St.Petersburg was built as a counterbalance to the patriarchal and traditions-bound
Moscow, as a window opening on Europe and readily picking up every new
trend and fashion originating west of the Danube River.
The late 18th century saw the advent of the so-called musical salons, which
quickly caught on with the high-living Russian aristocrats who organized
weekly concerts by leading performers right in their plush mansions. Because
until the mid-19th century only public concerts were allowed during the
six-week Lent leading up to Easter, these private salons were the focus
of the capital’s music life.
The salon organized by the rich and famous Counts Mikhail and Matvei Vielgorsky
was by far and without a doubt the best known such gathering around bringing
together the cream of the city’s society, at times more than 300 people
in all, enjoying first class music played by top-flight musicians.
The Vielgorsky brothers came from a family of Polish aristocrats. Their
father, a famous author and diplomat, once served as Poland’s Ambassador
in St.Petersburg where he married one of the Russian Empress’ maids of
honor. His stint over, he stayed on eventually becoming a Privy Councilor
and Senator. A brilliant, Paris-educated man and a dedicated lover
of music and theater, he penned several plays and his Olympia drama was
successfully staged by the Court Theater Company.
A man of a very refined taste, Yuri Vielgorsky started holding regular
salons at home where they recited poems by French and Russian verse masters
and played music written by the best late-18th - early 19th century composers,
such as Gluck, Haydn and Mozart…
His sons readily picked up where their arts-loving father had left off.
Getting excellent European education, Mikhail and Matvei actively engaged
in musical activities and occasionally joined their father playing in ensembles
and taking piano and organ lessons. In Paris they apprenticed with
the outstanding Italian composer Luigi Cherubini. In Vienna, the
brothers saw and heard the formidable Ludwig van Beethoven whom they literally
idolized all their life…
By the way, it was exactly the Vielgorskys’ salon that eventually saw the
premieres of many of Beethoven’s works, including the larger than life
Ninth Symphony…
The eldest of the two brothers, Mikhail, was a gifted composer, the author
of a wealth of love songs that were very much loved in the city, including
by the founding father of Russian classical music, Mikhail Glinka. They
were also sung by the best singers around, among them by the famous French
chanteuse Pauline Viardot. Ferenz Lizst was so much impressed by Mikhail’s
songs that he wrote a raft of virtuosic piano transcriptions of many of
them.
Mikhail Vielgorsky met the great Hungarian composer and pianist in 1839.
“He is the King of all pianists! No other pianist has ever impressed me
half as much as he did. Lizst is absolutely number one for me…” Mikhail
wrote back home after meeting the great Hungarian. Shortly afterwards,
Ferenz Lizst, on a concert tour of Russia, was invited to play at Vielgorskys
where he made the acquaintance of Mikhail Glinka offering an quick improvisation
on the them of Chernomor’s march from Glinka’s opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”
…
Mikhail’s young brother, Matvei was a very able cello player, the first
Russian cellist to play in public concerts. His amazingly beautiful tone,
flash and inspiration inspired Ivan Kozlov to write a poem where Matvei
Vielgorsky is hailed as “a magician of the strings”…
Matvei Vielgorsky put together a one of a kind collection of books about
cello playing, quartets and orchestral scores. He was also the proud owner
of a number of excellent instruments crafted by the great 18th century
luthiers Antonio Stradivari and Nicolo Amati. During his ebbing years he
gave away many of his instruments to famous musicians, including several
cellos and a double bass he presented to the newly-opened St.Petersburg
Conservatory. After a concert in 1864 Matvei Vielgorsky presented
Europe’s finest Stradivari cello to the young cellist Karl Davydov. “You
are the only one who deserves to play this amazing instrument,” he said.
At these words, eyewitnesses say, the huge hall of the Nobility Club literally
exploded with a round of deafening applause…
Ever since the 1830s the Vielgorskys’ house had been famous for playing
host to the city’s finest musicians and the quartet performances that were
regularly held there. One can hardly find a single piece of chamber
music by European or Russian composer that was not played there…
Needless to say, foreign celebrities were also a must presence at Vielgorskys’.
Guiseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner, Henryk Weniawski, Henri Vietan and Pauline
Viardot never missed a chance to drop in. Hector Berlioz was absolutely
euphoric about the brothers’ guest-loving largesse and the invariably high
quality of the concerts happening there. “The Vielgorsky’s house in St.Petersburg
is a little Ministry of Beaux Arts!” gasped the much-impressed Frenchman.
“This is because they are tasteful and influential and, to a large degree,
because of the clout they enjoy at the Royal Court…”
The famous German pianist Clara Schumann: “These Vielgorsky are such wonderful
people, they really are… Art is their everything, something they never
spare money on. I love and respect them so much! It’s not every day
that you come across people of their social stature you feel so free and
relaxed to talk to…”
Mikhail and Matvei Vielgorsky made maximum use of their friendship with
the Emperor to promote arts and education, organizing concerts and art
exhibitions and helping produce Mikhail Glinka’s opera “Life for the Czar”
that opened a new chapter in Russian music.
Matvei Vielgorsky was very much behind the establishment of the Russian
Imperial Musical Society he presided over until his very last day.
Matvei Vielgorsky also initiated the opening of Russia’s first conservatory
in St.Petersburg to which he bequeathed his vast and unique library.
In appreciation of his selfless effort, the Musical Society instituted
a special Matvei Vielgorsky scholarship given to the conservatory’s best
cello student…
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