidentally mentioned it. It is difficult to imagine that the leader could see them only as call women for one night. Why force these great ones, on pain of death, to go to his bed, when there were millions of willing girls, women who dreamed of at least touching him, the great one? Many, many would consider it a great happiness to spend even an hour alone with him. Some young Don Juan could indulge his vanity and include great artists in the list of beauties he conquered, but the Lord had no need for this. It was not they who made him happy, but he who made them happy.
We must understand that opera singing and ballet is hard labor. These are daily, many-hour exercises, rehearsals, performances, concerts, tours. Life on wheels. Due to the lack of free time, more often than not, these artists’ family life did not work out and collapsed. And if he really became interested in one of them, wouldn’t he really free her from these activities and force her to be with him constantly? Would the Lord really agree to share his beloved’s bed with someone else, even with her husband? Wouldn't a Georgian be jealous of the thousands of admirers who stood at the door and showered her with flowers and expensive gifts? And those nights spent on tour, spent unknown where and with whom, really didn’t cause a storm of emotions in the Georgian? The proposal that he made to Vera Davydova meant for her not only a change in status and moving to the Kremlin, but also the cessation of all stage activities, reducing the circle of relatives to a minimum and seclusion under the constant watchful eye of security. She understood this very well and refused. She was, firstly, a singer, and secondly, the wife of her beloved husband, but she did not want to be a canary in a golden cage and please her owner.
And still very important point What these lovers of spreading cranberries are missing is Stalin’s health. Following the legend of concubines in the plural, Stalin was a sexual giant. In fact, we must remember that after Nadezhda’s death he turned 54 years old, and he could not boast of health, he was often sick. But most importantly, he was maniacally suspicious. Academician, professor, doctor historical sciences Kumanev G.A. in his book “Next to Stalin: Frank Evidence” he cited Mikoyan’s statement: “Remember,” Anastas Ivanovich said during one conversation, “Stalin at the end of the 30s was a completely changed person: extremely suspicious, ruthless and terribly self-confident. He often spoke about himself in the third person. I think he was just crazy then. However, this is how Stalin appeared before us again in the last three or four years before his death.” His fears extended not only to medicines, doctors, cooks, his enemies and loved ones. The woman who came by order must have caused him a lot of phobias, ranging from the possibility of contracting a venereal disease to the fear of being strangled when left alone with her.
He was a physically undeveloped man. Since childhood, he grew up sickly. He was about two years old when he became seriously ill and was near death. His mother, Keke, brought him out with difficulty and prayers; his two older brothers died in infancy. At the age of five, Joseph suffered from smallpox. A year later, he was hit by a phaeton, was very seriously ill, was again near death, survived, only the muscles of his left arm began to atrophy, his arm began to slowly dry out and could barely move. Since he became a leader, physical labor he did not exercise, his left arm muscles were slowly withering, and it, remaining slightly bent, looked like a whip. He understood that the summoned stars of the Bolshoi Theater would not come to him voluntarily, unlike those who sell their bodies for money, which means that their hatred could reach such an intensity that in a fit of resistance it could kill him. And God forbid, if his enemies find out that so-and-so happens to be in the Kremlin, they will be able to force her to commit terrorist attack. Given the presence of such a huge number of phobias, he would never have dared to make any contacts with unknown, untested women, even super-outstanding ones. He was merciless to everyone and seemed omnipotent, but in fact, after fifty, he was physically a frail and sick man.
He needed his woman to be always nearby, under the supervision of security, so that she would greet him when he was tired and put him to bed when he was sick, so that she would be caring like a mother, gentle and loving in bed like a wife, and treat pain better than any doctor. so that she would be devoted to him and remain faithful to him until the end of her days. And beauties do not have to be forced to dance in their boudoir, they will perform better on stage with the troupe and orchestra, and they will not even need to be forced to do this, they will rehearse and train daily of their own free will. And this will make their performances give him more pleasure, and he will thank them, give them gifts, and they will try even harder.
Violinist, opera and symphony conductor.
Graduated from 1st music school violin class by V. Ya. Shpet, Omsk School of Music(1940, violin class of V. Mikhailov).
From 1940 to 1941 played in the symphony orchestra of the Omsk Philharmonic. Since 1942 - in the army, he served in Omsk as the leader and conductor of a jazz orchestra. Since 1944 - head of the musical department of the Youth Theater, played in the small symphony orchestra of the regional radio committee. In 1945 he was invited as the theater conductor musical comedy in Molotov (now Perm), simultaneously conducted symphony orchestra Philharmonic. Having performed in 1947 at the All-Russian Show of Creative Theater Youth, he was sent by the USSR Committee for Arts as a conductor to the musical theaters of Daugavpils, Chelyabinsk (1948), Orenburg (1948–1949), Irkutsk (1949). On February 25, 1950, he was appointed conductor of the Omsk Theater of Musical Comedy. Staged the operettas “Someone else’s Daughter” by O. Feltsman, “ Knot"E. Zharkovsky, "Shelmenko the Batman" by A. Ryabov, "Trembita" by Yu. Milyutin and others.
In May 1953, at the competition musical theaters in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater took 2nd place. As a promising conductor, he was sent to the Ashgabat Opera House, and in 1954 - as the second conductor to the Sverdlovsk Opera and Ballet Theater. He worked there for about 7 years, conducting many operas by Russian and foreign composers.
He graduated from the Sverdlovsk Conservatory, where he taught a symphony conducting class.
Since 1961 - conductor of Kuibyshevsky opera house. He staged the operas “Troubadour”, “The Demon” (1962), “Mazeppa” and “Iolanta” (1963–1965), “ The Tsar's Bride"(1969), a number of ballets. Collaborated with the Kuibyshev Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, performed with concert programs and soloists. In 1974, by invitation, he returned to Omsk and was appointed chief conductor of the musical comedy theater. In 1977, after a conflict with the directorate about the ways of developing the theater, he moved to the Omsk Drama Theater as head of the musical department.
Died in a car accident. He was buried at the Eastern Russian Cemetery in Omsk.
While processing emigrant newspapers from the 1920s, I came across the following story:
"For the hammer and sickle"
In Odessa, Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”, equipped with a completely new text, will be staged under the title “For the Hammer and Sickle.”*
* The Bolsheviks really put up this ideological crap. The libretto was revised by N. Krasheninnikov, and the dramatic baritone and artistic director of the Odessa Opera Theater at that time, Maximilian Maksakov (Max Schwartz), agreed to become the director.
"Rul" (Berlin), November 30, 1924
At the same time, it was stated on the Internet:
MAKSAKOV Maximilian Karlovich (stage pseudonym; real name and surname Max Schwartz), 1869, Chernivtsi, Bukovina - 26.3.1936, Moscow - art. opera (drama baritone), director, entrepreneur and vocal teacher. Nar. art. Republic. Husband of singer M.P. Maksakova.
It turns out that “singer M.P. Maksakova,” and even nee Sidorova (see below), was not Maksakova at all, but in fact Schwartz, or in Russian - Chernyaeva, Chernushkina and all that. Let's pull the "pedigree" further, from the Internet:
Lyudmila Vasilievna Maksakova was born in 1940 in Moscow into a family opera singer Maria Petrovna Maksakova. My father was also a singer at the Bolshoi Theater [??? - MK], but Lyudmila never saw him.
<...>L.V. got married for the second time. Maksakova was published in the mid-70s. This event caused a lot of noise, since her chosen one was German citizen Peter Andreas Igenbergs.
<...>Daughter - Maria Maksakova (Igenbergs), from her second marriage, graduated from the vocal department at the Gnessin Institute with Zurab Sotkilava, actress.
It turns out that the actress and State Duma deputy who voted for the vile “Dima Yakovlev’s law” is not “Maria Maksakova”, but Maria Peterovna Igenbergs! Well, was her mother “L.V. Maksakova” actually born “from someone unknown”? From the Internet:
Maksakova's daughter: - Mom never found out who her father was. There are two versions: either this is the futurist poet Vasily Kamensky, or the SMERSH general Vasily Novikov. What speaks in favor of these versions: the mother’s patronymic is Vasilievna, the grandmother shared the successes of her little daughter with both, and both came to the house. Maksakova-mother: - To be honest, I wasn’t really looking for my father. Masha wanted to know who he was. I never discussed this topic with my mother. Mom was a regal woman both on stage and in life, and if she didn’t start a conversation herself, then there was no need to ask her.
This is the first version, and here is the second - from the Internet, from the same Maksakova-daughter (sic!):
The founder of the creative dynasty, Maria Petrovna Maksakova, was born in 1902 in prosperous family employee of the Volga Shipping Company Sidorov. But it so happened that the family lost its breadwinner early and eight-year-old Masha, the eldest of the children, had to earn money. She went to sing in a church choir, for which she received as much as a ruble a month. By the age of seventeen, Maria had mastered her voice so much that she was enrolled in the troupe of the Astrakhan Opera Theater, where she was entrusted with performing the second main roles. At this time, the famous baritone, opera entrepreneur Maximilian Karlovich Maksakov [Max Schwartz! - MK]. He himself was from Austria, and since he was not distinguished by his heroic stature, which was unforgivable for a baritone at that time, he could not make a decent career in the theater. That's why he created the enterprise. Maximilian Karlovich noticed a thin, vocal girl, but immediately categorically stated: “Your voice is wonderful, but you don’t know how to sing.” Marusya got angry and went to audition for the Petrograd Conservatory... where she received exactly the same resume. Distressed, the girl returned to Maksakov.
- I don’t know if tragedy can be called luck? But it was precisely the fact that at this very time Mark Karlovich became a widower that played decisive role in the fate of my grandmother. According to legend, his wife said before her death: “Marusya good girl, marry her." So he did, promising to make his grandmother a real singer. Then he was fifty years old, and she was only eighteen.
And indeed, three years later, Maria Maksakova made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater with the role of Amneris in the opera “Aida”, and so successfully that she long years became the leading voice of this scene. True, having once quarreled with the management, Maria performed for two seasons at the Mariinsky Theater... but this did not harm her popularity at all. God is fair, and if he gives career success, he takes away personal well-being. At the end of 16 years happy marriage Maria Petrovna's husband, teacher and friend dies; a year later, after enduring mourning, she marries Soviet diplomat Y.Kh. Dovtyan, goes abroad with him... One day, after a brilliant concert in the Hall of Columns, the couple return home and meet a “black funnel” at the doorstep. Maria Petrovna never saw her husband again.
“For two years, my grandmother sat on her suitcases and shuddered at every rustle outside the door. From an energetic laugher with a cheeky character, she turned into a gloomy, silent, frightened woman. And then, as a consolation, my mother was born in 1940. Who her father was remained a mystery until her grandmother’s death. The middle name was written down as Vasilyevna... The grandmother was terribly scared, because in fact the father of her child was the Bolshoi Theater baritone Alexander Volkov, who two years after the birth of his daughter emigrated to America - the Soviet government would not have forgiven the grandmother for this.
In general, as they say, L.V. Maksakova - “neither like his mother nor his father, but like a passing fellow,” “like a baritone, but like someone else...”.