Evgeniy Svetlanov is a conductor who controls Music. Heroes of Socialist Labor of the Bolshoi Theater

The whole life of one of the greatest conductors of our time is connected with music, which he began to seriously study from the age of six.

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov is one of the brilliant creators not only of the 20th century, but of the entire history of the world musical art. A musician of rare talent, he became the personification of all Russian culture, an exponent of universal human spiritual values. Creativity Svetlanov today is the property of all mankind. Millions of listeners of the planet are familiar with it. Meetings with his art with his own eyes or through audio and video recordings have become an urgent need for people, an inspiring source that gives joy and vitality. The personality and creativity of Evgeny Svetlanov cover many spheres of human life. He is talented in everything - as a conductor, composer, pianist, publicist, theorist, critic, public figure, educator, reviewer. He has written more than 150 articles, essays, and essays. How deeply and subtly he examines and analyzes the work of classics, contemporaries, and fellow musicians.

But in all his many years of creative work, the main thing for him is music, he is her all-powerful ruler, and he is also her selfless servant. Svetlanov himself admits that the world outside of music does not exist for him. " Legendary maestro", as foreign criticism called him, he was awarded the highest awards of Russia: he is a Hero of Socialist Labor, National artist USSR, laureate of the Lenin Prize, State Prizes of the USSR and the RSFSR named after M.I. Glinka, holder of orders and medals, including three Orders of Lenin and two Orders of Merit for the Fatherland (III and II degrees). He was also awarded universal recognition and many awards abroad: honorary academician of the Royal Swedish Academy, honorary academician of the US Academy of Arts, etc.

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov was born on September 6, 1928 in the family of opera soloists Bolshoi Theater. Father - Svetlanov Fedor Petrovich. Mother - Svetlanova Tatyana Petrovna. All childhood E. Svetlanov was associated with the main theater of the country. The constant presence at performances and rehearsals, classes in the children's choir and participation in operas, then work in the mimic ensemble of the theater, of course, influenced his further fate. "From the time I remember myself, it was quite clear to me that I could not help but be a conductor," E. Svetlanov later recalled. Once, being, as usual, in the theater and hearing music, he climbed onto a chair and began to wave his arms, imagining himself at the conductor's stand. Nearby were Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova and Nikolai Semenovich Golovanov. They laughed heartily at the sight of this spectacle, and Golovanov, affectionately patting the boy on the shoulder, remarked prophetically: "Well, from this, you see, there will be a conductor."

This prediction has happily come true. After graduating from school, E. Svetlanov entered the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute, and after graduating from it, in 1951 he became a student of the conducting department of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky. "I was prompted to take up conducting by the firm intention to revive an undeserved forgotten works, and first of all Russian classics" - this is how the young student explained the choice of profession to his teacher, Professor Alexander Vasilyevich Gauk.

As a student at the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute, E. Svetlanov began his creative way as a pianist and in this field proved himself the brightest individuality. His performance amazed with the depth of interpretation, comprehension of the author's intention.

Svetlanov the pianist is a worthy successor to the traditions of the Russian piano school. At the Moscow Conservatory in piano performance, E. Svetlanov studied with Heinrich Neuhaus, and later, in composition, with Yuri Shaporin. "The talent of Svetlanov as a composer is deep, truly Russian, developing in line with the traditions domestic art", - Yury Shaporin spoke about his student. The first compositions of Svetlanov - the cantata "Native Fields", the First Rhapsody "Pictures of Spain", Three Russian Songs for Voice and Orchestra, the Symphony in B Minor - immediately attracted attention and made people talk about the author how about worthy successor great Russian composers. Later, in the mid-70s, he composed large symphonic works, among them - "Romantic ballad", Symphonic poem "Daugava", Concerto for piano and orchestra, "Siberian fantasy", Poem for violin and orchestra (in memory of D.F. Oistrakh), poem "Kalina Krasnaya" (in memory of V. Shukshin ), Second Rhapsody, Russian Variations for Harp, "Village Days" - a quintet for wind instruments, Lyrical Waltz. He also owns a large number of chamber works. E. Svetlanov boldly used the traditions of Russian musical classics, developing them in his creative work. This fully applies to all his writings.

In 1954, being a 4th year student at the Conservatory, E. Svetlanov became an assistant to his professor in the conducting class of A.V. Gauka, who at that time led the Grand Symphony Orchestra (BSO) of the All-Union Radio. "...From the young age I thought of myself as a conductor. I approached conducting consciously, already having diplomas as a pianist and composer. And conducting was, as it were, the summation of what I received within the walls of two educational institutions: the Gnessin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory. Naturally, it was easier for me to start conducting work, since knowledge and experience in other related fields helped me a lot,” wrote Evgeny Fedorovich.

Finally, the main dream came true: conducting Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony, Myaskovsky's Cello Concerto, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe suite performed by the BSO, Evgeny Svetlanov defends his diploma. Svetlanov's debut as an opera conductor took place in 1955, when he presented his first work at the Bolshoi Theatre, Rimsky-Korsakov's The Maid of Pskov. Since that year, fate has once again connected the great conductor with the great theatre. First, a trainee conductor, then for ten years - a conductor, and since 1962 - chief conductor Bolshoi Theatre. Yevgeny Svetlanov conducted a repertoire of 25 operas and ballet performances(16 operas and 9 ballets), of which Svetlanov is a stage director in 12 of them: these are the operas "The Maid of Pskov", " royal bride Rimsky-Korsakov (1955), Tchaikovsky's Enchantress (1958), Shchedrin's Not Only Love (1961), Muradeli's October (1964), Verdi's Otello (1978), The Tale of invisible city Kitezh" (1983), "The Golden Cockerel" (1988) by Rimsky-Korsakov; ballets "Thunder Path" by Karaev (1959), "Paganini" to music by Rachmaninov (1960), " Night city"to the music of Bartok (1961), "Pages of Life" by Balanchivadze (1961).

In 1964 Svetlanov took part in the first tour of the Bolshoi Opera Company in Italy. At the La Scala theater in Milan, he conducts opera performances of Boris Godunov, Prince Igor and Sadko with great success, as well as symphony concerts, in one of which, at the request of the public, Rachmaninov's "Three Russian Songs" were performed as an encore. Evgeniy Svetlanov was the first Russian conductor to join the cohort of the Greats who worked in the famous "Rock", among them - Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Herbert von Karajan.

Operas "The Snow Maiden", "Mermaid", "Cio-Cio-san", Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, ballets " Swan Lake", "Chopiniana", "Walpurgis Night", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker" complete the repertoire list of the conductor at the Bolshoi Theater. Svetlanov records soundtracks for the films-operas "Khovanshchina" by Mussorgsky and " Queen of Spades"Tchaikovsky, conducts a concert performance of the opera-ballet "Mlada" by Rimsky-Korsakov and many festive and anniversary concerts. The great singer, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Irina Arkhipova wrote about Svetlanov's performances at the Bolshoi Theatre: "I can't help but recall such productions by Svetlanov as The Tale of Tsar Saltan, The Golden Cockerel and Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tale of the City of Kitezh. It was grandiose! The orchestra sounded beyond praise."

After one of the concerts with Svetlanov, the outstanding singer Elena Obraztsova said: “Indeed, no one, probably, feels the soul of a Russian person as deeply and so truly as he does; no one embodies it in music with such genuine sincerity, truthfulness, burning emotionality. . ..Such leaders - genuine, not imaginary - are very necessary today for our art."

Ballerina Raisa Struchkova wrote that "... for Yevgeny Fedorovich, the "technology" of ballet ... did not present any special difficulties. Such is the universal nature of his talent. He perfectly felt the nature of choreographic art. In the performances that he conducted, ... always I felt an amazing synthesis of orchestral sound and dance, the unity of the musical and choreographic components. There was no separation: here is the orchestra, and there is ballet... While on stage, I literally physically felt the strongest creative energy that his hands radiated. And this gave me freedom, confidence, inspiration.

In 1965 Evgeny Svetlanov becomes artistic director and chief conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR. Until that time, the orchestra, created in 1936, was led by Alexander Gauk, Natan Rakhlin, Konstantin Ivanov. In essence, Evgeny Svetlanov, working with the team for about 45 years, transformed it into a unique, grandiose scope and powerful creative possibilities orchestra, which, under his direction, entered the international arena and received the status of one of the most the best orchestras peace.

Here is what Irakli Andronikov wrote about the orchestra and its leader: "You experience the feeling of a holiday, a real holiday in the concerts of the State Symphony Orchestra ... conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov - a feeling of brightness, clarity, power. And novelty. Involuntary surprise ... And you enjoy the music itself in his concerts, and the impeccable playing of the orchestra subdued by the conductor. Yes, subdued. But this conductor's sovereignty is wonderfully combined in Svetlanov with human modesty, with respect for the wonderful musicians sitting in front of him. Artistry coexists in him with efficiency, powerful temperament with strict self-control. ... Everything is thought out and thought out, and at the same time heartfelt, full of poetic animation, love for the work being performed, and, it seems, is born for the first time ... with you. "

Thousands of performances in our country and abroad, in concert halls Volga, Urals, Siberia, sponsorship performances at the factories of Omsk, Prague, Sofia, student campuses, railway depots, performances on the prestigious stages of the world - and everywhere an enthusiastic reception and recognition. Evgeny Svetlanov is an internationally recognized interpreter of Western European, Russian, Soviet and contemporary composers. He recorded all the symphonies of Brahms, Mahler, the symphonic works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Bloch, Elgar, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Shaporin, Khachaturian, Sviridov, Kabalevsky, Eshpay, Boyko, Karaev and others.

In the 60s, recording all the symphonies of P.I. Tchaikovsky Evgeny Svetlanov begins his selfless work on the creation of the "Anthology of Russian symphonic music", which lasted three decades. Svetlanov himself considers this work his life duty, as well as the recording of 20 symphonies by N.Ya. Myaskovsky.

Today Yevgeny Svetlanov is an honorary conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre. The geography of his foreign tours is extensive, the maestro collaborates with many of the largest symphony ensembles in the world. Evgeny Svetlanov is an era in the Russian musical history and our national treasure.

"The whole life of Svetlanov is a huge, colossal work. In his person we have, undoubtedly, an outstanding personality of modern music world, our pride musical culture. A great musician Yevgeny Fedorovich, very big. He is in the prime of his talent and I can only wish him every success. It will be to the joy of all of us "(G.V. Sviridov).

Russian conductor (1928-2002). The whole life of one of the greatest conductors of our time was connected with music, which he began to seriously study from the age of six.

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov is one of the brilliant creators not only of the 20th century, but of the entire history of world musical art. A musician of a rare scale of talent, he became the personification of the entire Russian culture, an exponent of universal human spiritual values. Creativity Svetlanov today is the property of all mankind. Millions of listeners of the planet are familiar with it. Meetings with his art have become an urgent need for people, an inspiring source that gives joy and vitality. The personality and creativity of Evgeny Svetlanov covered many spheres of human life. He was talented in everything - as a conductor, composer, pianist, publicist, theorist, critic, public figure, educator, reviewer. He has written more than 150 articles, essays, and essays. How deeply and subtly he examined and analyzed the work of classics, contemporaries, and fellow musicians.

But in all his many years of creative work, the main thing for him is music, he is her all-powerful ruler, and he is also her selfless servant. Svetlanov himself admitted that the world outside of music does not exist for him. The "legendary maestro", as foreign critics called him, was awarded the highest awards in Russia: he is the Hero of Socialist Labor, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the Lenin Prize, the State Prizes of the USSR and the RSFSR named after M.I. Glinka, holder of orders and medals, including three Orders of Lenin and two Orders of Merit for the Fatherland (III and II degrees). He was also awarded universal recognition and many awards abroad: an honorary academician of the Royal Swedish Academy, an honorary academician of the US Academy of Arts, etc.

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov was born on September 6, 1928 in the family of Bolshoi Opera soloists. Father - Svetlanov Fedor Petrovich. Mother - Svetlanova Tatyana Petrovna. All childhood E. Svetlanov was associated with the main theater of the country. Constant presence at performances and rehearsals, classes in the children's choir and participation in operas, then work in the mimic ensemble of the theater, of course, influenced his future fate. "From the time I remember myself, it was quite clear to me that I could not help but be a conductor," E. Svetlanov later recalled. Once, being, as usual, in the theater and hearing music, he climbed onto a chair and began to wave his arms, imagining himself at the conductor's stand. Nearby were Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova and Nikolai Semenovich Golovanov. They laughed heartily at the sight of this spectacle, and Golovanov, affectionately patting the boy on the shoulder, remarked prophetically: "Well, from this, you see, there will be a conductor."

This prediction has happily come true. After graduating from school, E. Svetlanov entered the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute, and after graduating from it, in 1951 he became a student of the conducting department of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky. "I was prompted to take up conducting by a firm intention to revive undeservedly forgotten works, and first of all Russian classics," - this is how the young student explained the choice of profession to his teacher, Professor Alexander Vasilyevich Gauk.

As a student of the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute, E. Svetlanov began his career as a pianist and in this field he showed himself to be the brightest individuality. His performance amazed with the depth of interpretation, comprehension of the author's intention.

Svetlanov the pianist is a worthy successor to the traditions of the Russian piano school. At the Moscow Conservatory in piano performance, E. Svetlanov studied with Heinrich Neuhaus, and later, in composition, with Yuri Shaporin. "The talent of Svetlanov as a composer is deep, truly Russian, developing in line with the traditions of Russian art," Yury Shaporin said about his student. The first compositions of Svetlanov - the cantata "Native Fields", the First Rhapsody "Pictures of Spain", Three Russian Songs for Voice and Orchestra, the Symphony in B Minor - immediately attracted attention and made people talk about the author as a worthy successor to the great Russian composers. Later, in the mid-70s, he composed major symphonic works, among them - "Romantic Ballad", Symphonic Poem "Daugava", Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, "Siberian Fantasy", Poem for Violin and Orchestra (in memory of D.F. Oistrakh), the poem "Kalina Krasnaya" (in memory of V. Shukshin), Second Rhapsody, Russian variations for harp, "Country Day" - a quintet for wind instruments, Lyrical Waltz. He also owns a large number of chamber works. E. Svetlanov boldly used the traditions of Russian musical classics, developing them in his own creative way. This fully applies to all his writings.

In 1954, being a 4th year student at the Conservatory, E. Svetlanov became an assistant to his professor in the conducting class of A.V. Gauka, who at that time led the Grand Symphony Orchestra (BSO) of the All-Union Radio. "... From a very young age, I thought of myself as a conductor. I approached conducting consciously, already having diplomas as a pianist and composer. And conducting was, as it were, the summation of what I received within the walls of two educational institutions: the Gnessin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory. Naturally, it was easier for me to start conducting work, since knowledge and experience in other related fields helped me a lot,” wrote Evgeny Fedorovich.

Finally, the main dream came true: conducting Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony, Myaskovsky's Cello Concerto, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe suite performed by the BSO, Evgeny Svetlanov defends his diploma. Svetlanov's debut as an opera conductor took place in 1955, when he presented his first work at the Bolshoi Theatre, Rimsky-Korsakov's The Maid of Pskov. Since that year, fate has once again connected the great conductor with the great theatre. First, a trainee conductor, then for ten years - a conductor, and since 1962 - the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater. Yevgeny Svetlanov conducted a repertoire of 25 opera and ballet performances (16 operas and 9 ballets) at the theatre’s console, of which Svetlanov is a stage director in 12 of them: these are the operas The Maid of Pskov, The Tsar’s Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov (1955), The Enchantress Tchaikovsky (1958), Shchedrin's Not Only Love (1961), Muradeli's October (1964), Verdi's Othello (1978), The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh (1983), The Golden Cockerel (1988) Rimsky-Korsakov; the ballets The Path of Thunder by Karaev (1959), Paganini to music by Rachmaninoff (1960), City at Night to music by Bartok (1961), Pages of Life by Balanchivadze (1961).

In 1964 Svetlanov took part in the first tour of the Bolshoi Opera Company in Italy. At the La Scala Theater in Milan, he conducts with great success the opera performances of Boris Godunov, Prince Igor and Sadko, as well as symphony concerts, in one of which, at the request of the public, Rachmaninov's Three Russian Songs were performed on " bis". Evgeniy Svetlanov was the first Russian conductor to join the cohort of the Greats who worked in the famous "Rock", among them - Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Herbert von Karajan.

The operas The Snow Maiden, The Mermaid, Cio-Cio-san, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the ballets Swan Lake, Chopiniana, Walpurgis Night, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker complete the conductor's repertoire at the Bolshoi theater. Svetlanov records soundtracks for Mussorgsky's films-operas Khovanshchina and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, conducts concert performances of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera-ballet Mlada and many festive and anniversary concerts. The great singer, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Irina Arkhipova wrote about Svetlanov's performances at the Bolshoi Theatre: "I can't help but recall such productions by Svetlanov as The Tale of Tsar Saltan, The Golden Cockerel and Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tale of the City of Kitezh. It was grandiose! The orchestra sounded beyond praise."

After one of the concerts with Svetlanov, the outstanding singer Elena Obraztsova said: “Indeed, no one, probably, feels the soul of a Russian person as deeply and so truly as he does; no one embodies it in music with such genuine sincerity, truthfulness, burning emotionality. . ..Such leaders - genuine, not imaginary - are very necessary today for our art."

Ballerina Raisa Struchkova wrote that "... for Yevgeny Fedorovich, the "technology" of ballet ... did not present any special difficulties. Such is the universal nature of his talent. He perfectly felt the nature of choreographic art. In the performances that he conducted, ... always I felt an amazing synthesis of orchestral sound and dance, the unity of the musical and choreographic components. There was no separation: here is the orchestra, and there is ballet... While on stage, I literally physically felt the strongest creative energy that his hands radiated. And this gave me freedom, confidence, inspiration.

In 1965, Evgeny Svetlanov became artistic director and chief conductor of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Until that time, the orchestra, created in 1936, was led by Alexander Gauk, Natan Rakhlin, Konstantin Ivanov. In essence, Evgeny Svetlanov, working with the orchestra for about 45 years, transformed it into a unique orchestra of grandiose scope and powerful creative possibilities, which, under his direction, entered the international arena and received the status of one of the best orchestras in the world.

Here is what Irakli Andronikov wrote about the orchestra and its leader: "You experience the feeling of a holiday, a real holiday in the concerts of the State Symphony Orchestra ... conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov - a feeling of brightness, clarity, power. And novelty. Involuntary surprise ... And you enjoy the music itself in his concerts, and the impeccable playing of the orchestra subdued by the conductor. Yes, subdued. But this conductor's sovereignty is wonderfully combined in Svetlanov with human modesty, with respect for the wonderful musicians sitting in front of him. Artistry coexists in him with efficiency, powerful temperament with strict self-control. ... Everything is thought out and thought out, and at the same time heartfelt, full of poetic animation, love for the work being performed, and, it seems, is born for the first time ... with you. "

Thousands of performances in our country and abroad, in concert halls of the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, sponsorship performances at the factories of Omsk, Prague, Sofia, on student campuses, in railway depots, performances on the prestigious stages of the world - and everywhere an enthusiastic reception and recognition. Evgeny Svetlanov is an internationally recognized interpreter of works by Western European, Russian, Soviet and contemporary composers. He recorded all the symphonies of Brahms, Mahler, the symphonic works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Bloch, Elgar, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Shaporin, Khachaturian, Sviridov, Kabalevsky, Eshpay, Boyko, Karaev and others.

In the 60s, recording all the symphonies of P.I. Tchaikovsky, Yevgeny Svetlanov begins his selfless work on the creation of the "Anthology of Russian Symphonic Music", which lasted three decades. Svetlanov himself considered this work his life duty, as well as the recording of 20 symphonies by N.Ya. Myaskovsky.

"The whole life of Svetlanov is a huge, colossal work. In his person we have, undoubtedly, an outstanding personality of the modern musical world, the pride of our musical culture. A great musician Evgeny Fedorovich, a very great one." (G.V. Sviridov).

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Artistic director - director Mariinsky Theater, People's Artist of Russia, laureate of State Prizes.

People's Artist of Russia, Academician of the Academy Russian art, artistic director and chief conductor of the Moscow State Academic Symphony Orchestra

Soviet Russian conductor, composer and pianist.
Honored Artist of the RSFSR (09/15/1959).
People's Artist of the RSFSR (1964).
People's Artist of the USSR (1968).
People's Artist of the Kirghiz SSR (1974).
Hero of Socialist Labor (04/25/1986).

He began studying piano at the Musical Pedagogical School (1944-1946), then at the Gnessin Institute with Maria Abramovna Gurvich, a pupil of N.K. Medtner. Later he studied composition with M. F. Gnesin. After graduating from the institute with a degree in piano (teacher - G. Neuhaus), in 1951 he entered the Moscow Conservatory in the classes of opera and symphony conducting by Professor A. V. Gauk and composition - Yu. A. Shaporin.

In 1954, being a 4th year student at the Conservatory, Svetlanov became assistant conductor of the All-Union Radio Grand Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor since 1955, in 1963-1965. - chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater.
Svetlanov conducted a repertoire of 25 opera and ballet performances (16 operas and 9 ballets) at the theater’s console, of which he is a stage director in 12 of them: these are the operas The Maid of Pskov (1955) and The Tsar’s Bride by N. A. Rimsky- Korsakov (1955), The Enchantress by P. I. Tchaikovsky (1958), Not Only Love by R. K. Shchedrin (1961), October by V. I. Muradeli (1964), Otello by G. Verdi ( 1978), The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh (1983), The Golden Cockerel (1988) and The Tale of Tsar Saltan by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, Ivan Susanin by M. I. Glinka, Prince Igor A. P. Borodin, "Boris Godunov" by M. P. Mussorgsky, "Faust" by C. Gounod, "Rigoletto" by G. Verdi, "Eugene Onegin" by P. I. Tchaikovsky; ballets The Path of Thunder by K. A. Karaev (1959), Paganini to music by S. V. Rachmaninov (1960), City at Night to music by B. Bartok (1961), Pages of Life by A. M. Balanchivadze (1961).

In 1962 he was appointed music director Kremlin Palace of Congresses, which at that time became the second rental site of the Bolshoi Theater.
In 1964 he took part in the first tour of the Bolshoi Opera Company in Italy. At the La Scala Theater in Milan, he conducts with great success the opera performances Boris Godunov, Prince Igor and Sadko, as well as symphony concerts, in one of which, at the request of the public, Three Russian Songs by S. V. Rachmaninov were performed as an encore.
He was the first Russian conductor to join the cohort of the Greats who worked at the famous La Scala, among them A. Toscanini, B. Walter, G. von Karajan.

From 1965 to 2000 he was the artistic director and chief conductor of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR (since 1991 - Russia).

In 1992-2000 He was Principal Conductor of the Hague Residence Orchestra (Netherlands).

In 2000-2002 - worked again at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Svetlanov's first compositions - the cantata "Native Fields", the First Rhapsody "Pictures of Spain", Three Russian Songs for voice and orchestra, the Symphony in B minor (h-moll) - immediately attracted attention and made people talk about the author as a worthy successor to the great Russian composers. Later, in the mid-70s, he composed major symphonic works, among them - "Romantic Ballad", Symphonic Poem "Daugava", Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, "Siberian Fantasy", Poem for Violin and Orchestra (in memory of D.F. . Oistrakh), the poem "Kalina Krasnaya" (in memory of V. M. Shukshin), the Second Rhapsody, Russian variations for harp, "The Village Day" - a quintet for wind instruments, Lyrical Waltz. He also owns a large number of chamber works. Svetlanov boldly used the traditions of Russian musical classics, developing them in his own way in his work. This fully applies to all his writings. The style of Svetlanov as a composer echoes the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Svetlanov's art was recognized not only in the USSR, but also abroad: he was repeatedly invited to conduct leading foreign orchestras and direct opera and ballet performances(in particular, The Nutcracker by P. I. Tchaikovsky at the Covent Garden Theater in London). The best domestic and foreign performers- S. T. Richter, A. Ya. Eshpay, T. P. Nikolaeva, T. N. Khrennikov, D. F. Oistrakh, L. B. Kogan, A. K. Frauchi, F. Kempf.

Svetlanov's creative legacy is enormous: several thousand cassettes, CDs, recordings from concerts and theatrical productions. Svetlanov is the first conductor who realized the idea of ​​creating an Anthology of Russian Symphonic Music. During the years of work with the orchestra, he recorded almost all the symphonic works of Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, A. G. Rubinstein, A. P. Borodin, M. A. Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Taneyev, S. M. Lyapunov, A S. Arensky, Glazunov, Kalinnikov, A. N. Skryabin, Rachmaninov, N. Ya. Myaskovsky, as well as Wagner, Brahms, G. Mahler, I. F. Stravinsky, A. I. Khachaturian, Shostakovich, Khrennikov, A Ya. Eshpay and many other composers. Some of their works conducted by Svetlanov were performed for the first time. Svetlanov's performance of symphonic works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov was the most famous. There are also a number of recordings by Svetlanov the pianist.

Since 1974 - Secretary of the Board of the Union of Composers of the USSR.

In 2006, the State Academic Symphony Orchestra was named after Evgeny Svetlanov.
The Great Hall of the Moscow International House of Music, opened in 2004, is named after Svetlanov.
The name Svetlanova received minor planet № 4135.
Since 2004, it has been international competition conductors named after Svetlanov.
The name of Svetlanov was given to the Airbus A330 aircraft of the Aeroflot company.

prizes and awards

Lenin Prize (1972) - for concert programs (1969-1971).
USSR State Prize (1983) - for concert programs (1979-1982).
State Prize of the RSFSR named after M. I. Glinka (1975) - for concert programs (1973-1974) and concerts dedicated to symphonic creativity S.V. Rachmaninov.
Prize of the President of the Russian Federation (1998).
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (October 8, 1998).
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" III degree (July 27, 1996).
Three orders of Lenin (1971, 09/05/1978, 04/25/1986).
Order of the Red Banner of Labor (27.10.1967).
Order of Friendship of Peoples (1977).
Order "Cyril and Methodius" I degree (NRB, 1971).
Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France).
Order of the Commander (Netherlands).
Order of the Holy Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow (ROC).
Honorary Academician of the Royal Swedish Academy.
Honorary Academician of the US Academy of Arts.
Honorary Professor of Moscow State University and the Gnessin Academy of Music.
Honorary Conductor of the Bolshoi Theater (1999).
Honorary member of the Wagner Academy of Music.
Honorary Member of the Schubert Society.
Laureate of the "Grand Prix" (France) - for recording all the symphonies of P. I. Tchaikovsky.
Laureate International Prize Andrew the First-Called "For Faith and Loyalty" (1994).
Gratitude of the President Russian Federation(1998) - for outstanding contribution to the development of musical art.
Honorary Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (1992).

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov (1928 - 2002) - outstanding conductor, composer and pianist. For 45 years he worked at the Bolshoi Theater, combining this huge creative activity with the leadership of the State Orchestra of the USSR.

Brief information from childhood

Both the father and mother of the future musician of the rarest talent were opera singers. Or rather, the soloists of the Bolshoi Theater. And his childhood was connected, as well as subsequent work, with theater rehearsals and music, which he began to study at the age of six. Yevgeny Svetlanov sang in the choir, took part as a mime in performances, and even once climbed into a chair, having heard the music, and began to conduct. This was noticed by A. Nezhdanova and conductor N. Golovanov. They laughed heartily and predicted that such a boy would definitely become a conductor.

Youth

She rushed swiftly, passing in her studies as a performer back in student years Yevgeny Svetlanov impressed with a new deep reading, revealing the intentions of the authors of the works that he performed.

With success, he also studied composition. His compositions are built on the basis of Russian classics. Most of all he was influenced by S. Rachmaninov. In parallel, he tried his hand as a conductor. And from the fourth year he has been working next to his teacher in the All-Union Radio Orchestra. The work of a conductor combines and synthesizes all the acquired knowledge of a pianist and composer.

Behind the Bolshoi Theater

In 1955 Evgeny Svetlanov performed for the first time at the Bolshoi. It was the opera "Pskovityanka". The singers considered his work exceptionally worthy. And the dancers noted that under his hands the orchestra sounded in such a way that it gave creative forces performer.

He was surprisingly sensitive to the choreography. Dance and music were inseparable. Performers gained freedom, confidence and inspiration.

"Anthology of Russian symphonic music"

In the 1960s, this ascetic colossal work began. And it has not stopped for thirty years. Evgeny Svetlanov carried this case through creative life like a mission. The beginning was laid by the recording of Tchaikovsky's symphonies. A total of one hundred and ten discs were recorded.

Recognition abroad

For the first time in 1964, together with the Bolshoi, he performed in Italy at La Scala. The success was enormous. He was equated with such great conductors as A. Toscanini, B. Walter and Karoyan.

Evgeny Svetlanov: personal life

The first marriage took place while working at the Bolshoi with soloist Larisa Avdeeva (mezzo-soprano). Their son Maxim was growing up. A young journalist from radio "Mayak" Nina Nikolaeva in 1974 came to interview the great musician. She was also a musicologist by profession. Not only because of her specialties, but also at the behest of her soul, she attended the concerts of the great maestro. The door was opened by his wife, Svetlanova Larisa Ivanovna, and Evgeny Fedorovich himself came out behind her. He was dressed in a stunningly beautiful blue robe with black satin lapels and slippers on his bare feet. All the little things of the first meeting were forever engraved in the memory of Nina Alexandrovna, because she fell in love at first sight. She was divorced, but her dream was out of reach.

Continuation of the novel

During one of the interviews, the conversation veered off topic, and it turned out that both of them are passionate fishermen. Then the great conductor went somewhere and brought a Japanese fishing rod of amazing beauty. They agreed to meet after work. Nina Alexandrovna could not believe that the meeting could take place. And yet, Evgeny Fedorovich came and invited me to dinner at the Minsk restaurant. But for some reason it was closed. Then Nina offered to go to a small quiet restaurant where no one would recognize the musician. They had a quiet dinner and talked about everything. And the next day, Svetlanov came to her in Davydkovo, on the outskirts of Moscow, in a five-story building without an elevator and stayed all night. He was exhausted and just asleep. And in the morning he knelt down and said that he would never forget it.

Parting and new meeting

Their relationship did not develop easily. For more than a year, Svetlanov did not make himself felt. And suddenly a call and a question: “Are you surprised? Can I come to you?" They met and stayed together for twenty-five years. His wife Nina devoted her whole life to him. At first they did not think about children, and then it became too late.

Illness and death

A tumor appeared on the thigh, which practically did not bother. But the tests showed - oncology. The doctors demanded an operation. There were ten of them, and then 25 chemotherapy sessions. For 7 months Svetlanov walked on crutches and waited for the eleventh operation. He patiently endured the most excruciating pain. And on the last day he received 11 injections. But the pain didn't go away. She was unbearable and he screamed. And then, saying that it seemed to be getting better, fell asleep. In the morning, he looked with a kind of detached look. He died in the evening, at 19 o'clock, on a bright May day on the eve of Easter.

The funeral

He asked to be buried because it is more democratic than Novodevichy.

Anyone can visit there. Svetlanov wanted some of his compositions to be performed. Perhaps, as he said, this will be the last time.

Evgeny Svetlanov is a titan conductor. He suffered not only from severe physical pains, but also because of his beloved offspring - the State Orchestra. The break with him due to the economic troubles of the 90s turned Svetlanov into a lonely persecuted artist. Last concert about two weeks before the death of Svetlanov Evgeny Fedorovich gave in London. The symphony "Winter Dreams" by P. Tchaikovsky and "The Bells" by Rachmaninov were performed with the BBC Orchestra.

Russian conductor (1928-2002). The whole life of one of the greatest conductors of our time was connected with music, which he began to seriously study from the age of six.

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov is one of the brilliant creators not only of the 20th century, but of the entire history of world musical art. A musician of a rare scale of talent, he became the personification of the entire Russian culture, an exponent of universal human spiritual values. Creativity Svetlanov today is the property of all mankind. Millions of listeners of the planet are familiar with it. Meetings with his art have become an urgent need for people, an inspiring source that gives joy and vitality. The personality and creativity of Evgeny Svetlanov covered many spheres of human life. He was talented in everything - as a conductor, composer, pianist, publicist, theorist, critic, public figure, educator, reviewer. He has written more than 150 articles, essays, and essays. How deeply and subtly he examined and analyzed the work of classics, contemporaries, and fellow musicians.

But in all his many years of creative work, the main thing for him is music, he is her all-powerful ruler, and he is also her selfless servant. Svetlanov himself admitted that the world outside of music does not exist for him. The "legendary maestro", as foreign critics called him, was awarded the highest awards in Russia: he is a Hero of Socialist Labor, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the Lenin Prize, the State Prizes of the USSR and the RSFSR named after M.I. Glinka, holder of orders and medals, including three Orders of Lenin and two Orders of Merit for the Fatherland (III and II degrees). He was also awarded universal recognition and many awards abroad: an honorary academician of the Royal Swedish Academy, an honorary academician of the US Academy of Arts, etc.

Evgeny Fedorovich Svetlanov was born on September 6, 1928 in the family of Bolshoi Opera soloists. Father - Svetlanov Fedor Petrovich. Mother - Svetlanova Tatyana Petrovna. All childhood E. Svetlanov was associated with the main theater of the country. Constant presence at performances and rehearsals, classes in the children's choir and participation in operas, then work in the mimic ensemble of the theater, of course, influenced his future fate. “From the time I remember myself, it was completely clear to me that I could not help but be a conductor,” E. Svetlanov later recalled. Once, being, as usual, in the theater and hearing music, he climbed onto a chair and began to wave his arms, imagining himself at the conductor's stand. Nearby were Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova and Nikolai Semenovich Golovanov. They laughed heartily at the sight of this spectacle, and Golovanov, affectionately patting the boy on the shoulder, remarked prophetically: "Well, from this, you see, there will be a conductor."

This prediction has happily come true. After graduating from school, E. Svetlanov entered the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute, and after graduating from it, in 1951 he became a student of the conducting department of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky. “I was prompted to take up conducting by a firm intention to revive undeservedly forgotten works, and first of all Russian classics,” a young student explained his choice of profession to his teacher, Professor Alexander Vasilievich Gauk.

As a student of the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute, E. Svetlanov began his career as a pianist and in this field he showed himself to be the brightest individuality. His performance amazed with the depth of interpretation, comprehension of the author's intention.

Svetlanov the pianist is a worthy successor to the traditions of the Russian piano school. At the Moscow Conservatory in piano performance, E. Svetlanov studied with Heinrich Neuhaus, and later, in composition, with Yuri Shaporin. “The talent of Svetlanov as a composer is deep, truly Russian, developing in line with the traditions of Russian art,” Yury Shaporin said about his student. The first compositions of Svetlanov - the cantata "Native Fields", the First Rhapsody "Pictures of Spain", Three Russian Songs for Voice and Orchestra, the Symphony in B Minor - immediately attracted attention and made people talk about the author as a worthy successor to the great Russian composers. Later, in the mid-70s, he composed major symphonic works, among them - "Romantic Ballad", Symphonic Poem "Daugava", Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, "Siberian Fantasy", Poem for Violin and Orchestra (in memory of D.F. . Oistrakh), the poem "Kalina Krasnaya" (in memory of V. Shukshin), the Second Rhapsody, Russian variations for harp, "The Village Day" - a quintet for wind instruments, Lyrical Waltz. He also owns a large number of chamber works. E. Svetlanov boldly used the traditions of Russian musical classics, developing them in his own creative way. This fully applies to all his writings.

In 1954, being a 4th year student at the Conservatory, E. Svetlanov became an assistant to his professor in the conducting class of A.V. Gauka, who at that time led the Grand Symphony Orchestra (BSO) of the All-Union Radio. "... From a very young age, I thought of myself as a conductor. I approached conducting consciously, already having diplomas as a pianist and composer. And conducting was, as it were, the summation of what I received within the walls of two educational institutions: the Gnessin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory. Naturally, it was easier for me to start conducting work, because knowledge and experience in other related fields helped me a lot,” wrote Evgeny Fedorovich.

Finally, the main dream came true: conducting Rachmaninov's Second Symphony, Myaskovsky's Cello Concerto, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe suite performed by the BSO, Evgeny Svetlanov defends his diploma. The debut of Svetlanov as an opera conductor took place in 1955, when he presented his first work at the Bolshoi Theater - Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Maid of Pskov. Since that year, fate has once again connected the great conductor with the great theatre. First, a trainee conductor, then for ten years - a conductor, and since 1962 - the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater. Yevgeny Svetlanov conducted a repertoire of 25 opera and ballet performances (16 operas and 9 ballets) at the theatre’s console, of which Svetlanov is a stage director in 12 of them: these are the operas The Maid of Pskov, The Tsar’s Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov (1955), The Enchantress "Tchaikovsky (1958), Shchedrin's Not Only Love (1961), Muradeli's October (1964), Verdi's Otello (1978), The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh" (1983), "The Golden Cockerel" (1988) Rimsky-Korsakov; the ballets The Path of Thunder by Karaev (1959), Paganini to music by Rachmaninov (1960), City at Night to music by Bartok (1961), Pages of Life by Balanchivadze (1961).

In 1964 Svetlanov took part in the first tour of the Bolshoi Opera Company in Italy. At the La Scala theater in Milan, he conducts with great success the opera performances of Boris Godunov, Prince Igor and Sadko, as well as symphony concerts, in one of which, at the request of the public, Rachmaninov's Three Russian Songs were performed on " bis". Evgeny Svetlanov was the first Russian conductor to join the cohort of the Greats who worked in the famous "Rock", among them - Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Herbert von Karajan.

The operas The Snow Maiden, The Mermaid, Cio-Cio-san, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the ballets Swan Lake, Chopiniana, Walpurgis Night, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker complete the conductor's repertoire list at the Bolshoi theater. Svetlanov records soundtracks for Mussorgsky's films-operas Khovanshchina and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, conducts concert performances of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera-ballet Mlada and many festive and anniversary concerts. The great singer, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Irina Arkhipova wrote about Svetlanov’s performances at the Bolshoi Theatre: “I can’t help but recall such productions by Svetlanov as The Tale of Tsar Saltan, The Golden Cockerel and Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of the City of Kitezh. It was great! The orchestra sounded beyond praise.

After one of the concerts with Svetlanov, the outstanding singer Elena Obraztsova said: “Indeed, no one, probably, feels so deeply and so truly the soul of a Russian person as he does; no one embodies it in music with such genuine sincerity, truthfulness, burning emotionality.... Such leaders - real, not imaginary - are very necessary for our art today.”

Ballerina Raisa Struchkova wrote that "... for Yevgeny Fedorovich, the "technology" of ballet ... did not present any special difficulties. Such is the universal nature of his talent. He perfectly felt the nature of choreographic art. In the performances he conducted ... there was always an amazing synthesis of orchestral sound and dance, the unity of the musical and choreographic components. No separation: here is the orchestra, and there is the ballet ... While on stage, I literally physically felt the strongest creative energy that radiated from his hands. And this gave freedom, confidence, inspiration. "

In 1965, Evgeny Svetlanov became artistic director and chief conductor of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Until that time, the orchestra, created in 1936, was led by Alexander Gauk, Natan Rakhlin, Konstantin Ivanov. In essence, Evgeny Svetlanov, working with the orchestra for about 45 years, transformed it into a unique orchestra of grandiose scope and powerful creative possibilities, which, under his direction, entered the international arena and received the status of one of the best orchestras in the world.

Here is what Irakly Andronikov wrote about the orchestra and its leader: “You experience the feeling of a holiday, a real holiday in the concerts of the State Symphony Orchestra ... conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov - a feeling of brightness, clarity, power. And novelty. Involuntary surprise... And you enjoy the music itself in his concerts, and the impeccable playing of the orchestra conquered by the conductor. Yes, conquered. But this conductor's absolute power is wonderfully combined in Svetlanov with human modesty, with respect for the wonderful musicians sitting in front of him. Artistry coexists in him with efficiency, a powerful temperament - with strict self-control ... Everything is thought out and thought out. And at the same time, heartfelt, full of poetic animation, love for the work being performed, and, it seems, is born for the first time ... with you.

Thousands of performances in our country and abroad, in concert halls of the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, sponsorship performances at the factories of Omsk, Prague, Sofia, on student campuses, in railway depots, performances on the prestigious stages of the world - and everywhere an enthusiastic reception and recognition. Evgeny Svetlanov is an internationally recognized interpreter of works by Western European, Russian, Soviet and contemporary composers. He recorded all the symphonies of Brahms, Mahler, the symphonic works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Bloch, Elgar, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Shaporin, Khachaturian, Sviridov, Kabalevsky, Eshpay, Boyko, Karaev and others.

In the 60s, recording all the symphonies of P.I. Tchaikovsky, Yevgeny Svetlanov begins his selfless work on the creation of the Anthology of Russian Symphonic Music, which lasted three decades. Svetlanov himself considered this work his life duty, as well as the recording of 20 symphonies by N.Ya. Myaskovsky.

“The whole life of Svetlanov is a huge, colossal work. In his person we have, undoubtedly, an outstanding personality of the modern musical world, the pride of our musical culture. Great musician Yevgeny Fedorovich, very big. (G.V. Sviridov).