What does Matilda look like? Vladimir Romanov-Krasinsky did not repeat the fate of a famous mother
Fate was favorable to the young graduate of the Imperial Theater School Matilda Kshesinskaya. In the spring of 1890, Emperor Alexander III liked the ballerina so much at the graduation show that he seated her at a gala dinner next to his eldest son, the 22-year-old heir to the throne, Nikolai. “I don’t remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the heir. As I see it now Blue eyes with such a kind expression. I stopped looking at him only as an heir, I forgot about it, everything was like a dream. When I said goodbye to the heir, who spent the whole dinner next to me, we looked at each other not the same as when we met, a feeling of attraction had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine, ”Kshesinskaya recalled about that feast in her memoirs.
Portrait of Kshesinskaya
The 18-year-old ballerina longed for the continuation of a promising relationship. However, the phlegmatic crown prince was either too shy, or too busy with public affairs. For more than a year, he almost did not make himself felt. Only at the beginning of 1892, the servant reported to the ballerina about the visit of some "Hussar Volkov". Nikolay stood at the door. Their first night was stormy. Meetings became regular, and not only all the high society, but even St. Petersburg cabbies knew about the visits of the “Hussar Volkov” to Matilda. The secret police, of course, were also aware of their relationship. Once, the mayor himself burst into Kshesinskaya's boudoir: the emperor urgently needed to see his son, and the governor had to pull the heir to the throne out of the bed of his mistress. Theatrical career Kshesinskaya went up sharply. Despite the fact that the chief choreographer Maurice Petipa did not really like her dance, he was forced to give her the main roles - the patronage of the heir extended to the entire Mariinsky Theater, and no one wanted to upset such a benefactor.
No matter how Kshesinskaya’s love for Nikolai Alexandrovich exaggerated in her memoirs, judging by the development of events, he did not lose his head. In 1894, before the official engagement to Princess Alice of Hesse, the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, he said goodbye to his passion. The heir to the throne was well aware that youthful fun is one thing, and marital fidelity is quite another. The ballerina's lover became a wonderful family man.
Young Nikolai Alexandrovich
Matilda grieved, but not for very long. She found a new partner (and not in the ballet scene) again among the members of the ruling dynasty. 25-year-old Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich accounted for her former lover cousin uncle. He had a very strong feeling for the ballerina, which passed the test of time and the windiness of Matilda. She was very loving, although her hobbies rarely went beyond the imperial family. In 1901, she began an affair with Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, and a little later with his son Andrei Vladimirovich, who was seven years younger than Kshesinskaya. Having struck up a relationship with "Andryusha", Matilda did not interrupt relations with "Seryozha", skillfully maneuvering between the two grand-ducal families and receiving generous gifts from both sides.
At the end of the same 1901, while traveling in France, Kshesinskaya discovered that she was pregnant. Who the father of the unborn child, she could only guess, and paternity tests did not yet exist. Yes, he was not required in this case - both grand dukes were ready to recognize the boy born on June 18, 1902 as their son. Kshesinskaya at first wanted to name her son Kolya, but Nicholas II, who had already become emperor, might not like it. Therefore, the boy became Vladimir Sergeevich. It seems that she chose his father simply by seniority.
Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich
In 1904, Kshesinskaya left the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, but continued to dance the main parts on its stage under separate contracts with record fees. No one in the ballet world dared to argue with her. Her conflict with the director of the Imperial Theaters, Prince Volkonsky, over some kind of costume, ended in a personal scolding of the prince from the emperor himself, followed by his resignation.
Despite the fact that Kshesinskaya did not just rest on her laurels, but constantly improved her ballet skills (she was the first of the Russian ballerinas to perform 32 fouettes in a row), she was poorly known outside of Russia. In 1911 she danced in Swan Lake during Diaghilev's Russian Seasons in London. The initiator of this cooperation was Sergei Diaghilev. He hoped, through the mediation of Matilda, to spend his seasons in St. Petersburg and save his lover Vaslav Nijinsky, who had become liable for military service, from military service. The idea, for which Matilda did not really bother, failed. Diaghilev was not invited to the capital of the empire, and the title of deserter was added to Nijinsky's regalia. After this story, Diaghilev's trusted servant seriously offered to poison Kshesinskaya, who turned out to be guilty of all mortal sins.
Kshesinskaya's mansion
During foreign tours, Matilda was inevitably accompanied by one of her noble lovers. Nevertheless, the ballerina managed to roam here too. The fury of the great princes knew no bounds. But she did not fall on their windy girlfriend. In Paris, Andrei Vladimirovich challenged the young ballerina Pyotr Vladimirov to a duel and shot off his nose. The poor man's olfactory organ was pieced together by French doctors.
Kshesinskaya moved to her own luxurious mansion in St. Petersburg in 1906. Even astronomical fees would not be enough to build this palace. Evil tongues said that for a gift to his mistress, Sergei Mikhailovich, a former member of the State Defense Council, stole big pieces from the military budget. These rumors backfired on the ballerina during the First World War, when the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, justified the defeat on the fronts by the fact that "Matilda Kshesinskaya influences artillery matters and participates in the distribution of orders between various firms."
Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich
But the fate of the ballerina was influenced not by accusations of corruption, but by February revolution. The mansion left by Kshesinskaya was occupied by Bolshevik organizations. A couple of weeks later, there was no trace of the rich decoration, and Lenin, who had returned from emigration, began to make speeches from the high balcony. Matilda tried to return the confiscated property and went to court, and one of the defendants was "candidate of rights V. I. Ulyanov (lit. pseudonym - Lenin)". On May 5, 1917, the court decided to return the mansion to its rightful owner, but the Bolsheviks wanted to sneeze at the decision of the justice of the peace. In July, Kshesinskaya and her son left Petrograd forever and went to Kislovodsk, where Andrei Vladimirovich was waiting for them. “In my soul, a feeling of joy to see Andrei again and a feeling of remorse fought that I was leaving Sergei alone in the capital, where he was in constant danger. In addition, it was hard for me to take Vova away from him, in which he did not have a soul, ”she wrote in her memoirs.
After long adventures and misadventures in 1920, Andrei, Matilda and Vova reached the Kshesinskaya mansion on the Cote d'Azur. A year later, the old lovers finally married legally, and Volodya, officially adopted, became Andreevich instead of Sergeevich. Matilda Kshesinskaya will live a very long life, will receive the title of the Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, will teach ballet to French girls, will meet with Gestapo chief Müller to free her son from a concentration camp, will write memoirs about her stormy youth, will outlive her husband by 15 years, and, not having lived a few months to a century of age, in 1971 she will rest in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois near Paris.
Kshesinskaya aged
By then, her two high-born lovers were long dead. Their lives ended in the Urals in 1918. Nicholas II and his family were shot in Yekaterinburg. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, along with other members of the imperial family, was taken to Alapaevsk. On July 18, the Reds decided to execute the captives and took them to the old mine. The prince resisted and was shot dead. We can say that he was lucky: his relatives were thrown into the adit alive. When, after a month and a half, the whites who occupied Alapaevsk raised the bodies up, it turned out that Sergei Mikhailovich was holding a gold medallion with a portrait of Kshesinskaya and the inscription "Malya" in his hand.
Matilda Kshesinskaya
IMPERIAL BALLERINA
In 1969, Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasilyev came to Matilda Kshesinskaya. They were met by a small, withered, completely gray-haired woman with amazingly young, full of life eyes. They began to tell how things are in Russia, they said that her name is still remembered. Kshesinskaya paused and said: "And they will never forget."
The figure of Matilda Kshesinskaya is so tightly wrapped in a cocoon of legends, gossip and rumors that it is almost impossible to see a real, living person ... A woman full of irresistible charm. Passionate, captivating nature. The first Russian fouette and assolute ballerina, a ballerina who could manage her repertoire herself. A brilliant, virtuoso dancer who ousted foreign guest performers from the Russian stage ...
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya came from the Polish theatrical Krzezinski family. They were Kshesinsky only on stage - such a surname seemed more harmonious. According to family tradition, the great-grandfather of Matilda Feliksovna Wojciech was the son and heir of Count Krasinsky, but lost his title and fortune due to the intrigues of his uncle, who coveted the inheritance. Forced to flee from the assassins hired by his uncle to France, he was declared dead and, upon his return, could not restore his rights, because he did not have all the necessary documents. The only thing left in the family to prove such a high origin was a ring with the coat of arms of the counts Krasinski.
Wojciech's son Jan was a virtuoso violinist. In his youth, he had a wonderful voice and sang at the Warsaw Opera. Losing his voice with age, Yang moved to the dramatic stage and became a famous actor. He died of intoxication at the age of 106.
Him younger son Felix studied ballet since childhood. In 1851, Nicholas I sent him along with several other dancers from Warsaw to St. Petersburg. Felix Kshesinsky was an unsurpassed performer of the mazurka, Nikolai's favorite dance. In St. Petersburg, Felix Ivanovich married the ballerina Yulia Dominskaya, the widow of the ballet dancer Leda. From her first marriage she had five children, in the second four more were born: Stanislav, Julia, Joseph-Michael and the youngest - Matilda-Maria.
Malya, as she was called, was born on August 19 (September 1), 1872. Already from the very early age she showed an aptitude for and love for ballet, which is not surprising in a family where almost everyone dances. At the age of eight, she was sent to the Imperial Theater School - her mother had previously graduated from it, and now her brother Joseph and sister Yulia studied there. Subsequently, both of them successfully performed on the ballet stage. The beautiful Julia was a talented characteristic dancer, Joseph performed in lyrical parts.
According to the rules of the school, the most capable students lived on full board, while the less capable students lived at home and came to the school only for classes. All three Kshesinskys were coming - but not because their talent was not enough to enroll in a boarding school, but by special order, in recognition of the merits of their father.
At first, Malya did not study very diligently - she had long studied the basics of ballet art at home. Only at the age of fifteen, when she got into the class of Christian Petrovich Ioganson, Malya not only felt a taste for learning, but began to study with real passion. Kshesinskaya discovered an extraordinary talent and enormous creative potential. In the spring of 1890, she graduated from college as an external student and, as Kshesinskaya 2nd, was enrolled in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. Kshesinskaya 1st was her sister Yulia, who served in the corps de ballet of the Mariinsky Theater since 1883. Already in her first season, Kshesinskaya danced in twenty-two ballets and twenty-one operas (then it was customary to make dance inserts in opera performances). The roles were small, but responsible and allowed Male to show off his talent. But one talent was not enough to receive such a number of parties - one important circumstance played its role: the heir to the throne was in love with Matilda.
With the Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich - the future Emperor Nicholas II - Malya met at a dinner after the graduation performance, which took place on March 23, 1890. Almost immediately, they began an affair, which proceeded with the full approval of Nikolai's parents.
Kshesinskaya in the concert number "Polka folichon"
The fact is that Nikolai's mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, was very concerned that the sluggish and apathetic heir paid almost no attention to women, preferring cards and walking alone. By her order, the most beautiful students of the theater school were specially invited to him. The heir kindly received them, walked with them, played cards - that's all. Therefore, when Nicholas became interested in Matilda, this relationship was not only approved by the imperial couple, but also encouraged in every possible way. For example, Nikolai bought gifts for Matilda with money from a fund specially created for this purpose.
It was a real, deep feeling for both of them. The lovers met at every opportunity - given that Nikolai was on military service and was bound by many duties at court, it was very difficult. He tried not to miss a single performance in which Matilda danced, during intermissions he went to her dressing room, and after the performance, if there was such an opportunity, he went to dinner with her. Nikolai bought a house for her on English Avenue - before that it belonged to the composer Rimsky-Korsakov. Matilda lived there with her sister Julia. Nikolai came to Male together with his friends and brother-soldiers - the sons of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich George, Alexander and Sergei and Baron Zeddeler, who had an affair with Julia.
Your first summer season Matilda danced in Krasnoye Selo, where guards units were stationed for exercises, one of which belonged to the heir. Before each performance, she stood at the window of her dressing room and waited for Nikolai to arrive ... When he was in the hall, she danced with incredible brilliance.
Then there were rare meetings in St. Petersburg - either their sleigh would meet on the street, or they would accidentally collide backstage at the Mariinsky Theater ... Mali's parents themselves did not suspect for a long time about her relationship with Nikolai. Only when he went on a round-the-world trip in 1891, Matilda was forced to admit that she endured separation from Nikolai so hard that her parents feared for her health, not knowing true reason depressed state of their daughter. When Nikolai returned - faster than expected, because an assassination attempt had been made on him in Japan - her joy knew no end. She was waiting for him in a new house, and on the very first evening in his homeland he came to her, sneaking out of the palace ...
Their romance ended in 1894 due to the engagement of the heir. For a long time there were negotiations about his wedding with many European houses. Of all the potential brides presented to him, Nicholas liked the princess of Hesse-Darmstadt Alice the most. It was true love at first sight. But at first, Nikolai's parents were categorically against this union - the bride from a seedy German house seemed too unenviable to them, although she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria herself. In addition, Alice's sister, Princess Elizabeth, was already married to the Russian Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, and new family relationships were undesirable. Kshesinskaya supported Nikolai in every possible way in an effort to connect her life with the one to whom he was attracted - subsequently, the Empress, whom Nikolai told about his affair with Matilda, was very grateful to her for her support. But most European princesses refused to convert to Orthodoxy - and this was a necessary condition for a wedding. And in the end, the seriously ill Alexander gave his consent to this marriage. The engagement of Alice of Hesse and Nikolai Alexandrovich was announced on April 7, 1894.
On October 20, 1894, Emperor Alexander III died in Livadia - he was only 49 years old. The next day, Alice converted to Orthodoxy and became Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. A week after the funeral of the emperor, Nicholas and Alexander got married in the Winter Palace - for this, the mourning imposed at the court for a year was specially interrupted.
Matilda was very worried about parting with Nikolai. Not wanting anyone to see her suffering, she locked herself at home and hardly went out. Due to the mourning, there were practically no performances at the Mariinsky, and Kshesinskaya accepted the invitation of the entrepreneur Raul Gunzburg to go on tour to Monte Carlo. She performed with her brother Joseph, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Alfred Bekefi and Georgy Kyaksht. The tour was a great success. In April, Matilda and her father performed in Warsaw. Felix Kshesinsky was well remembered here, and at the performances of the family duet, the audience literally went on a rampage.
Kshesinskaya in the ballet R. Drigo "The Talisman"
But it was time to return to Russia. While Kshesinskaya was absent from the stage, the Italian Pierina Legnani, who had arrived, began to claim the place of the first ballerina, which Matilda already considered her own. She almost immediately captivated the St. Petersburg public with her sparkling technique. In addition, in connection with the engagement and wedding of Nikolai, the position of Kshesinskaya seemed far from being so strong ...
Nevertheless, Matilda was not left alone. Nicholas, before his marriage, entrusted her to the care of his friend and cousin, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. He became not only the official "patron" of Matilda for the next few years, but also her closest friend. The senior Grand Dukes, brothers of the late emperor, continued to patronize Kshesinskaya, no less than their nephew fascinated by this little ballerina. Yes, and Nikolai himself continued to follow the career of his former lover.
The coronation celebrations were scheduled for May 1896. The program included the ceremonial ballet "Pearl" on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. For general rehearsals, the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater was to join the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. The ballet staged Petipa to the music of Riccardo Drigo, the main roles were played by Legnani and Pavel Gerdt. Kshesinskaya's speech to the young empress was considered inappropriate and she was not given any role. Offended, Kshesinskaya rushed to the uncle of the emperor, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who always patronized her, and asked him to intercede for her. As a result, the directorate received a personal order from the emperor to introduce Kshesinskaya into the ballet. By this time, all the roles were already distributed and rehearsed. Drigo had to compose additional music, and Petipa had to stage for the Kshesinskaya pas de deux of the Yellow Pearl (there were already White, Black and Pink in the ballet). The position of Kshesinskaya was restored.
In November 1895, Kshesinskaya received the long-deserved title of ballerina, which was awarded only to the best dancers of the troupe.
But Kshesinskaya advanced not only thanks to the favor of the royal family. She was indeed an extremely talented dancer, working on herself with great perseverance. Her goal was to become the first ballerina in Russian stage. But then it seemed almost impossible: Italian ballerinas reigned supreme in Russian ballet.
This state of affairs developed after 1882, when the monopoly of the imperial theaters was abolished. Private theaters that sprang up everywhere, and after them the imperial ones, began to invite foreign guest performers - especially the Italians, who were famous at that time for their virtuoso technique. Carlotta Brianza, Elena Kornalba, Antonietta Del-Era and especially Virginia Zucchi shone in St. Petersburg. It was Zucchi who became Matilda's role model and the model she followed in her dance. The rivalry with Pierina Legnani, a ballerina who first danced 32 fouettes on the Russian stage, became Kshesinskaya's goal. Their confrontation lasted eight years.
The first big role of Kshesinskaya was the part of Marietta-Dragoniazza, the main one in the ballet Calcabrino, then there was the part of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Critics praised the debutante for her bold and technical dance, but it was clear to Kshesinskaya herself that her technique lags behind the virtuoso perfection of Brianz and Legnani. Then Matilda, without stopping her studies with Ioganson, began to take lessons from the Italian dancer and teacher Enrico Cecchetti. This allowed her not only to acquire the perfect technique characteristic of Italians, but also to enrich her with lyricism, naturalness and softness, characteristic of the Russian classical school. To this was added the pantomimic talent inherited from his father, and the drama borrowed from Virginia Zucchi. In this form, Kshesinskaya's talent best corresponded to classical ballet. late XIX century and it was in it that he was able to develop most fully. She did not have many qualities inherent in her contemporaries and rivals on the stage: neither the beauty of Tamara Karsavina and Vera Trefilova, nor the refinement and lightness of the brilliant Anna Pavlova. Kshesinskaya was small, strong, dark-haired, with a narrow, corseted waist and muscular, almost athletic legs. But she possessed inexhaustible energy, piquancy, overshadowing all the brilliance, chic, undeniable femininity and irresistible charm. She had excellent, very beautiful teeth, which Matilda constantly showed in a beaming smile. Undoubted trump cards were innate practicality, willpower, luck and fantastic performance.
Kshesinskaya's repertoire expanded rapidly. She received roles previously owned by Italians: the dragee fairy in The Nutcracker, which became one of Lisa's favorite parts in Vain Precaution, Teresa in Cavalry Halt, the title role in Paquita. In each of these roles, Matilda literally shone: she went on stage, hung with real jewelry - diamonds, pearls, sapphires, presented to her by the enchanted Grand Dukes and Nicholas himself. Consistently combed latest fashion, in a specially tailored luxurious suit - while the role in which Kshesinskaya performed did not matter: even the beggar Paquita Matilda danced in a necklace of large pearls and diamond earrings.
She explained this by the fact that the audience came to see the beautiful dance of the leading ballerina, and not at all for poor rags, and the audience should not be deprived of the pleasure of seeing their favorite dancer in an elegant dress that suits her. In addition, not to wear gifts from their high patrons meant to show disrespect ...
It is said that Matilda preferred antique jewelry and did not particularly respect the products of the company of the court jeweler.
Carla Faberge. Nevertheless, she had many of those and others. They said that almost half of the best jewelry from the Faberge store later ended up in the casket of Matilda Kshesinskaya ...
In October 1898, the ballet Pharaoh's Daughter, which had not been running for a long time, was resumed especially for Kshesinskaya. The main part of Aspicia abounded with spectacular dances in a magnificent frame of numerous characters, and mimic scenes allowed Kshesinskaya to demonstrate in all its brilliance the mastery of dramatic acting inherited from her father. This role was fully consistent with the tastes and abilities of Kshesinskaya and became one of the pinnacles in her career. Felix Kshesinsky performed with her. The role of the Nubian king was one of the most successful for him.
A few years later, sketches of all the costumes for this ballet were made anew. A diadem in the Egyptian style relied on Kshesinskaya's costume. Matilda liked her so much that Faberge jewelers made exactly the same one for her, but with real stones - six large sapphires. The work was paid for by one of the Grand Dukes in love with Malya.
From the very end of the school, Kshesinskaya dreamed of dancing the title role in the ballet Esmeralda. But when she turned to the then all-powerful chief choreographer Marius Petipa with a request for this party, Petipa refused her, although Matilda had everything necessary for this role: both technique, artistry, plasticity, and the necessary good looks. Petipa referred to the fact that Kshesinskaya is missing personal experience necessary for this role of a tragically in love gypsy. In his opinion, in order to dance Esmeralda, one must experience not only love, but also love suffering - only then the image will be natural. But, having survived the break with Nikolai, Kshesinskaya was ready for the role of Esmeralda. She danced Esmeralda in 1899, and this role became the best in her repertoire - no one before or after her danced this ballet with such brilliance and depth.
In 1900, the competition between Kshesinskaya and Legnani ended when both ballerinas performed on the same evening in two short ballets by Glazunov directed by Petipa. In truth, the conditions were unequal: Legnani got the role of Isabella in The Trial of Damis and had to dance in an uncomfortable dress with a long skirt and high heels, and Kshesinskaya had the role of Kolos in the ballet The Four Seasons, which she performed in a light short tutu of golden color, which suited her very well. Critics vied with each other about how unfavorably Legnani looked against the background of Kshesinskaya's light, free dance. Matilda triumphed. The contract with Legnani was not renewed.
In many ways, this event was attributed to the intrigues of Kshesinskaya. She was considered the all-powerful mistress of the Mariinsky Theatre. Still - her lover was himself Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, President of the Russian Theater Society, cousin and childhood friend of the emperor! Matilda herself chose when and in which ballets she would dance, about which she informed the director. Objections and wishes were not accepted. Who loved to have fun, to have fun in her free time, who adored receptions, balls and card game, before the performances, Matilda was transformed: constant rehearsals, no visits or receptions, a strict regimen, a diet ... She spent the day of the performance in bed, practically without food. But when she went on stage, the audience froze with delight.
Kshesinskaya categorically forbade transferring her ballets to other dancers. When her favorite part of Lisa in "Vain Precaution" was decided to be transferred to guest performer Enriquette Grimaldi, she strained all her ties to reverse this decision. And although "Vain Precaution" was listed in the contract of Grimaldi, she never danced it.
Another major scandal involved the costume for the Camargo ballet. Legnani danced a Russian dance in a dress modeled after the costume of Catherine the Great, kept in the Hermitage, with a wide skirt with pizhma that lifted the skirt at the sides. Kshesinskaya found the tanks uncomfortable and told the then director of the Imperial Theatres, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Volkonsky, that she would not wear tanks. He insisted on the immutability of the costume. Somehow, the conflict became known outside the theater, and at the premiere of Camargo, the whole audience was wondering if Kshesinskaya would put on figs. She didn't wear it. For this she was fined. Offended, Kshesinskaya turned to Nikolai. The next day, the fine was canceled, but Volkonsky resigned. As he said, he cannot hold this post if the emperor, at the request of his favorite, interferes in the affairs of the theater.
Vladimir Telyakovsky was appointed the next director. He never dared to argue with Matilda Feliksovna.
In 1900, Kshesinskaya danced a benefit performance in honor of the decade of her stay on stage - bypassing the rules according to which ballerinas were given benefit performances only in honor of twenty years and a farewell performance before retirement. Usually the emperor gave the beneficiaries the so-called "royal gift" - most often a gold watch or a medal. Kshesinskaya, through Sergei Mikhailovich, asked the emperor to choose something more elegant, and Nikolai presented her with a diamond brooch in the form of a snake with a large Faberge sapphire. As stated in the accompanying note, Nikolai chose a gift with his wife.
At a dinner after the benefit performance, Kshesinskaya met Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, Nicholas's cousin. They fell in love with each other at first sight - although Kshesinskaya was six years older than him. Andrei stared at Matilda and knocked over a glass of wine on her dress. The dress was ordered from Paris, but Malya was not upset: she saw this as a happy omen.
They met frequently. Andrei came to her - at rehearsals, at home, at a dacha in Strelna ... In the fall, they separately - he was from the Crimea, she was from St. Petersburg - arrived in Biarritz. Andrei was busy with constant visits, and Matilda was terribly jealous of him.
Upon his return, Matilda was taken under his protection by Andrei's father, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. He really liked Malya, and, as they said, not only as a friend of his son. He often arranged dinners, to which he invited Matilda, Sergei Mikhailovich, Julia and Baron Zeddeler, and for Easter he gave Kshesinskaya an egg from Faberge - a most valuable gift. These eggs were made to order. royal family; only 54 pieces were made in total.
In the autumn of 1901, Matilda and Andrei again, like last year, set off on a trip to Europe. They arrived separately in Venice, drove through Italy, stopped in Paris ... On the way back, Matilda realized that she was pregnant.
Nevertheless, she continued to perform - as long as she managed to hide her growing belly. In 1902, Tamara Karsavina graduated from college - and Kshesinskaya, at the request of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, took her under her protection. Having handed over several of her parties to Karsavina, Kshesinskaya studied with her until the very last days her pregnancy.
Kshesinskaya with the fox terrier Djibi and the goat, who performed with the ballerina in the ballet "Esmeralda"
On June 18, 1902, Matilda's son Vladimir was born at a dacha in Strelna. The birth was difficult, Matilda and the child were barely saved.
But the main problem was that Andrei's mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna was resolutely against any relationship between her son and Kshesinskaya. Since he was still too young, Andrey was not able to act independently and could not write his son down in his name. Barely recovering from childbirth, Matilda rushed to the faithful Sergei Mikhailovich - and he, knowing full well that he was not the father of the child, gave Kshesinskaya's son his patronymic. Ten years later, the son of Kshesinskaya was elevated to the hereditary nobility under the name Krasinsky by personal decree of Nikolai - in memory of a family tradition.
In December 1902, Yulia Kshesinskaya, having retired from the theater after twenty years of service, married Baron Zeddeler.
Kshesinskaya was hated by many, envious of her success both on and off the stage. Her name was surrounded by gossip. It seemed incredible how Kshesinskaya, in addition to all the intrigues attributed to her, still manages to dance. For example, it was Kshesinskaya who was blamed for leaving the stage of two young dancers - Belinskaya and Ludogovskaya. As if Kshesinskaya brought them together with influential patrons, and as a result, one of them disappeared somewhere, and the other fell ill and died.
Kshesinskaya had something to envy. Consistent success with the public. The most virtuosic technique and bright talent. The favor of the noblest people of Russia and the emperor himself. Huge fortune - a palace in the Art Nouveau style on Kronverksky Prospekt, a luxurious dacha in Strelna, which surpassed the comfort of the royal palace there, a lot of ancient jewelry. Beloved and loving Andrei, son Vladimir. But all this did not replace the main thing - Kshesinskaya sought to win unquestioned primacy in the theater. But it started to slip again...
Tired of constant accusations, Kshesinskaya decides to leave the theater. The farewell benefit took place in February 1904. The last number was a scene from " swan lake”, where Odette retires on her fingers with her back to the audience - as if saying goodbye to the audience.
After the performance, enthusiastic fans unharnessed the horses from Kshesinskaya's carriage and took her home themselves.
In November, Kshesinskaya was awarded the title of Honored Artist.
In 1905, Felix Kshesinsky died - he was 83 years old. Just a few months before his death, he danced with his daughter on stage his signature dance - the mazurka. He was buried in Warsaw. Thousands of people came to the funeral.
To distract herself, in the spring of next year, Kshesinskaya began building a new house for herself - on the site between Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya and Kronverksky Prospekt. The project was commissioned by the famous St. Petersburg architect Alexander Ivanovich von Gauguin - he also built, for example, the buildings of the Academy of the General Staff and the museum of A. Suvorov. The house was made in the then fashionable Art Nouveau style, the salon was decorated in the style of Louis XVI, the hall was decorated in the Russian Empire style, and the bedroom was in English. For the architecture of the facade, the architect received a silver medal from the city government.
After Kshesinskaya left the theater, intrigues only intensified even more. It became clear that Kshesinskaya should not be blamed for this. After much persuasion, she agreed to return to the stage as a guest ballerina - for separate performances.
At this time, the era of Mikhail Fokin, a choreographer, began at the Mariinsky Theater, who tried to radically renew ballet art. New dancers appeared on the stage, capable of embodying his ideas and overshadowing Kshesinskaya - Tamara Karsavina, Vera Trefilova, the brilliant Anna Pavlova, Vaclav Nijinsky.
Kshesinskaya was Nijinsky's first partner and patronized him very much. At first, she also supported Fokine - but then the mutual understanding between them disappeared. The ballets that Fokine staged were not designed for a ballerina like Kshesinskaya - Pavlova and Karsavin shone in them, and Fokine's Kshesinskaya ideas were contraindicated. Fokin and Kshesinskaya were in a state of positional warfare, moving from intrigue to defense, concluding tactical truces and immediately breaking them. Kshesinskaya danced the title role in Fokine's first ballet "Evnika" - but he immediately transferred this role to Pavlova. Kshesinskaya was hurt. All her further attempts to dance in Fokine's ballets were also unsuccessful. To restore her reputation, Kshesinskaya went on tour to Paris in 1908. Initially, Nijinsky was supposed to be her partner, but he fell ill at the last moment, and her permanent partner Nikolai Legat went with Kshesinskaya. The success was not as crushing as Kshesinskaya wanted - at that time Italian virtuosos shone at the Grand Opera. Nevertheless, she was awarded Academic palms and invited to the next year. True, they said that the money of her high patrons played a decisive role in this ...
The following year, Diaghilev organized his first Russian season in Paris. Kshesinskaya was also invited. But, having learned that Pavlova would dance Giselle - in which she was incomparable - and Kshesinskaya herself was offered only a small part in the Armida Pavilion, she refused, accepting instead the invitation of the Grand Opera. Oddly enough, the success of the Diaghilev troupe paradoxically raised the success of Kshesinskaya. The art of virtuoso classical dance, presented by Kshesinskaya, made it possible to talk about the diversity of the talents of Russian ballet.
By that time, Kshesinskaya was already worst enemy Diaghilev and Fokine, and at every opportunity tried to annoy them. For example, the Russian press wrote about the tour of the Diaghilev troupe as a complete failure compared to the triumph of Matilda Kshesinskaya. She even planned to assemble a troupe of the best ballet dancers for a tour of Europe next year, but for some reason this did not work out.
With Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and son in Belgium, 1907
Contact with Diaghilev was soon established. He quickly realized that the name of the prima ballerina, who twice successfully toured the Grand Opera, would attract the public. In addition, Kshesinskaya did not skimp on expenses, and Diaghilev always did not have enough money. For a tour in England, Kshesinskaya bought the scenery and costumes of Swan Lake and paid for the performance of the famous violinist Elman. In this ballet, Kshesinskaya danced with Nijinsky - and overshadowed him. Her 32 fouettes in the ball scene made a splash. Nijinsky tore and metal.
Diaghilev did not renew the contract with Fokine. He focused on working at the Mariinsky Theatre. The break with the Diaghilev enterprise and the forced alliance with Kshesinskaya caused him depression, which immediately manifested itself in creative failures. And the war of 1914 finally tied Fokine to the Mariinsky and strengthened his dependence on Kshesinskaya, who continued to be the sovereign mistress of the theater.
Kshesinskaya continued to perform with constant success, but she herself understood that her age was not the same. Before the start of each season, she called her sister and friends from the theater to a rehearsal so that they honestly told her if she could still dance. She didn't want to seem ridiculous in her attempts to ignore time. But it was this period that became one of the best in her work - with the advent of her new partner, Pyotr Nikolaevich Vladimirov, she seemed to have found a second youth. He graduated from college in 1911. Kshesinskaya fell in love with him - perhaps it was one of her strongest hobbies in her entire life. He was very handsome, elegant, danced beautifully, and at first looked at Kshesinskaya with almost puppy-like delight. She was 21 years older than him. Especially in order to dance with him, Kshesinskaya decided to perform in Giselle, a ballet in which Pavlova and Karsavina shone. For a ballerina at forty-four years old, this was a completely inappropriate party, besides, Kshesinskaya did not know how to play lyrical and romantic roles.
Kshesinskaya with her son Vladimir, 1916
Kshesinskaya failed for the first time. To confirm her reputation, Kshesinskaya immediately decided to dance her signature ballet, Esmeralda. She had never danced with such brilliance before...
Andrei Vladimirovich, having learned about Matilda's passion, challenged Vladimirov to a duel. They fought in Paris, in the Bois de Boulogne. The Grand Duke shot Vladimirov in the nose. He had to undergo plastic surgery...
The last notable part of Kshesinskaya was the title role of a mute girl in the opera Fenella, or the Mute from Portici.
Kshesinskaya could have danced for a long time, but the 1917 revolution ended her career as a court ballerina. In July 1917 she left Petrograd. Last performance Kshesinskaya was the number "Russian", shown on the stage of the Petrograd Conservatory. Her palace on Kronverksky (now Kamennoostrovsky) Avenue was occupied by various committees. Kshesinskaya sent a personal letter to Lenin demanding that the looting of her house be stopped. With his permission, Kshesinskaya took out all the furnishings of the house in an armored train specially provided to her, but she deposited the most valuable thing in the bank - and as a result lost it. At first, Kshesinskaya and Andrei, together with their son and relatives, left for Kislovodsk. Sergei Mikhailovich remained in Petrograd, then was arrested along with other members of the royal family and died in a mine in Alapaevsk in June 1918, and a month later Nikolai and his family were shot in Yekaterinburg. Kshesinskaya also feared for her life - her connection with the imperial house was too close. In February 1920, she and her family left Russia forever, sailing from Novorossiysk to Constantinople.
Brother Matilda Feliksovna Joseph remained in Russia and long years performed at the Mariinsky Theatre. He was very welcome - in many ways, in contrast to his sister. His wife and son were also ballet dancers. Joseph died during the siege of Leningrad in 1942.
Pyotr Vladimirov tried to leave through Finland, but could not. He came to France only in 1921. Kshesinskaya was very worried when in 1934 Vladimirov left for the USA. There he became one of the most popular Russian teachers.
Kshesinskaya, together with her son and Andrei Vladimirovich, settled in France, in a villa in the town of Cap-d'Ail. Soon Andrei's mother died, and at the end of the mourning, Matilda and Andrei, having received the permission of older relatives, got married in Cannes on January 30, 1921. Matilda Feliksovna was given the title of the Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, and her son Vladimir was officially recognized as the son of Andrei Vladimirovich and also the Most Serene Prince. Their house was visited by Tamara Karsavina, Sergei Diaghilev, the Grand Dukes who had gone abroad. Although there was little money - almost all of her jewelry remained in Russia, Andrei's family also had little money - Kshesinskaya rejected all offers to perform on stage. But still, Matilda Feliksovna had to start earning money - and in 1929, the year Diaghilev died, she opened her ballet studio in Paris. Kshesinskaya was an unimportant teacher, but she had a big name, thanks to which the school enjoyed unflagging success. One of her first students were the two daughters of Fyodor Chaliapin. The stars of English and French ballet took lessons from her - Margot Fontaine,
Yvette Chauvire, Pamela May... And although during the war, when the studio was not heated, Kshesinskaya fell ill with arthritis and since then moved with great difficulty, she never had a shortage of students.
At the end of the forties, she gave herself to a new passion - roulette. At the casino, she was called "Madame Seventeen" - it was on this number that she preferred to bet. The passion for the game pretty soon ruined her, and the income from the school remained the only source of livelihood.
In 1958, for the first time, the Bolshoi Theater was on tour in Paris. By that time, Kshesinskaya had already buried her husband and almost did not go anywhere. But she could not help but come to the performance of the Russian theater. She sat in the box - and cried with happiness that the Russian classical ballet, to which she gave her whole life, continues to live ...
Matilda Feliksovna did not live only nine months before her centenary. She died on December 6, 1971. Kshesinskaya was buried in the Russian cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois in the same grave with her husband and son. It says: Her Serene Highness Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya.
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From book 50 greatest women[Collector's Edition] author Vulf Vitaly YakovlevichMatilda Kshesinskaya THE IMPERIAL BALLERINA In 1969, Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasiliev came to Matilda Kshesinskaya. They were met by a small, withered, absolutely gray-haired woman with amazingly young, full of life eyes. They began to tell how things are
From the book Russian Mata Hari. Secrets of the Petersburg court author Shirokorad Alexander Borisovich From the book Without punctuation Diary 1974-1994 author Borisov Oleg Ivanovich From the book Silver Age. Portrait Gallery of Cultural Heroes of the Turn of the 19th–20th Centuries. Volume 2. K-R author Fokin Pavel EvgenievichJuly 10 Matilda The first time they tried to get to our house last spring. It is the Leningrad regional committee that allocates a little land to each for certain merits. They gave me the keys and the address: Komarovo, dacha No. 19, ask further. (This is just on the border between Komarovo and Repino.)
From the author's bookKshesinskaya Matilda Feliksovna present. name and surname Maria Krzhesinskaya; 19 (31) 8.1872 - 12/6/1971 Leading ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater (since 1890). Best Roles- Aspicia ("The Pharaoh's Daughter"), Lisa ("Vain Precaution"), Esmeralda ("Esmeralda"). Author of "Memoirs" (Paris, 1960). From 1920 - for
Celebrity biography - Matilda Kshesinskaya
The famous ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre, danced at the Imperial Theatre.
Childhood
The whole family of Matilda were artists. Her parents danced at the Mariinsky Theater and it can be said that from childhood the girl absorbed the atmosphere of ballet labor and celebration from beautiful productions. Her mother, Yulia Dominskaya, has already raised five children from her first marriage. I met my husband at the theater. Matilda's father, Felix Kseshinsky, arrived at the Marinsky Theater from Poland at the invitation of Nicholas I himself. He remained on the stage of the theater until the age of 83.
Them common child, a girl named Maria - Matilda, was born on August 31 (August 19 according to the old style), 1872, not far from St. Petersburg, in the village of Ligovo.
Initially, the father's surname sounded like Krzhezinsky, but was later renamed Kseshinsky for euphony. On the father's side, Matilda's grandfather was opera singer in Warsaw.
All this, of course, influenced the choice of how future profession for the girl, and the circle of her interests in the future. She had seen theater and ballet since childhood, and besides, she was very talented.
Matilda's parents: mother - Julia Dominskaya and father - Felix Kshesinsky
So, at the age of 8, Matilda was sent to study at the Imperial Theater School in St. Petersburg. Her siblings also studied there. Studying was easy for her, and the teachers noted a certain talent in the girl, given to her from birth.
The girl passed the exam to the commission, which included Emperor Alexander III himself, along with him was his son, Nicholas II. The girl was pretty and talented, she managed to win the hearts of so many high judges. She was only 17 years old. She liked her performance so much that the emperor wished her to become an ornament of Russian ballet. To which Matilda promised herself to live up to the expectations of such high-ranking examiners. The high bar in art helped her achieve fame and acceptance by the public in the future.
After the exam, there was a gala dinner where Matilda sat side by side with the future heir to the throne. From that moment began their meetings and correspondence. However, the imperial family, being aware of these meetings, approved of the actions of the heir.
I don't remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the Heir. Like now, I see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. I stopped looking at him only as the Heir, I forgot about it, everything was like a dream
From the diary of Matilda Kshesinskaya
Personal life and the beginning of a creative path
The mother of the future heir to the throne of Nicholas, Maria Feodorovna, was extremely concerned about her son's behavior towards girls. He was not fascinated by either beauty or the youth of beauties, and this caused concern to his mother. The meeting with Matilda turned his attitude towards women in general, and he became seriously interested in the dancer, which could not but please his mother in this situation. Nikolai seemed to come to life after meeting Matilda. Their feelings were mutual. He visited all her performances, and she danced only for him alone, putting her whole soul into her dance.
In confirmation of his feelings, Nikolai gave the girl a house located on English Avenue. This place became their rendezvous. In 1891, the future heir to the throne went on a trip around the world, but it did not last long, while in Japan, the young man was attacked. He was forced to interrupt the journey and return to Russia. On the same day, after a reception at the palace, he went to Matilda's house.
Matilda and Nkolai II
In 1984, their relationship ended, since Nicholas decided to marry, having opted for a party that was suitable for him in status, it was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. Matilda had to accept the choice of her lover and she even supported him in this decision, but after the wedding took place, Matilda began to lead a reclusive lifestyle.
Later, having already become emperor, Nicholas II gave the task to his cousin Sergei Mikhailovich to take care of Matilda. Care apparently was excessive and soon they had a love affair.
Matilda became the favorite of the royal court, and this greatly helped her to arrange a career. The patronage of the emperor himself did its job, and the girl felt confident and at ease, as if the whole theater belonged to her. She could afford a raised voice and was the first of the Russian ballerinas to get the role of Esmeralda. Prior to this, the party went only to Italian actresses. Due to a number of conflicts, including with her, Prince Volkonsky left the place of director of the theater.
On stage, the ballerina invariably appeared in jewelry, she loved beautiful outfits and glitter. A charge of energy and charm emanated from her. This did not go unnoticed by another cousin of Nikolai, Andrei Vladimirovich. He was fascinated by the beauty and talent of the young dancer. Despite the age difference, Matilda was 6 years older than Andrei, they began a stormy romance. He kept a secret, since Andrei Vladimirovich's mother would never bless and accept this relationship. In 1902 their son Vladimir was born. The girl barely survived the difficult birth. At first, doctors thought about whom to save - a woman in labor or a newborn, but they managed to save both, since the most competent specialists were present at the birth.
Their wedding took place in 1921. And only after the death of his mother, Andrei decided on a legal marriage and adoption of his child. Matilda became the Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya.
Tours in different countries
Matilda Kshesinskaya became a famous ballerina not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. She toured in such countries as Poland, England, Austria, France. In 1903 she was invited to America, but the dancer refused the offer, preferring to perform on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
Matilda Kshesinskaya already at the beginning of the last century could be called a wealthy woman. She owned a mansion given to her in memory of her love with Nicholas II. She had a dacha in Strelna. A lot of outfits and jewelry, in a word, she got used to a luxurious, rich life.
The only thing that bothered her was how long she could be a prima at the Mariinsky Theatre. Despite the huge connections and influence of the court, age took its toll and more talented and younger ballerinas came to replace them. In 1904, it was decided to leave the stage, but it did not work out completely, and Matilda continues to perform in some performances. At the same time, successful tours took place in France. And since the ballerina loved her son very much, she often took him on tour with her.
The ballerina's career in Russia ended in 1917 with the beginning of the revolution. The family managed to emigrate to France. There Kshesinskaya opened her own ballet school, which was a great success. The ballerina lived a long life and died at the age of 99, buried in France, next to her husband's grave.
since 1929 Matilda Kshesinskaya taught at her own ballet studio in Paris
AT Soviet era the name of this ballerina was remembered mainly in connection with her mansion, from the balcony of which V. I. Lenin delivered speeches. But once the name of Matilda Kshesinskaya was well known to the public.
Matilda Kshesinskaya was a hereditary ballerina. Her father, the Polish dancer Felix Kshesinsky, was an unsurpassed performer of the mazurka. Emperor Nicholas I was very fond of this dance, therefore F. Kshesinsky was discharged to St. Petersburg from Warsaw. Already in the capital, he married the ballerina Yulia Dominskaya - they had four children, of whom Matilda was the youngest. She was born in 1872.
As is often the case with children from theatrical families, Matilda met the stage at the age of four - she performed a small role as a little mermaid in the ballet The Humpbacked Horse. But soon the girl developed a serious interest in the art of dance, and her abilities were obvious. From the age of eight, she begins to attend as a visiting student the Imperial Theater School, where she studied older sister Julia and brother Joseph. In the classroom, Matilda was bored - what was taught there, she had already mastered at home. Maybe the girl would have quit ballet, but everything changed when she saw the performance of an Italian dancer touring Russia in the ballet "Vain Precaution". The art of this ballerina has become for her an ideal to which she wants to strive.
By the time of graduation, Matilda Kshesinskaya was considered one of the best students. According to the established tradition, after the concert, the three best graduates were introduced to the emperor and his family, who certainly attended this event. One of the three was Matilda, who performed that evening Lisa from the ballet "". True, she - because of her status as an incoming student - had to be kept apart, but Emperor Alexander III, amazed by her performance, asked to be presented to him a living, miniature girl. The young ballerina was given an unprecedented honor - at a gala dinner she sat between the emperor and Tsarevich Nicholas, who did not forget this meeting.
After graduation, Matilda became an artist of the Mariinsky Theater "Kshesinskaya - 2" (her sister Yulia was the first). During the first theatrical season, she performed in twenty-two ballets and dance scenes in twenty-one operas. True, her parties were small, but spectacular. For an aspiring ballerina, such a number of roles is incredible luck, and the reason for this was not only her outstanding talent, but also the tender feelings of the heir to the throne for the dancer. This novel was encouraged by the imperial family to a certain extent... Of course, no one took this story seriously. But, if a fleeting passion for a ballerina diverts the attention of the Tsarevich from Alice of Hesse, whom the emperor considered not the best party for the heir, then why not?
Did Matilda Kshesinskaya guess about this? It is unlikely ... She loved the heir, her "Nika", and met with him in the house on English Avenue, which the crown prince bought for her.
Kshesinskaya was not only the favorite of the Romanovs, but also a first-class professional. If there is no skill and talent, even the highest patronage will not help - everything becomes obvious in the light of the ramp. Matilda understood how imperfect her dancing technique was compared to the technique of the then fashionable Italian virtuosos. And the ballerina begins to work hard with the famous Italian teacher Enrico Cecchetti. Soon she was already flaunting the same "steel toe" and sparkling rotations as her rivals - Italians. The first in Russia, Kshesinskaya began to perform 32 fouettes and did it brilliantly.
First main role ballerina became the part of Marietta-Dragoniazza in the ballet "Calcabrino". It happened thanks to happy occasion- the Italian prima Carlotta Brianza, who was supposed to play this role, suddenly fell ill. A true star of the ballet scene, she performed tricks previously only available to male dancers, including aerial tours. Entering the stage, Kshesinskaya understood that the audience would compare her with a brilliant Italian, looking for the slightest mistakes ... “The main thing is not to jump into the orchestra,” Marius Petipa jokingly admonished her before the performance.
The performance, with which so many unrest was associated, was a triumph for Kshesinskaya. “Her debut can be regarded as an event in the history of our ballet,” summed up the theatrical newspaper. The French magazine Le Monde Artiste echoes her: “The young prima ballerina has everything: physical charm, impeccable technique, completeness of performance and ideal lightness.”
When Carlotta Brianza left St. Petersburg, her roles were transferred to Matilda Kshesinskaya, including Princess Aurora in the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, created by Marius Petipa for this Italian guest performer. Aurora has become one of the best parties of Russian prima. Once, after a performance, P. I. Tchaikovsky came to her dressing room, expressed his admiration for her and expressed his intention to write a ballet for her ... Alas, it did not come true - the composer died six months later, and the ballerina did not even understand that she was talking with a genius ... She considered Tchaikovsky is a good "composer of ballet scores". Subsequently, when in Paris she was offered to speak with memoirs at the evening in honor of the 100th anniversary of the composer, she refused - she had nothing to tell.
In 1896 Matilda Kshesinskaya became the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre. Her repertoire included such parties as Aspicia ("The Pharaoh's Daughter"), Esmeralda and Paquita in the ballets of the same name, the Pellet Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette-Odile in "", Lisa in "Vain Precaution". For Kshesinskaya, he resumed La Bayadère and other ballets, technically complicating her parts.
Matilda loved to dance the royal daughter of the pharaoh Aspicia, shining on the stage with her technique and ... Romanov diamonds. She found a lot of personal things in the part of the poor street dancer Esmeralda, in love with the brilliant officer Phoebus, betrothed to the proud aristocrat Fleur de Lis ...
Matilda Kshesinskaya occupied a special position in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. She was called the queen of the Petersburg scene. The ballerina considered many parties to be personal property and did not allow anyone to dance without her permission.
Several ballets were staged for her, but there were no masterpieces among them. The viewer loved and loves the charming Fairy of Dolls by J. Bayer staged by the brothers Nikolai and Sergey Legatov. It was their gift to the wonderful Fairy - the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, before whom they bowed, performing the parts of two Pierrots. Kshesinskaya highly appreciated Nikolai Legat, a teacher with whom she had been studying for many years.
Matilda Kshesinskaya could afford what was forbidden to others - for example, a benefit performance in honor of a decade of stage activity (usually ballerinas were entitled to a benefit performance only after twenty years of service). For this benefit performance, Marius Petipa staged two ballets by Alexander Glazunov, The Four Seasons and Harlequinade.
The ballerina retired from the Mariinsky Theater in 1904, signing a contract for one-time performances. She was the first partner of the young Vaslav Nijinsky, danced in some ballets (Evnika, Butterflies, Eros). But, in general, Kshesinskaya was a supporter of the "old" academic imperial ballet, virtuoso technique and the cult of the prima. The "New Ballet" by Mikhail Fokin did not inspire her.
Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia in 1919. In exile, she married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov. Living in France, she turned down offers to perform on stage, despite the fact that she needed money. In 1929, she opened a ballet school and earned her living by giving lessons. Among the students of M. Kshesinskaya are M. Fontaine, I. Shovire, T. Ryabushinsky (one of the famous "baby ballerinas").
The last time Matilda Kshesinskaya performed was in 1936 in London on the stage of the Covent Garden Theatre. She was 64 years old, but this did not prevent her success: she was called eighteen times!
In the future, M. Kshesinskaya was engaged in teaching. She died in 1971, nine months before her centenary. The ballerina wrote "Memoirs", where she told, somewhat embellishing the events, about her stormy personal life and the brilliant career of the St. Petersburg imperial prima.
The name of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Russian ballet. Feature films and documentaries have been made about her.
Music Seasons
15/08/2017 - 17:39
This autumn, Alexei Uchitel's film Matilda, which has already managed to make a lot of noise, will be released on wide screens. The picture is about a love relationship. last emperor Russia Nicholas II and the famous ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. On the official trailer - large golden letters - "The main historical blockbuster of the year." There are no complaints about the “main” and “blockbuster”, but how historical the film is is a big question.
The personality of Nicholas II is not at all dark forest. The king and his wife kept diaries and wrote to each other. Their lives were in full view. To find out how they lived, to find out their love story, it is enough to devote time to studying historical documents.
It is known for certain that the love relationship the monarch had only with his legal wife - Alexandra Feodorovna. She became the mother of his five children. With other women, if Nicholas II met, then only at official events.
So who is Matilda? Matilda Kshesinskaya was born into an aristocratic family: her parents worked in the ballet troupe of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. They passed on the skill to their children: Matilda, her sister Julia and brother Joseph. All of them became famous ballet dancers.
Matilda was very talented, she was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, where she performed for 27 years.
Matilda met the Tsar on March 20, 1890, during a performance dedicated to graduation party. By tradition, the whole imperial family was present at this performance. Then Alexander III extended his hand to her and asked her to be a table decoration. He seated young Matilda next to the heir and jokingly asked not to flirt.
However, feelings between Matilda and Nikolai Romanov flared up instantly. She immediately fell in love with the blue-eyed heir. However, in the diary of Nicholas II himself there is not a single word about this meeting. Then they met several times. A year and a half after they met, according to Matilda, they met in private.
After the engagement with Alyssa of Hesse (Alexandra Fedorovna), secret meetings ceased. Nicholas II wrote a farewell letter to Matilda, arguing that their meeting is the best memory of youth. Kshesinskaya, by the way, also quickly started a new romance, with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, the grandson of Nicholas I. However, the romance did not last long. Matilda had a very fast paced life She was very windy. Because of her, duels took place, because of a conflict with her, the director of the imperial theater, Sergei Volkonsky, quit.
Despite the fact that there are memories of Matilda, there are letters to her from Nicholas II himself and a lot of testimonies from people who lived at that time, the film caused a great resonance even before its release. According to many, including Natalya Poklonskaya, such a scandalous project obviously promises high profits. "Matilda" does not consolidate society, she splits it.
We must not forget that Nicholas II is not just a king, he is a saint. That's the whole point. historical face, canonized by the church, became a "specially protected object", and the Teacher dared to encroach on something that did not belong to him at all.
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