Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and composer Rodion Shchedrin - biography, dating, marriage

Artists It is not uncommon for people to marry, and history has known many such unions, which often turn out to be ambiguous. Incredible love stories The marriage of the famous composer and pianist is sometimes astonishing to fans and has a tremendous impact on them. The marriage of the famous composer and pianist Rodion Shchedrin and ballerinas Maya Plisetskaya was no exception. What is the secret of their love? We will try to answer this question in this article. But first, a little about our heroes.

Maya Plisetskaya

The great Russian ballerina was born in Moscow in 1925 into the family of a diplomat and a silent film actress. From a young age the girl attended theatre productions - her uncle and aunt on her mother's side were ballet dancers. She was able to take part in a ballet production at the age of seven:

"I played my tiny role with glamour. It was my first performance from the theatre stage in front of an audience," Plisetskaya shared.

The repression of 1937, which the young Plisetskaya felt on her family, did not prevent her from continuing to develop in ballet, and in 1942 she was was accepted into the Bolshoi Theatre companywhere she soon achieved success. In particular, in 1949 Plisetskaya even performed at a concert in honour of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's birthday, and in 1950 she performed the role of Kitri in Don Quixote, which became one of the most famous in the ballerina's repertoire. "Pointe Goddess." - This is how the public began to call Plisetskaya, which meant only one thing: Maya Mikhailovna was able to win the hearts not only of her people, but also of the whole world.

Rodion Shchedrin

A classic of contemporary Russian and world music Rodion Shchedrin, like Plisetskaya, was born into a family whose spirit was close to the creative - The boy's love for music was evident from childhood, as his father was a violinist. While studying at the Choir School, Shchedrin began to show his bright musical abilities. He won a prize at the competition of young composers, and then he was admitted to two faculties at once Moscow Conservatory.

Shchedrin wrote his first serious work in the 1950s when he was still a student. His Concerto for Piano and Orchestra had a significant influence on the music of the USSR at that time. The authorial style and concept of Shchedrin's music so impressed one of the professors at the conservatoire where the young man was studying that he recommended that the work be included in the programme of the plenum of the USSR Composers' Union. In the united creative association of composers and musicologists it was appreciated, and Shchedrin was granted membership of the Union.

First meeting

Shchedrin and Plisetskaya met in 1955 on at Lily Brik's flatwho was a mutual acquaintance of theirs. At a social evening, Shchedrin masterfully performed various piano pieces on the piano, which attracted the ballerina's attention. Therefore, when he offered to drive Plisetskaya home, she asked the young composer to translate the music from the film "Ramp Lights" from a record to sheet music. The two artists did not fall in love at first sight, but fate brought them together again, on a the premiere of the ballet Spartacus.. Then they realised that their mutual feeling - forever, and then spent the summer together in Karelia, where Plisetskaya became pregnant, but the child did not leave and continued to build a career.

"It was a heady affair... This summer was a burst of happiness...," - Plisetskaya said.

Escape from the KGB

The political situation in the Soviet Union could not but have an impact on the diminished career opportunities of Soviet artists. This was also the case with Maya Plisetskaya: KGB pressure increased as social tensions mounted - on tour the ballerina often socialised with foreigners, and in her homeland they feared that such sociability could have a negative impact on the image of the USSR and lead to famous cultural figures working for foreign intelligence. To avoid this, she was followed were conducting surveillance KGB officers. In the late 50's, the Committee even opened a case against the ballerina on charges of counter-revolutionary activities. Maya Mikhailovna lost her touring permit.She was in a depressed state when she found her ray of light in this "dark Soviet realm", which was the composer Shchedrin.

For him this marriage, as the Communist Party thought, would be quite unattractive, as Plisetskaya did not have a very good reputation, and this was stated to Shchedrin by the head of the music sector of the Central Committee of the Party. But Maya Mikhailovna, having spoken to Ekaterina Furtseva, Minister of Culture of the USSR, came to the conclusion that registering a marriage with the composer would be very unattractive. will improve her reputation and the state's faith in her will only grow stronger.

"Today I confess that it was my initiative. Shchedrin did not want the official bonds of marriage. But my intuition told me that the authorities would be less likely to torment me if I was married," Plisetskaya wrote about the marriage in her memoirs.

The ballerina's good name was restored, and soon after several attempts by Shchedrin and her famous friends to establish ties with the state, Maya was organised a personal meeting with the then head of the KGB Alexander Shelepinwhich nevertheless allowed the ballerina to tour abroad, which undoubtedly had a favourable effect on the building her global career. Upon returning from the West, Plisetskaya became a . People's Artist of the USSR - Thus the country's leader Nikita Khrushchev "thanked" the ballerina for not secretly emigrating.

Marriage "by art."

Given that their surprising union was a creative one, as befits prominent cultural figures, Shchedrin and Plisetskaya could not but work together. And their work was excellent, despite Plisetskaya's ardent and impulsive character, the composer was only inspired by her and always spoke enthusiastically of his wife:

"I am infinitely glad that my life is. the life of a happy man. I had a great wife with whom I had an exceptional relationship. We understood each other from the word go. I attribute this mainly to her character, to her tolerance. I was happy with her immensely, infinitely...". - Rodion Shchedrin on Maya Plisetskaya.

Almost all of Shchedrin's ballets had a connection with Plisetskaya's dance - together the two bright personalities of the creative world of the USSR created a new ballet culture. This is how the ballet The Humpbacked Horse with music by Shchedrin and the role of the Tsar Maiden, performed by Plisetskaya, saw the light of day. Together they also worked on other ballets ("Anna Karenina", "The Seagull", "Lady with a Dog", etc.), including "Carmen Suite", which Maya Mikhailovna danced about 350 times.

They lived each other's interests, soul to soul, love in their union superseded competition, and, most importantly, in their relationship there was mutual support and care, devotion. This is the secret of their passionate and truly ethereal loves.