By Olga Fyodorova
We are wrapping up this series that has been coming out for the past two
years unveiling a whole constellation of Russia’s musical superstars of
the past century. Yet, we would like get back to some of these familiar
faces and add additional touches to the great singers and players who at
various times graced Russia’s premier stages. Like, for example,
their favorite pastimes and funny things that happened to them on and off
stage.
Do you know that the great pianist Svyatoslav Richter was an avid theatergoer
from early on and often invited his friends to join him on a makeshift
stage he set up right in his room? Each was assigned a role all his
own and Richter often doubled and even tripled as an actor, director and
set designer sometimes throwing in some piano parts of his own making…
As a young man, Svyatoslav Richter lived in Moscow in a tiny room that
served as both a stage and an auditorium during those improvised shows.
Every inch of space available was put to use with the actors playing on
and under the table, on the wardrobe and even inside it. Needless to say
that bed sheets, towels, saucepans, spoons, basins and just about everything
else was amply used during those improvised concerts!
All those tableaux vivre, masquerades and full-time stage production Richter
organized forever stayed in the memory of those who watched and participated
in them…
Richter’s vivid imagination stood him in very good stead helping him in
his many endeavors, including at the conservatory where he was at the top
of his class in just about everything, except the political subjects which,
like in every other Soviet college, were a sacrosanct must there.
The politically unaware Richter found a soul mate in Mstislav Rostropovich
from the Conservatory’ cello department. The two decided to sit up for
one such exam together. Reading through the dull, quasi-scientific
texts was a real drag and the young men started falling asleep… And
the examination was just a few hours away!
Rostropovich then came up with a great method of staying awake: the two
went down on their knees and, physically unable to dose off on the ice-cold
floor, they found it much easier to memorize the Marxist ideas. The method
worked and the friends got their “A”s and, even more importantly, the life-saving
stipends….
And what about Rostropovich, does he have a hobby too?
They say he collects old Russian paintings and tableware. And also friends.
I can’t think of another man in the whole wide world who has as many friends
as Rostropovich does. And all of them, from plumbers to Kings, call him
Slava.
Still a greenhorn cellist, Rostropovich befriended Sergei Prokofyev. The
great composer simply adored his much talented young pal and once even
took his advice writing several cello pieces for him which, back in the
1940s and 50s gave rise yet another of Rostropovich’s grand collections
– a collection of musical dedications by some of the greatest composers
who ever lived…
As for the favorite pastimes of Sergei Prokofyev, oh, he was a brilliant
chessman, he really was! A tough nut to crack even for seasoned grand masters…
Among fellow musicians, violinist David Oistrakh came closest to Prokofyev’s
chess playing prowess and their chessboard showdowns attracted nearly as
many people as did their concerts...
Apart from chess, Oistrakh had another soft spot and that was fried patties
they were selling at every corner in Moscow. On his way home from the conservatory,
the maestro never missed a chance to stock up on patties stuffed with cabbage,
jam or meat. Asked which of them he liked best, he would say: “All
of them! There are delicious all, aren’t they?!”
David Oistrakh did pay a price for this penchant though because patties
and a slender waist are two things that never go together...
This eternal truth is fully shared by the Russian opera diva Galina Vishnevskaya
who never goes for more than just a cup of sugar-free coffee before dinner
and never eats anything after 6 p.m.
And for this abstinence she has been rewarded with a wasp’s waist and a
great complexion. Just like ballerina Maya Plisetskaya who’s still in perfect
shape.
By the way, do you know that Maya Plisetskaya is a great fan of football
and hockey where she can often be seen passionately rooting for her favorite
teams?
Dmitry Shostakovich was also an avid football fan. The author of the Leningrad
Symphony rarely missed a single game played by his beloved Zenit club.
Sometimes, time permitting, he would move from one stadium to another in
the company of fellow buffs.
Football was and still is the darling of many musicians, especially of
the Bolshoi Opera’s principal, Zurab Sotkilava. Few people know that the
world-famous tenor once played with a popular Georgian football club… It
is a mystery how he managed to keep his vocal chords intact amid the game’s
rough and tumble!
Violinist Tatyana Grindenko, the leader of the Old Music Academy ensemble,
is also very serious about sports. Tatyana is a real daredevil where it
comes to alpine skiing and motorcycling. She really loved riding at breakneck
speed against the wind... Imagine how she feels getting stuck in all these
traffic jams in Moscow!..
Traffic bottlenecks are a sign of our times.. There were no such things
at the dawn of the 20th century… Do you know who was among the first to
move around Moscow in a car? – Sergei Rakhmaninoff, that’s who! The great
composer and pianist was madly in love with his car, an apple-red affair
seeing which people immediately knew it was Rakhmaninoff himself
riding in…
Unlike many of his colleagues, Rakhmaninoff was a real technology buff
and never missed a chance to haul in the very latest household gizmos that
happened to come his way…
I guess musicians still are the biggest connoisseurs of the fine arts though
and there are some very excellent collections of paintings gracing the
homes of conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky and violinist Vladimir Spivakov.
People also call Spivakov a collector of encores. I don’t think you can
find any other musician anywhere who has played as many encores as Spivakov
has. In any case, his Virtuosos of Moscow ensemble has just released a
recordful of encores they have ever played since their inception…
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