Probably many of us made mistakes. The ancient sages said: "To err is human." Unfortunately, there are also such serious wrong decisions or actions that can harm our entire future life. We choose which way to go: the difficult one that leads us to the cherished dream, the beautiful goal or, on the contrary, we give preference to a beautiful and easy road, which often turns out to be false, a dead end.
One very talented boy, my neighbor, because of his own laziness, was not accepted into the aircraft modeling community. Instead of overcoming this drawback, he chose a pleasant in all respects section of cycling and even became a champion. After many years, it became clear that he possesses phenomenal mathematical abilities, and airplanes are his vocation. It remains only to regret that his talent was not claimed. Maybe now completely new types of aircraft would fly in the sky? However, laziness defeated talent.
Another example. The girl, my classmate, with the intellectual development factor of a super-talented person, thanks to her erudition and purposefulness, opened a beautiful road to the future. Her grandfather and dad were career diplomats. Before it were open the doors to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, further, to the United Nations Security Council. Maybe it would make a decisive contribution to the process of weakening international security and go down in the history of world diplomacy. But this girl could not overcome her egoism, did not develop the ability to find a compromise solution, and without this diplomacy is impossible. The world has lost a talented erudite peacemaker.
And here is the music? - you ask. And, probably, having thought a little, you will independently find the correct answer: Great musicians grew from little boys and girls. So, they also sometimes made mistakes. Another thing is important. They seem to have learned to overcome the barriers of error, to break through a wall made of bricks of laziness, disobedience, anger, conceit, lies and meanness.
Many famous musicians could serve for us, the young, an example of timely correction of our mistakes, the ability not to make them again. Perhaps the most vivid example of this is the life of an intelligent, strong man of a talented musician Sergei Vasilyevich Rakhmaninov. In his life he was able to accomplish three feats, three victories over himself, over his mistakes: in childhood, adolescence, and already in his mature years. All three heads of the dragon were defeated by them ... And now everything is in order.
Sergey was born in 1873 in the village of Semenovo Novgorod province in a noble family. The history of the genus Rakhmaninov has not yet been fully studied, there are many mysteries in it. Having solved one of them, you will be able to understand why, being a very successful musician, and having a strong character, he, nevertheless, doubted himself all his life. Only to his closest friends, he confessed: "I do not believe in myself."
The family tradition of Rakhmaninov says that five hundred years ago a descendant of the Moldavian ruler of the emperor Stephen III the Great (1429-1504) arrived in Moscow to serve in Moscow (1429-1504) Ivan Vechin. At the baptism of his son, Ivan gave him the baptismal name Basil. And as the second, worldly he was chosen the name Rakhmanin. This name, which came from the Middle Eastern countries, means: "meek, quiet, merciful." Soon after arriving in Moscow, the “envoy” of the Moldovan state apparently lost its influence and significance in the eyes of Russia, since Moldova became dependent on Turkey for several centuries.
The musical history of the Rakhmaninov family, perhaps, begins with Arkady Alexandrovich, who was Sergei’s paternal grandfather. He learned to play the piano from Irish musician John Field who came to Russia. Arkady Alexandrovich was considered a talented pianist. I saw my grandson several times. He was approving of Sergei’s music lessons.
Sergey's father, Vasily Arkadyevich (1841-1916), was also a gifted musician. Son did little. In his youth he served in the hussar regiment. He loved to have fun. Led reckless, frivolous way of life.
Mom, Lyubov Petrovna (nee Butakova), was the daughter of General P.I. Arakcheev’s Cadet Corps. Butakova. She began to study music with her son Seryozha when he was five years old. Very soon he was recognized as a musically gifted boy.
In 1880, when Sergey was seven years old, his father went bankrupt. The family was left with virtually no means of subsistence. Family estate had to sell. Son sent to St. Petersburg to relatives. By this time, the parents separated. The reason for the divorce was the frivolity of the father. It is regrettable to state that the boy did not actually have a strong family.
In those years, Sergei was described as a thin, tall boy with large expressive features, large long arms. So he met his first serious test.
In 1882, at the age of nine, Seryozha was assigned to the junior department of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Unfortunately, the lack of serious supervision from adults, early independence, all this led to the fact that he studied poorly, often missed classes. In the final exams I got bad marks in many subjects. Was deprived of scholarships. Scarce money (he was given a dime for food), which was only enough for bread and tea, he often spent on completely different goals, for example, buying a ticket to the rink.
The first dragon has grown from the dragon dragon.
Adults, as they could, tried to change the situation. They translated it in 1885. to Moscow for the third year of the junior department of the Moscow Conservatory. Sergey was identified in the class of Professor N.S. Zverev. It was agreed that the boy would live in the family of the professor, but a year later, when Rakhmaninov turned sixteen, he moved in with his relatives, the Satins. The fact is that Zverev turned out to be a very cruel, unrestrained person, and this complicated the relations between them to the utmost.
Relying on the fact that changing the place of study would entail a change in Sergey’s attitude to study would be completely wrong if he did not want to change. It was Sergey himself who played a major role in the fact that, at the cost of enormous efforts, he turned from a lazy and mischievous person into a hardworking, disciplined person. Who would have thought that in time, Rachmaninov would become extremely demanding and strict with himself. Now you know that success in working on yourself can not come immediately. For this we must fight.
Many who knew Sergey before the transfer from St. Petersburg and after were also struck by other changes in his behavior. He learned never to be late. He clearly planned his work and strictly fulfilled his plans. Complacency, self-satisfaction was alien to him. On the contrary, he was obsessed with achieving perfection in everything. Was truthful, did not like hypocrisy.
The tremendous work on oneself led to the fact that outwardly Rachmaninov gave the impression of an imperious, integral, restrained person. He spoke quietly, calmly, slowly. Was extremely neat.
Inside the strong-willed, slightly mocking superman there lived the former Sergei from a distant unsettled childhood. Only his closest friends knew him that way. Such a duality, inconsistency Rakhmaninov nature served as the explosive material, which could at any moment ignite inside it. And it really happened a few years later, after graduating with a large gold medal from the Moscow Conservatory and receiving a diploma of a composer and pianist. It should be noted here that Rachmaninov’s successful study and follow-up in the musical field was promoted by his excellent data: absolute pitch, extremely delicate, refined, and sophisticated.
During the years of study at the Conservatory, he wrote several works, one of which, “Prelude in C Sharp Minor,” is one of his most famous. When he was nineteen years old, Sergei composed his first opera Aleko (thesis) on the work of A.S. Pushkin's “Gypsies”. Opera really liked PI. Tchaikovsky.
Sergey Vasilievich managed to become one of the best pianists of the world, a brilliant exceptionally talented performer. The range, scale, palette of colors, colorist techniques, shades of Rachmaninov’s performance skills were truly limitless. He fascinated connoisseurs of piano music with the ability to achieve the highest expressiveness in subtle subtle nuances of music. A huge advantage of him was the individual interpretation of the work performed, peculiar only to him, which could have a strong influence on people's feelings. It is hard to believe that this brilliant man once received poor grades in musical subjects.
While still a young man, he showed great beginnings in the art of conducting. His style, style of work with the orchestra bewitched, fascinated people. Already at the age of twenty-four, he was invited to conduct the Savva Morozov Moscow Private Opera.
Who would have thought then that a successful career would be interrupted for as many as four years and that Rakhmaninov would completely lose the ability to compose music during this period ... The terrible dragon head again hung over him.
March 15, 1897 a major failure ended in the premiere of his First Symphony in St. Petersburg (conducted by AK Glazunov). Then Sergey was twenty four years old. It is said that the performance of the symphony was not strong enough. However, it seems, nevertheless, that the reason for the failure was the “unnecessarily” innovative, modernist character of the work itself. Rachmaninov succumbed to the then prevailing trend of a radical departure from traditional classical music, the search for, at any price, new trends in art. In that difficult moment for him, he lost faith in himself as a reformer.
The consequences of the unsuccessful premiere were very difficult. For several years he was in a depressed state on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The world could not learn about a talented musician.
Only by a great effort of will, and also thanks to the advice of an experienced specialist, Rachmaninoff was able to get out of the crisis. Victory over himself was marked by writing in 1901. Second Piano Concerto. The grim consequences of another blow of fate were overcome.
The beginning of the twentieth century passed under the sign of the highest creative rise. Sergey Vasilievich in this period created many brilliant works: the opera “Francesca da Rimini”, Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 3, the Symphonic poem “The Island of the Dead”, the poem “The Bell”.
The third test fell to Rachmaninoff after his departure with his family from Russia immediately after the 1917 revolution. Perhaps the struggle of the new government with the old elite, representatives of the former ruling class, played a significant role in making such a difficult decision. The fact is that Sergey Vasilyevich’s wife was from an ancient princely family, descended from Rurikovich, who gave Russia a whole galaxy of royal persons. Rachmaninov wanted to save his family from trouble.
Break with friends, a new unfamiliar environment, homesickness oppressed Rachmaninoff. Adaptation to life in foreign lands was very slow. Uncertainty, anxiety about the future fate of Russia, the fate of his family grew. As a result, pessimistic moods led to a long creative crisis. Snake Gorynych exulted!
For almost ten years Sergey Vasilievich could not compose music. No major works were created. Money earned (and very successfully) concerts.
In adulthood, it was difficult to fight with himself. Evil forces again overcame him. To the honor of Rachmaninov, he managed to survive the difficulties for the third time, overcame the consequences of leaving Russia. And in the end, it doesn’t matter whether the decision to emigrate was a mistake or a fate. The main thing - he won again!
Returned to creativity. And although he wrote only six works, they were all great creations of the world level. This is the Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 4, Rhapsody on the theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra, Symphony No. 3. In 1941 composed his last greatest work “Symphonic Dances”.
Probably, victory over oneself can be attributed not only to Rakhmaninov’s inner composure, his will power. Of course, music came to his aid. Perhaps it was she who saved him in moments of despair. No matter how we recall the tragic episode noticed by Marietta Shaginyan, which happened aboard the dying “Titanic” motor ship with an orchestra doomed to certain death. The ship gradually went under water. Only women and children could be saved. All the rest did not have enough space in the boats or lifejackets. And in this terrible moment, the music sounded! It was Beethoven ... The orchestra calmed down only when the ship disappeared under the water ... Music helped to survive the tragedy ...
Music gives hope, unites people in feelings, thoughts, actions. Leads into battle. Music takes a person from a tragic, imperfect world to a country of dreams of happiness.
Probably, only music saved Rakhmaninov from pessimistic thoughts visiting him in the last years of his life: “I don’t live, I never lived, I hoped until forty years, and after forty I remember ...”
Recently, he was thinking about Russia. He was negotiating to return home. When World War II began, he donated his money to the needs of the front, including the construction of a military aircraft for the Red Army. Rachmaninov, as he could, brought the Victory closer.
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