The works of Rodion Shchedrin, a famous composer of the second half of the 20th century, are musical works on Russian subjects. The plots of Russian classics of the literary genre formed the basis of his operas and ballets. The works of N.V. Gogol, A.P. Chekhov, L.N. Tolstoy, V.V. Nabokov, N.S. Leskov and other great writers created choral liturgies and concerts for orchestras.
Rodion Shchedrin: a brief biography of the future composer
In Moscow, in the family of Konstantin and Concordia the Shchedrins, on December 16, 1932 their first-born was born, who after some time was destined to become the pride of the Russian musical elite, the great composer of our time, pianist, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of international awards and author of hundreds of musical works.
From childhood, Rodion Shchedrin grew up in a musical environment. Father Konstantin Mikhailovich Shchedrin was a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, composer and music critic. The future composer spent all his pre-war childhood in the city of Aleksin, Tula region, where his grandfather, an Orthodox priest, left a house on the banks of the beautiful Russian river Oka.
The composer's military childhood
In October 1941, the Shchedrin family was forced to evacuate to Samara, where other cultural workers moved with them. It is possible that personal communication with Dmitry Shostakovich played an important role in the future of Rodion.
Already in the evacuation, he and his father were lucky to attend the dress rehearsal of the famous Seventh Symphony of D. Shostakovich. Konstantin Mikhailovich and Dmitry Dmitrievich worked together in the Union of Composers, and often it was D. Shostakovich who helped the Shchedrin family in difficult domestic circumstances during evacuation.
Talented Tomboy
In childhood, Rodion Shchedrin, despite the musical environment, did not show much zeal for music. Like the local children, his interests were limited to climbing trees, yard games, stealing apples from a neighboring garden. However, the boy had exceptional musical abilities. By the age of ten, Rodion Shchedrin had a phenomenal musical memory and absolute hearing; his ability to memorize music impressed guests of the Shchedrin family, who often visited Konstantin Mikhailovich. One case from the composer's childhood is noteworthy.
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In 1943, together with comrade Rodion sent to the front. By hook or by crook, friends safely get to Kronstadt. After a long search, Rodion's father manages to find the boys and return them back to Samara. The question arose about the future of the teenager. The case intervened in Rodion’s desire to enter Nakhimov’s school or become a musician. At that time, the frequent guest of the Shchedrin family was the actress Vera Nikolaevna Pashennaya. It was she who, knowing the boy’s unique musical abilities, offered to send him to study at the Moscow Conservatory at her own expense. However, life dictated its own rules.
Return from evacuation
At the end of 1944, the family returned to Moscow, where Konstantin Mikhailovich was offered a job, he became a teacher of history and theory of music at the newly created Moscow Choral School. The organizer and ideological inspirer of the musical institution is Alexander V. Sveshnikov, teacher, choirmaster, public figure and future people's artist of the Soviet Union. After listening to a talented guy, A.V. Sveshnikov offers him training in choral art at the school. So, Rodion Shchedrin begins his musical career. In the future, the first composer works of the young author were associated with choral singing.
Musical weekdays
Studying at the Moscow Choral School for Rodion Shchedrin became an introduction to the great art. His musical abilities were appreciated by the best composers and performers of that time. The guests of the school were great people - Svyatoslav Richter, Benjamin Haet, Emil Gilels, Aram Khachaturian and Ivan Kozlovsky. The creative life of Rodion Shchedrin has changed dramatically after the composing competition.
In 1947, under the guidance of an authoritative jury headed by Aram Ilyich Khachaturian, a competition of young composers was held within the walls of the choral school. The contestants were young talents from all over the country, with a total of 35 people. Each composer brought to the jury and the audience one author's work. After heated creative debate, the first place in the competition was given to the student of the choral department - Rodion Shchedrin.
Rodion Shchedrin: biography of the composer
In 1950, a young man goes to study at the Moscow Conservatory. Rodion Shchedrin (photo can be seen below) becomes a student at once in two departments, composer and piano, where the talented musician was cordially welcomed. R. Shchedrin considered piano lessons taught by teacher Yakov Vladimirovich Flier, Soviet pianist, and laureate of many international competitions to be his main success in life. Lessons on composition Rodion Konstantinovich taught Yuri Alexandrovich Shaporin, Russian composer and conductor, winner of three Stalin Prizes. He invited Rodion Shchedrin after graduation with honors to continue his studies at the conservative graduate school.
After graduating, the composer remains to teach in his alma mater. Due to a conflict with university leadership over the refusal to sign a letter in support of the entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia, Rodion Shchedrin was forced to leave his job at the conservatory.
Stage works of the composer R. Shchedrin
The first large-scale work of the musician was the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse based on the eponymous work by Peter Ershov, which he created by order of the Bolshoi Theater. The author was a little over twenty years old. In the 60s, R.K.Shchedrin creates several more musical works.
In 1961, Moscow saw the opera Not Only Love. This is a lyrical opera in three acts based on the stories of the writer Sergei Antonov.
The third major work of the author was a concert for the naughty ditties symphony orchestra, written by R. Shchedrin in 1963. A further list of copyrighted works can be listed for a very long time. During his creative career, the composer wrote:
- 5 ballets and 6 operas;
- 14 concerts for solo instruments and 3 symphonies;
- 5 concerts for the choir and 15 piano compositions;
- 25 chamber-instrumental compositions;
- 7 musical works for theaters and 10 for movies.
In addition, Shchedrin wrote more than a hundred vocal compositions for soloists, choir and orchestra.
Love story
As you know, Maya Plisetskaya is a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of international prizes - the wife of Rodion Shchedrin. The most romantic and fateful event in the life of the composer occurred in 1958. And the story of their acquaintance begins with the house of Lily Brik, the muse of V.V. Mayakovsky, where the future spouses met.
A group of friends gathered on the occasion of the arrival of their mutual friend, the French actor Gerard Philippe. After a noisy feast, Rodion Konstantinovich, as the owner of his own Volga car, was instructed to take his sat up friends home. By chance or not, the last route was Maya Plisetskaya’s house. Gallantly saying goodbye to the ballerina, Rodion asked for the next date.
The second meeting took place at the rehearsal of the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse, where the prima ballerina was invited to one of the main parties. Finally, Amur’s arrows struck loving hearts after a summer vacation in the House of Composers in Sortavala, on Lake Ladoga. After that, the couple in love went by Shchedrin's car to Sochi. Due to unregistered relations, the couple were not accommodated in the hotel, and they, not at all regretting, spent their honeymoon in a car on the Black Sea coast.
Officially, Rodion and Maya registered on October 2, 1958. The unique marriage of the composer and ballerina has been preserved for life. Only death was capable of breaking this love story.
On May 2, 2015 in Munich, Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya died. The cause of death was a massive myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, in this beautiful marriage there were no children - such is the great sacrifice of the Russian ballerina.
The will of the spouse
Today, the composer permanently resides in Munich (Germany). The health of Rodion Shchedrin after the death of his wife shook sharply. Increasingly, local doctors visit his house. However, the composer does not despair and says that the best work has not yet been written.
According to the testament of Maya Mikhailovna, the ashes of Plisetskaya should be connected with the ashes of Rodion Konstantinovich after his death and scattered over the territory of great Russia.