There is a popular belief that nature rests on the children of famous people. However, the son of the famous Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich Maxim was able to completely refute these unfair rumors. A pianist and conductor from God, he became known throughout the world thanks to his innate musical talent and hard work.
Birth and the first years of life
Maxim Shostakovich was born in Leningrad on May 10, 1938. His father was the famous composer Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich, famous throughout the Soviet Union . The boy’s mother was astrophysicist Nina Vasilievna Varzar, who after marriage refused to create a scientific career and devoted herself to her husband and children. In addition to Maxim, the eldest daughter Galina grew up in spouses. The early years of the boy's life were overshadowed by the Great Patriotic War. The blockade of Leningrad was met by the Shostakovichs in their hometown. Here Dmitry Dmitrievich worked on his famous Seventh Symphony, which was subsequently broadcast on the radio from the Northern capital captured by the Nazis to the entire immense Soviet Union. In 1942, the composer and his family were evacuated to Kuibyshev (Samara), and a year later the Shostakovichs moved to Moscow. They could not return to Leningrad.
Relations with the composer father
Shostakovich Maxim Dmitrievich retained bright memories of his father. He characterized him as a man of extraordinarily wise and intelligent. The composer and his wife raised their children by example, instilled in them only positive qualities. Little Maxim and Galina did not know what physical punishment was. If they committed any wrongdoing, the father forced them to give a written obligation not to do so again. After that, the children could not even think of pampering or disobeying their parents.
Mother's death
Dad was an unquestioned authority for Maxim and his sister, and his mother was the guardian of the hearth, a reliable rear and a faithful adviser. Unfortunately, Nina Vasilyevna died in 1954, when her son was sixteenth year. The death of his mother became a severe loss for young Maxim, with which he could not reconcile for a long time. Shortly after the death of his first wife, Dmitry Shostakovich married a party employee Margarita Kainova. The marriage with her did not last long, and in 1962 Maxim had a new stepmother Irina Antonovna Supinskaya, who occupies the position of editor of the publishing house "Soviet Composer". Her father lived with her until his death in 1975.
The decision to become a conductor
Dmitry Shostakovich from an early age took his son to rehearsals and concerts. The work of the pope aroused sincere admiration in the boy, and he, having fallen in love with music with all his soul, could not imagine his further existence without it. In 1946, Maxim attended a rehearsal of the 8th symphony of his father and was deeply impressed by the virtuoso work of the conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky. After that, he firmly decided that in the future he would engage in conducting.
Studying at a music school and conservatory
Maxim Dmitrievich received a brilliant education. Under the guidance of Elena Petrovna Hoven, he studied piano at the music school at the Moscow Conservatory. The conductor recalls his teacher as a woman who faithfully served the musical art. After graduation, he entered the piano department of the Moscow Conservatory. Here, the outstanding Soviet pianist Jacob Flier became the teacher of the son of Shostakovich. At the entrance exams, when entering the conservatory, the young man performed the Second Piano Concerto composed by his famous father. In the fourth year, Shostakovich transferred to the conducting faculty. Here, such renowned conductors as Nikolai Rabinovich, Alexander Gauk and Gennady Rozhdestvensky became his teachers .
Conductor career in the USSR
After graduating from the conservatory in 1963, Shostakovich Maxim Dmitrievich became an assistant to the chief conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra Veronika Borisovna Dudarova. Together with her, he traveled on tour throughout the Soviet Union. After 3 years, the young musician was enrolled in the staff of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Having become an assistant to the great conductor Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov, the son of the composer first went abroad. During the period of work in the Gosorkestr, he traveled all over Europe, visited the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.
After the completion of the assistant term, Svetlanov Maxim Dmitrievich was invited to work in the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Central Television. Subsequently, he was appointed as his chief conductor. In 1971, Maxim Shostakovich’s son became the head of the Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union. The conductor held this position for 10 years. In 1978, for high achievements in the field of musical art, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
In 1979, Maxim Shostakovich made his debut as an opera conductor. Under his leadership, several operas were staged, including Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Nose, etc.
Emigration from the USA
Despite the “cold war” between the USSR and Western countries, Maxim Shostakovich, whose biography is considered in this article, repeatedly spoke abroad. His debut as a conductor outside the country took place in 1968 in the British capital. Then he performed at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. A year later, Maxim Dmitrievich and the State Orchestra went on a big tour in the USA.
Traveling through the capitalist countries, the son of Shostakovich saw how unfairly the Soviet regime treats its artists. His dissatisfaction with life in the USSR grew more and more every year. Finally, in 1981, during a tour of Germany, Shostakovich Maxim Dmitrievich made a firm decision not to return to his homeland. His escape from the Union was a note of political protest. The conductor dreamed of playing the music he liked, and not limply following orders “from above”. Thoughts about emigration visited him before, but while his father was alive, he could not afford to leave him. After the death of Dmitry Dmitrievich in 1975, the desire to break out of the USSR became even stronger. Stagnation, covering all spheres of life in the country, seemed to Shostakovich Jr. eternal. He wanted his children and grandchildren to grow up in a free state. Left after a tour in Germany with his son Dmitry, the conductor emigrated to the USA after some time. He had no thoughts that someday he would again set foot on Russian soil.
Professional activity in exile
Shostakovich’s creative career in the West was no less successful than in the USSR. In 1983, he led the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, which he directed for two years. In 1986-1991, Maxim Dmitrievich was the chief conductor of the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra. Living in the States, Shostakovich continued to work hard and actively perform. In addition to concert activity, he was involved in recordings of his father's symphonies and piano concerts. In 1994, for the first time after emigration, the conductor came to Russia on tour. Despite the professional demand in the West, he often missed his homeland. In 1997, he returned with his family to Russia and settled in St. Petersburg.
Wives and children of a conductor
Maxim Shostakovich was married twice. Very little is known about the first wife of the pianist and conductor . In marriage with her, in 1961, a son was born to him, who was named Dmitry in honor of the famous grandfather. Having emigrated with his father from the USSR, he lived for some time in the USA, after which he moved to France. Dmitry Maksimovich is composing music for electronic synthesizers.
Shostakovich’s current wife is Marina. The composer's son married her after moving to the United States. In his second marriage, he had two children - daughter Maria and son Maxim, who also went on a creative path. From childhood, they took part in concerts, learned to play musical instruments.
Maxim Shostakovich cannot complain about his personal life. His wife, Marina, became for him not only the mother of his children, but also a true soul mate, supporting her talented spouse in all endeavors. For the first time, the conductor saw her during his performance at a musical evening in the House of Unions. Marina, who was still in school at that time, on behalf of the teacher presented her future husband a bouquet of flowers. The acquaintance of the spouses took place much later. The romance between Maxim Dmitrievich and Marina began shortly before his emigration to America. They married already in the States, where the girl left after her beloved. There, a couple had a daughter and a son.
Living together with a second wife
While in the United States, Maxim and Marina Shostakovich regularly visited Orthodox churches and monasteries. Their favorite place was the small church of St. Nicholas, built by the efforts of the outstanding aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky. The decision to return to Russia was made by the spouses after their children began to grow up. They wanted their offspring to grow up in the Russian environment and brought up in Orthodox traditions. Despite the fact that the conductor and his wife lived in Moscow before moving to the States, after their return to their homeland, they settled in St. Petersburg - the city where Maxim Shostakovich was born. The family of the conductor settled in the very center of the legendary city on the Neva. Shostakovich returned to music, and Marina took up social activities. Thanks to her efforts, a school was opened at the Church of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg, in which, in addition to basic subjects, children are taught music, drawing and dancing. The son and daughter of the Shostakovich became one of her first students. Later, the couple engaged in the construction of an educational institution in Pavlovsk.
Return to conductor work in Russia
Having settled in the Northern capital, Shostakovich Maxim Dmitrievich set to work actively. Music still occupies a central place in his life. The conductor began working with orchestras in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. In addition, he returned to the recordings of works and began conducting tours. According to Maxim Shostakovich, music gives him the feeling that his father is still with him and enjoys his success.