Rodion Shchedrin: biography, photo, creativity

The work of Rodion Shchedrin, a well-known composer of the second half of the 20th century, is musical works on Russian themes. Plots of domestic classics of the literary genre formed the basis of his operas and ballets. Choral liturgies and concerts for orchestras were created on the works of NV Gogol, AP Chekhov, LN Tolstoy, VV Nabokov, NS Leskov and other great writers.

Rodion Shchedrin: a short biography of the future composer

In Moscow, in the family of Constantine and Concordia Shchedrin, on December 16, 1932, their first-born was born, who after some time was destined to become the pride of the Russian musical elite, a great composer of the present, pianist, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of international prizes and author of hundreds of musical works.

From the very childhood Rodion Shchedrin grew up in a musical environment. Father Konstantin Mikhailovich Shchedrin was a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, composer and music critic. All his pre-war childhood, the future composer spent in the town of Aleksin, Tula region, where a grandfather, an Orthodox priest, remained a house on the banks of the beautiful Russian river Oka.

The Comed Comedian 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, together with his father, he was lucky to attend the dress rehearsal of the famous Seventh Symphony by Shostakovich. Konstantin Mikhailovich and Dmitri Dmitrievich worked together in the Union of Composers, and it was often D. Shostakovich who helped the Shchedrin family in difficult domestic circumstances under conditions of evacuation.

Talented tomboy

In his childhood, Rodion Shchedrin, despite the musical environment, did not show much zeal for music. Like local children, his interests were limited to climbing trees, playing games, stealing apples from a neighboring garden. However, the boy had exceptional musical abilities. By the age of ten, Rodion Shchedrin possessed a phenomenal musical memory and an absolute hearing, his ability to memorize music amazed the guests of the Shchedrin family, who often visited Konstantin Mikhailovich. One case from the composer's childhood is noteworthy.

In 1943, together with his friend Rodion sent to the front. With all the truths and crooks of friends safely get to Kronstadt. After a long search, Rodion's father manages to find the boys and bring them back to Samara. There was a question about the future of the teenager. In the desire of Rodion to enter the Nakhimov school or become a musician, the incident intervened. At that time, the frequent guest of the Shchedrin family was actress Vera Nikolayevna Pashenna. It was she, knowing the unique musical abilities of the boy, offered at his own expense to send him to study at the Moscow Conservatory. However, life dictated its rules.

Return from evacuation

At the end of 1944, the family returned to Moscow, where Konstantin Mikhailovich was offered a job, becoming a teacher of music history and theory in the newly created Moscow Choir School. The organizer and ideological inspirer of the musical institution is Alexander Vasilyevich Sveshnikov, teacher, choirmaster, public figure and future People's Artist of the Soviet Union. After listening to the talented guy, A. V. Sveshnikov offers him the training of choral art in the school. So, Rodion Shchedrin begins his musical career. In the future, the first composer's works of the young author were connected with choral singing.

Musical everyday life

Studying at the Moscow Choral College for Rodion Shchedrin became an introduction to great art. His musical abilities were evaluated by the best composers and performers of that time. The guests of the educational institution were great people - Svyatoslav Richter, Veniamin Haet, Emil Gilels, Aram Khachaturian and Ivan Kozlovsky. The creative life of Rodion Shchedrin changed dramatically after the composer's contest.

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 choir school. The contest participants 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 disputes, the first place in the contest was given to the student of the choir 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 pianist, where the talented musician hospitably welcomed. His main success in life R. Shchedrin considered the lessons in the piano class conducted by the teacher Yakov Vladimirovich Flier, a Soviet pianist, laureate of many international competitions. Lessons on composition to Rodion Konstantinovich was taught by Yury Shaporin, a Russian composer and conductor, winner of three Stalin prizes. He also invited Rodion Shchedrin after graduating from high school with honors to continue his studies in conservatory postgraduate study.

After completing his studies, the composer remains to teach in his alma mater. Because of the conflict with the leadership of the university over the refusal to sign a letter in support of the introduction of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia, Rodion Shchedrin was forced to leave work in 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 play of the same name by Peter Ershov, which he created for the Bolshoi Theater. The author was just over twenty years old. In the sixties RK 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 great work of the author was a concert for the symphonic orchestra "Mischievous chastushki," written by R. Shchedrin in 1963. Further list of author's works can be listed for a very long time. For 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 has written more than a hundred vocal compositions for soloists, choir and orchestra.

Love story

As you know, Maya Plisetskaya is the 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 VV Mayakovsky, where the future spouses met.

The company of friends gathered on the occasion of the arrival of their mutual friend, French actor Gerard Philippe. After a noisy feast Rodion Konstantinovich, as the owner of his own car "Volga", was entrusted to carry out long-time friends to their homes. Accidentally or not, the last one on the route was the house of Maya Plisetskaya. Gallantly bidding farewell to the ballerina, Rodion asked for the next meeting.

The second meeting occurred at the rehearsal of the ballet "Humpbacked Horse", where the prima ballerina was invited to one of the main parties. Finally, Amur's arrows were struck by loving hearts after a summer vacation in the House of Creativity of composers in Sortavala, which is on Lake Ladoga. After that, the couple in love went to Shchedrin's car in Sochi. Because of the unregistered relationship, the couple were not accommodated in the hotel, and they did not regret spending their honeymoon in a car on the Black Sea shore.

Officially, relations between Rodion and Maya were registered on October 2, 1958. The unique marriage of the composer and the ballerina has been preserved for a lifetime. To interrupt this love story was only death capable.

May 2, 2015 in Munich, Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya was gone. The cause of death was a vast myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, this beautiful marriage had no children - such is the great sacrifice of a Russian ballerina.

Wife's will

Today the composer permanently resides in Munich (Germany). The health of Rodion Shchedrin after the death of his wife was greatly shaken. More and more often, local doctors visit his home. However, the composer does not despair and says that the best work has not been written yet.

According to Maya Mihailovna's will, the ashes of Plisetskaya should be connected to the ashes of Rodion Konstantinovich after his death and dispelled over the territory of great Russia.