Name: Matilda Kshesinskaya
Age: 99 years old
Place of Birth: Ligovo, Peterhof
A place of death: Paris, France
Activity: prima ballerina, teacher
Family status: was married
Matilda Kshesinskaya - Biography
A great ballerina who has a unique technique and influences her audience with dance steps like hypnosis. She was the Honored Artist of His Imperial Majesty.
Childhood, ballerina's family
Matilda Feliksovna was born near the northern capital of Russia. Both the mother and father of the prima were artists of the Mariinsky Ballet Theater. Grandfather Jan virtuoso played the violin, sang in the opera of the capital of Poland. Jan enjoyed the favor of King Stanislaus Augustus, who greatly appreciated his voice. And the great-grandfather of Matilda Wojciech passed the genes of the great dancer to his granddaughter. The ballerina has Polish roots, her brothers and sisters, one way or another, are connected with dancing.
Sister Julia is a ballerina, brother Joseph is a dancer. From childhood, little Malechka already knew how to dance, and from the age of 8 she was already a student of a ballet school. After graduation, she performed at the Mariinsky Stage with her older sister. She did not leave the stage from 1890 to 1917. The biography of the ballerina was inscribed to Matilda from her very birth.
Career
The most famous parties were played by a ballerina: the Dragee fairy, Odette, Nikiya. Matilda danced the ballet "The Nutcracker", "Swan Lake", "La Bayadère" and "Sleeping Beauty", breaking a deafening ovation. She was familiar with P.I. Tchaikovsky, received the status of a prima ballerina. The dancer took lessons from the teacher Enrico Cecchetti, achieving expressive hand movements, softness, plasticity and clear leg movements.
Russian ballet did not have access to many of the dance elements that Italian dancers conquered the audience with. Matilda Kshesinskaya was the first to be able to perform 32 fouettes in a row on stage. Many performances were written specifically for the Russian ballerina, some returned to the stage thanks to Matilda's strong technique.
Innovation
Kshesinskaya collaborated with innovative choreographers, creating her own new style. Later he decides to leave the theater, after which he concludes an agreement on one-time performances with high pay. Matilda has always been for the development of Russian ballet and opposed the presence of foreign ballerinas in the troupe of the theater. Matilda in revolutionary times leaves her native city forever, then moves to Kislovodsk and Novorossiysk, from where she goes abroad. From this moment, the ballerina begins a new biography.
The ballerina received a French visa and settled in her villa. She owns her own ballet studio in the capital of France. Kshesinskaya begins to engage in teaching activities. One of her talented students was Tatyana Ryabushinsky. The ballerina decides to write memoirs about her life, about the life of her loved ones. First, the memoirs were published in French, and much later, 32 years later, they were printed in Russia.
Matilda Kshesinskaya - biography of personal life
In the personal life of the ballerina Kshesinskaya, there were many moments that are associated with the Romanov royal family. Matilda is considered the mistress of Nikolai Alexandrovich. Their relationship lasted for two years. The Tsarevich bought a house for the ballerina on one of the embankments of St. Petersburg, where their meetings took place. The woman was passionately in love with Nikolai, but both understood that their love could not last long. And so it happened, since the future king was engaged.
The wife of Nicholas II was expected to be the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. Matilda had relations with the Grand Dukes, from one of them a son, Vladimir, was born, who received a patronymic Sergeevich at birth. The son of Kshesinskaya, by the greatest decree, was given the name Krasinsky and a title of nobility, thereby recognizing his relationship with the grand dukes.
Sergei Mikhailovich loved his Matilda very much. Historical facts testify that when the bodies of the executed Romanovs were taken out of the mines, a medallion with the image of the famous ballerina was clamped in Sergey's hand. But she was married to another Grand Duke Andrei, who decided to adopt Vova. The woman converted to Orthodoxy and received the name Maria. With the advent of the revolutionary-minded masses, the mansion was taken away from Kshesinskaya, and she and her child decide to leave their homeland.
Biography of a ballerina in films and books
There are many rumors about Matilda Feliksovna, her life is of interest due to the fact that her name is mentioned along with the crowned persons. Therefore, many writers and directors turn to the history of her work and personal life. does not speak directly about Kshesinskaya, but his heroine Snezhinskaya is the personification of the famous ballerina. made the film "Matilda", in which he does not even hide the names of the real characters, talking about Nikolai Alexandrovich and his mistress.
Matilda Feliksovna lived for almost a hundred years, she was buried in one of the Parisian cemeteries with her son and husband. Thirteen years before her death, the ballerina saw a vision in a dream with the ringing of bells and Alexander III. Kshesinskaya interpreted this dream as a guide to action: she set about writing the details of her life. Now everything about the life of Matilda can be found in her memoirs.
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya (August 19, 1872 – December 6, 1971), Russian ballerina.
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 performer and ballerina who could manage her repertoire herself. A brilliant, virtuoso dancer who ousted foreign guest performers from the Russian stage ...
Matilda Kshesinskaya was tiny, only 1 meter 53 centimeters tall. But, despite the growth, the name of Kshesinskaya for many decades did not leave the pages of the gossip column, where she was presented among the heroines of scandals and "fatal women".
Kshesinskaya was born into a hereditary artistic environment that has been associated with ballet for several generations. Matilda's father was a famous dancer, was the leading artist of the imperial theaters.
The father became the first teacher of his youngest daughter. From a very early age, she showed an aptitude 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 Julia were studying there.
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 was enrolled in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. Already in her first season, Kshesinskaya danced in twenty-two ballets and twenty-one operas. 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 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. Their truly serious relationship began only two years later, after the heir came home to Matilda Kshesinskaya, under the name of hussar Volkov. Notes, letters and ... gifts, truly royal. The first was a gold bracelet with large sapphires and two diamonds, on which Matilda engraved two dates - 1890 and 1892 - the first meeting and the first visit to her home. But... Their love was doomed, and after April 7, 1894, when the engagement of the Tsarevich to Alice of Hesse was officially announced, Nikolai never came to Matilda again. However, as you know, he allowed her to address him in letters to "you" and promised to help her in everything if she needed help.
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. But ... as they say, a holy place is never empty: "In my grief and despair, I did not remain alone. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, with whom I became friends from the day when the heir first brought him to me, stayed with me and supported I never had a feeling for him that could be compared with my feeling for Nicky, but with all his attitude he won my heart, and I sincerely fell in love with him, "Matilda Kshesinskaya wrote later in her memoirs. She fell in love ... but quickly and again ... Romanov.
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. She returned to St. Petersburg only in the season of 1895 and performed in R. Drigo's new ballet The Pearl, which Petipa staged especially for the accession to the throne of Nicholas II.
And it is not surprising that her career went uphill. She became the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater and in fact the entire repertoire was built for her. Yes, her contemporaries did not deny her recognition of her talent, but implicitly everyone understood that this talent made its way to the top not with the help of a terrible struggle for existence, but in a slightly different way. The world of the theater is not so simple, if for ordinary spectators it is a holiday, then for the ministers of Melpomene it is a struggle for life, intrigues, mutual claims and the ability to do everything so that you are noticed by the superiors of this world. Ballet dancers have always been loved in the upper class: the grand dukes and nobles of a lower rank did not shy away from patronizing this or that ballerina. Patronage often did not go beyond a love affair, but still some dared even to take these charms as wives. But these were a minority, while the majority was destined for the sad fate of "flashing like a bright star" on the stage and then quietly fading out of it. Matilda Kshesinskaya escaped this fate ...
The beginning of Kshesinskaya's activity was associated with performances in classical ballets staged by the famous choreographer M. Petipa. They not only revealed her virtuoso technique, but also showed an outstanding dramatic talent. Already after Kshesinskaya's debut in P. Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty, Petipa began to stage choreographic parts specifically based on her "coloratura" dance. Only a long mourning after the death of Alexander III prevented their joint work.
The ballerina was distinguished not only by her talent, but also by her great diligence. She was the first after the Italian virtuosos to perform a rare ballet number for that time - thirty-two fouettes. As one of the reviewers noted, “having performed thirty-two fouettes, without leaving the spot, literally nailed to the fulcrum, she, having answered the bows, again went to the middle of the stage and unscrewed twenty-eight fouettes.”
From this time begins the ten-year period of Kshesinskaya's dominance on the Russian ballet stage. It ended in 1903 when M. Petipa retired. At this time, at the request of Emperor Nikolai Kshesinskaya, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich took care of him. In his house, she met the tsar's cousin, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Many believed that their relationship would not last long, but soon their son Vladimir was born, and Kshesinskaya became the civil wife of the Grand Duke. True, they got married many years later, in 1921, when they were in exile.
It was difficult for Kshesinskaya to get used to innovations in choreographic art. For a long time she could not find a suitable choreographer for herself, and only joint work with M. Fokin helped her overcome the crisis. Their relationship changed several times. Kshesinskaya either idolized Fokine, or fussed about removing him from the St. Petersburg stage. However, Fokin's popularity could not leave her indifferent, and, in spite of everything, they continued to work together.
In general, Kshesinskaya has always been sharp and often came to the right decision only after she made many mistakes. So, for example, her relationship with S. Diaghilev developed. He approached her in 1911 with a request to become the principal soloist in a program of ballet performances he had conceived. At first, Kshesinskaya rejected his proposal, since shortly before that she had triumphantly performed in Paris and London in several performances staged by the influential French newspaper Le Figaro. However, after thinking, or maybe just learning that the largest dancers of that time, M. Fokin and V. Nizhinsky, agreed to perform in the Diaghilev troupe, she gave her consent. After that, especially for Kshesinskaya, Diaghilev bought from the directorate of the imperial theaters the scenery and costumes for the ballet "Swan Lake", made according to the sketches of A. Golovin and K. Korovin.
The performances of the Diaghilev troupe in Vienna and Monte Carla turned into a real triumph for Kshesinskaya, while the cooperation itself continued for many years.
Only after the outbreak of World War I did the ballerina stop performing abroad, and on February 2, 1917, she appeared on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater for the last time.
Kshesinskaya understood that after the February Revolution she needed to disappear from the field of view of journalists for several months. Therefore, together with her son, she went to Kislovodsk to her husband. After the Bolsheviks came to power, they left for Constantinople, and then settled for several years in Villa Alam on the Mediterranean coast of France. Soon Kshesinskaya realized that she did not have to count on returning to the stage, and that she needed to look for another way to earn money. She moved to Paris and opened a ballet studio at the Monitor Villa.
At first, she had only a few students, but after visiting the studio of Diaghilev, as well as A. Pavlova, their number increased rapidly, and soon more than a hundred students studied with Kshesinskaya. Among them were the daughters of F. Chaliapin Marina and Dasia. Later, such well-known ballerinas as R. Nureyev's partner M. Fontaine and I. Shovire studied with Kshesinskaya.
The outbreak of World War II turned her well-established life upside down. Fearing bombings, she moves to the suburbs, and when the German army approaches, she and her family go to Biarritz, on the border with Spain. But soon German troops arrived there. The situation of Kshesinskaya was complicated by the fact that her son was soon arrested for anti-fascist activities. And only a few months later he was able to escape from the camp, and then from France.
After the liberation of France in 1944, Kshesinskaya returned to Paris and, with the help of her students Ninette de Valois and Margot Fontaine, organized a traveling ballet troupe that performed in front of the soldiers. At the same time, classes resumed in her studio. In 1950, Kshesinskaya went to England, where she became the head of the Federation of Russian Classical Ballet, which included fifteen choreographic schools.
During the first tour of the Bolshoi Theater in France, Kshesinskaya specially went to Paris to attend performances on the stage of the Grand Opera, in which G. Ulanova performed.
Kshesinskaya has published several books. The most famous were her memoirs, which were simultaneously published in France and the United States.
Matilda Feliksovna lived a long life and died on December 5, 1971, a few months before her centenary. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris in the same grave with her husband and son. On the monument there is an epitaph: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."
People who lived in Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century did not think much about what their image would be in the eyes of distant descendants. Therefore, they lived simply - they loved, betrayed, committed meanness and selfless deeds, not knowing that a hundred years later one of them would put a halo on their heads, and others would be posthumously denied the right to love.
Matilda Kshesinskaya got an amazing fate - fame, universal recognition, love of the powerful, emigration, life under German occupation, need. And decades after her death, people who consider themselves highly spiritual personalities will wag her name on every corner, cursing the fact that she even once lived in the world."Kshesinskaya 2nd"
She was born in Ligov, near St. Petersburg, on August 31, 1872. Ballet was her destiny from birth - father, Pole Felix Kshesinsky, was a dancer and teacher, an unsurpassed performer of the mazurka.
Mother, Julia Dominskaya, was a unique woman: in her first marriage she gave birth to five children, and after the death of her husband she married Felix Kshesinsky and gave birth to three more. Matilda was the youngest in this ballet family, and, following the example of her parents and older brothers and sisters, she decided to connect her life with the stage.
At the beginning of her career, the name "Kshesinskaya 2nd" will be assigned to her. The first was her sister Julia, a brilliant artist of the Imperial Theaters. Brother Joseph, also a famous dancer, will remain in Soviet Russia after the revolution, receive the title of Honored Artist of the Republic, will stage performances and teach.
Felix Kshesinsky and Yulia Dominskaya. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Joseph Kshesinsky repressions will bypass, but his fate, nevertheless, will be tragic - he will become one of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the blockade of Leningrad.
Little Matilda dreamed of fame, and worked hard in the classroom. The teachers of the Imperial Theater School said among themselves that the girl has a great future, if, of course, she finds a wealthy patron.
fateful dinner
The life of Russian ballet in the times of the Russian Empire was similar to the life of show business in post-Soviet Russia - one talent was not enough. Careers were made through the bed, and it was not very hidden. Faithful married actresses were doomed to be the backdrop for brilliant talented courtesans.
In 1890, the 18-year-old graduate of the Imperial Theater School Matilda Kshesinskaya was given a high honor - the emperor himself was present at the graduation performance Alexander III with family.
Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1896 Photo: RIA Novosti
“This exam decided my fate,” Kshesinskaya writes in her memoirs.
After the performance, the monarch and his retinue appeared in the rehearsal room, where Alexander III showered Matilda with compliments. And then the young ballerina at a gala dinner, the emperor indicated a place next to the heir to the throne - Nicholas.
Alexander III, unlike other representatives of the imperial family, including his father, who lived in two families, is considered a faithful husband. The emperor preferred another entertainment for Russian men to go "to the left" - the consumption of "little white" in the company of friends.
However, Alexander did not see anything shameful in the fact that a young man learns the basics of love before marriage. For this, he pushed his phlegmatic 22-year-old son into the arms of an 18-year-old beauty of Polish blood.
“I don’t remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the heir. As now I see his 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 differently than when we met, a feeling of attraction had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine, ”Kshesinskaya wrote about that evening.
Passion of "Hussar Volkov"
Their romance was not stormy. Matilda dreamed of a meeting, but the heir, busy with state affairs, did not have time to meet.
In January 1892, a certain "hussar Volkov" arrived at Matilda's house. The surprised girl approached the door, and Nikolai walked towards her. That night was the first time they spent together.
The visits of the "hussar Volkov" became regular, and all of St. Petersburg knew about them. It got to the point that one night a St. Petersburg mayor broke into a couple in love, who received a strict order to deliver the heir to his father on an urgent matter.
This relationship had no future. Nikolai knew the rules of the game well: before his betrothal in 1894 with the princess Alice of Hesse, the future Alexandra Fedorovna, he broke up with Matilda.
In her memoirs, Kshesinskaya writes that she was inconsolable. Believe it or not, everyone's personal business. An affair with the heir to the throne gave her such patronage that her rivals on the stage could not have.
We must pay tribute, receiving the best parties, she proved that she deserves them. Having become a prima ballerina, she continued to improve, taking private lessons from the famous Italian choreographer Enrico Cecchetti.
32 fouettes in a row, which today are considered the trademark of Russian ballet, Matilda Kshesinskaya began to perform the first of the Russian dancers, adopting this trick from the Italians.
Soloist of the Imperial Mariinsky Theater Matilda Kshesinskaya in the ballet The Pharaoh's Daughter, 1900. Photo: RIA Novosti
Grand ducal love triangle
Her heart was not free for long. The new chosen one was again the representative of the Romanov dynasty, the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, grandson Nicholas I and cousin uncle of Nicholas II. The unmarried Sergei Mikhailovich, who was known as a closed person, experienced incredible affection for Matilda. He took care of her for many years, thanks to which her career in the theater was completely cloudless.
Sergei Mikhailovich's feelings were severely tested. In 1901, the Grand Duke began to look after Kshensinskaya Vladimir Alexandrovich, uncle of Nicholas II. But this was only an episode before the appearance of a real rival. The rival was his son - the Grand Duke Andrew Vladimirovich, cousin of Nicholas II. He was ten years younger than his relative and seven years younger than Matilda.
“It was no longer an empty flirtation ... From the day of my first meeting with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, we began to meet more and more often, and our feelings for each other soon turned into a strong mutual attraction,” writes Kshesinskaya.
The men of the Romanov family flew to Matilda like butterflies to a fire. Why? Now none of them can explain. And the ballerina skillfully manipulated them - having struck up a relationship with Andrei, she never parted with Sergei.
Having gone on a trip in the fall of 1901, Matilda felt unwell in Paris, and when she went to the doctor, she found out that she was in a “position”. But whose child it was, she did not know. Moreover, both lovers were ready to recognize the child as their own.
The son was born on June 18, 1902. Matilda wanted to call him Nicholas, but did not dare - such a step would be a violation of the rules that they had once established with the now Emperor Nicholas II. As a result, the boy was named Vladimir, in honor of the father of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.
The son of Matilda Kshesinskaya will get an interesting biography - before the revolution he will be “Sergeevich”, because he is recognized by the “senior lover”, and in exile he will become “Andreevich”, because the “younger lover” marries his mother and recognizes him as his son.
Matilda Kshesinskaya, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and their son Vladimir. Around 1906 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Mistress of the Russian ballet
In the theater, Matilda was frankly afraid. After leaving the troupe in 1904, she continued one-time performances, receiving breathtaking fees. All the parties that she herself liked were assigned to her and only to her. To go against Kshesinskaya at the beginning of the 20th century in Russian ballet meant ending her career and ruining her life.
Director of the Imperial Theatres, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Volkonsky, once dared to insist that Kshesinskaya go on stage in a costume that she did not like. The ballerina did not obey and was fined. A couple of days later, Volkonsky resigned, as Emperor Nicholas II himself explained to him that he was wrong.
New Director of the Imperial Theaters Vladimir Telyakovsky I did not argue with Matilda from the word "completely."
“It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but then it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya, and as out of fifty performances forty belong to balletomanes, so in the repertoire - of all the ballets, more than half of the best belong to the ballerina Kshesinskaya, - Telyakovsky wrote in his memoirs. - She considered them her property and could give or not let others dance them. There were cases that a ballerina was discharged from abroad. In her contract, ballets were stipulated for the tour. So it was with the ballerina Grimaldi invited in 1900. But when she decided to rehearse one ballet, indicated in the contract (this ballet was “Vain Precaution”), Kshesinskaya said: “I won’t give it, this is my ballet.” Began - phones, conversations, telegrams. The poor director was rushing back and forth. Finally, he sends the Minister an encrypted telegram to Denmark, where he was at that time with the sovereign. The case was secret, of special national importance. And what? He receives the following answer: "Since this ballet is Kshesinskaya, then leave it behind her."
Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son Vladimir, 1916 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Shot off nose
In 1906, Kshesinskaya became the owner of a luxurious mansion in St. Petersburg, where everything, from beginning to end, was done according to her own ideas. The mansion had a wine cellar for men visiting the ballerina, horse-drawn carriages and cars were waiting for the hostess in the yard. There was even a barn, as the ballerina adored fresh milk.
Where did all this splendor come from? Contemporaries said that even Matilda's space fees would not be enough for all this luxury. It was alleged that the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, a member of the Council of State Defense, “pinched off” a little from the country’s military budget for his beloved.
Kshesinskaya had everything she dreamed of, and, like many women in her position, she got bored.
The result of boredom was the romance of a 44-year-old ballerina with a new stage partner Peter Vladimirov, who was 21 years younger than Matilda.
Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, ready to share his mistress with an equal, was furious. During Kshesinskaya's tour in Paris, the prince challenged the dancer to a duel. The unfortunate Vladimirov was shot in the nose by an offended representative of the Romanov family. The doctors had to pick it up piece by piece.
But, surprisingly, the Grand Duke forgave the windy beloved this time.
Fairy tale end
The story ended in 1917. With the fall of the empire, the former life of Kshesinskaya collapsed. She was still trying to sue the Bolsheviks for the mansion, from the balcony of which Lenin spoke. Understanding how serious it all came later.
Together with her son, Kshesinskaya wandered around the south of Russia, where power changed, as if in a kaleidoscope. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks in Pyatigorsk, but they, having not decided what he was to blame for, let him go on all four sides. Son Vladimir was ill with a Spaniard who mowed down millions of people in Europe. Having miraculously avoided typhus, in February 1920, Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia forever on the steamer Semiramida.
By this time, two of her lovers from the Romanov family were no longer alive. Nikolai's life was interrupted in the Ipatiev house, Sergei was shot dead in Alapaevsk. When his body was lifted from the mine where it had been thrown, a small gold medallion with a portrait of Matilda Kshesinskaya and the inscription "Malya" was found in the hand of the Grand Duke.
Junker in the former mansion of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya after the Central Committee and the Petrograd Committee of the RSDLP (b) moved from it. June 6, 1917 Photo: RIA Novosti
The Most Serene Princess at a reception at Muller
In 1921, in Cannes, 49-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya became a legal wife for the first time in her life. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, despite the sidelong glances of his relatives, formalized the marriage and adopted a child whom he always considered his own.
In 1929, Kshesinskaya opened her own ballet school in Paris. This step was rather forced - the former comfortable life was left behind, it was necessary to earn a living. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who declared himself in 1924 the head of the Romanov dynasty in exile, in 1926 he assigned Kshesinskaya and her offspring the title and surname of the princes Krasinskikh, and in 1935 the title began to sound like "the most serene princes Romanovsky-Krasinsky."During World War II, when the Germans occupied France, Matilda's son was arrested by the Gestapo. According to legend, in order to secure her release, the ballerina obtained a personal audience with the head of the Gestapo. Muller. Kshesinskaya herself never confirmed this. Vladimir spent 144 days in a concentration camp, unlike many other emigrants, he refused to cooperate with the Germans, and nevertheless was released.
There were many centenarians in the Kshesinsky family. Matilda's grandfather lived for 106 years, sister Yulia died at the age of 103, and Kshesinskaya 2nd itself passed away just a few months before the 100th anniversary.
The building of the Museum of the October Revolution - also known as the mansion of Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1972 Architect A. Gauguin, R. Meltzer. Photo: RIA Novosti / B. Manushin
"I cried with happiness"
In the 1950s, she wrote a memoir about her life, which was first published in French in 1960.
“In 1958, the ballet troupe of the Bolshoi Theater came to Paris. Although I don't go anywhere else, dividing my time between home and the dance studio where I earn money to live, I made an exception and went to the Opera to see the Russians. I cried with happiness. It was the same ballet that I saw more than forty years ago, the owner of the same spirit and the same traditions ... ”, Matilda wrote. Probably, ballet remained her main love for life.
The burial place of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya was the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. She is buried with her husband, whom she survived for 15 years, and her son, who passed away three years after his mother.The inscription on the monument reads: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."
No one can take away the life lived from Matilda Kshesinskaya, just as no one can remake the history of the last decades of the Russian Empire to their liking, turning living people into incorporeal beings. And those who are trying to do this do not know even a tenth of the colors of life that little Matilda knew.
The grave of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery in the city of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, Paris region. Photo: RIA Novosti / Valery Melnikov
Name: Matilda Kshesinskaya
Date of Birth: 31.08.1872
Age: 146 years old
Place of Birth: Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Activity: ballerina, teacher
Family status: Married
The biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya are now being actively discussed. This name is on everyone's lips after the premiere of the sensational film "Matilda", in which the autocrat, canonized by the saints of the Orthodox Church, is shown as an ordinary passionate person. This shocked many, especially believers. And, as you know, many people are now protesting. So who was this mysterious woman really?
Childhood and youth of Matilda
Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 31, 1872. Her biography began in the town of Ligovo, St. Petersburg district.
Matilda's parents were ballet actors, Pole Felix and Julia. His father performed at the Mariinsky Theater, and his mother was a corps de ballet dancer. The personal life of Felix and Yulia Kshesinsky was successful, they had three children, despite the fact that Yulia had 5 children from her first husband before her marriage to Felix. In girlhood, the mother's surname was Dominskaya. She was married to the famous dancer Lede, who died leaving her alone with her children.
Matilda from childhood showed the ability to theatrical art, and with all her heart she loved the theater. Her older sister was also a ballerina, which only increased the desire of the young girl to follow this path. Therefore, as soon as she was 8 years old, the girl entered the Imperial Theater School and in 1890 graduated from it as an external student. During her studies, the future ballerina was worried that she would not be able to benefit society, but when she saw the performance of the famous Virginia Zucchi and was inspired by it, she realized that there was nothing more important for her than art.
Matilda Kshesinskaya in childhood
The final exam, already exciting for Matilda, was attended by Emperor Alexander III, along with his son, Tsarevich Nicholas. The sovereign praised Matilda's performance, wishing her to become an adornment of the famous Russian ballet.
This praise had a huge impact on the biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya, gave her confidence. After the exam, at the ball, the girl danced with Nikolai. Both of them, recalling this moment, claim that they fell in love with each other immediately.
Matilda's parents
The memoirs of contemporaries show that the girl had a cheerful character. Matilda was easy-going and very cheerful. Tsarevich Nikolai even spoke in his diary that instead of blood, champagne flows in her. She remained that way for the rest of her life.
Since the girl showed herself in her studies from the best side, after graduating from college she was immediately invited to the Mariinsky Theater.
Creative career in Russia
Matilda was a very hardy and purposeful person. She could stand at the barre for hours, not paying attention to pain and discomfort.
The girl played many roles in the theater, but her debut was the role of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. In 1896, Matilda, despite the absence of the consent of the chief choreographer Petipa, became the prima ballerina of the imperial theater. The girl's work was difficult, besides, the attitude of other ballerinas towards Matilda was not easy, but she continued to shine on stage.
At that time, Italian ballerinas were the most popular in Russian ballet, thanks to their physical endurance and grace. To learn this skill, Matilda takes lessons from Italian masters, which allowed her to perform the well-known trick - 32 fouettes, which had not been performed by Russian ballerinas before.
Famous ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya
Kshesinskaya performed not only at the Mariinsky Theater, but also at the Krasnoselsky and Hermitage. Also, the young ballerina worked with such famous ballerinas as Anna Pavlova and Yulia Sedova.
Matilda's style was different from other ballet styles of the time. The girl knew how to combine Italian flexibility and Russian grace, as well as endurance and natural charisma. All this allowed her to leave a noticeable mark in the history of art.
The repertoire of the great ballerina at that time included roles from ballets:
- "Esmeralda";
- "La Bayadere";
- "Vain Precaution";
- "Flora Awakening";
- "Sleeping Beauty";
- "Evnika" and others.
None of the dancers had such beauty of movements and grace in those days. Matilda knew how to charm the viewer with her charm, expressiveness of feelings and precision of movements. This is all thanks to the diligent training, diligence and perseverance of this small but strong woman.
Matilda during the dance
In 1904, Matilda left the theater forever and began to give performances by order. She earned decently for those times, on average, the former prima ballerina received 500-750 rubles per performance. It was a lot of money at that time, considering that two rubles could buy a cow, for example. In 1911, the ballerina performs very successfully in London. Matilda has since become interested not only in the theater, but also in various financial transactions. For example, during the First World War, Kshesinskaya distributes orders for troops between firms and influences various military affairs.
Life abroad
During the February Revolution, the biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya changed completely. The ballerina with her family and son Vladimir leaves Petrograd forever. For some time the ballerina lives in Kislovodsk, then moves to Novorossiysk. Matilda wanted to return to the capital of Russia, but she could not do this, since her famous mansion was occupied by the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party.
In Novorossiysk, the life of the Kshesinskys was not sweet. In those difficult post-revolutionary times, the aristocrats had a very difficult time. They, along with relatives of the Grand Dukes, had to live for 2 months in wagons in which typhus was raging.
For some time the dancer lived abroad
Fortunately, the disease passed by Matilda and her son. In 1920, the ballerina moved abroad, to France, to a city called Cap d'Ail. There she had a villa, and Matilda's life improved again.
9 years later, Kshesinskaya opens her own ballet school in Paris. The students recalled that her noble blood was visible to the naked eye. During her teaching, Matilda Kshesinskaya never raised her voice to the students, she was always polite and behaved with dignity. She did not talk much about her biography and personal life, and in the photo, and in life, she looked much younger than her years.
During World War II, Matilda becomes ill with arthritis, because of which every movement began to bring her pain, but, as in her youth, the former ballerina copes with it. In Paris, Kshesinskaya begins to write memoirs, which were published in France in 1960. In Russia, her books were published only after the fall of the USSR, in 1992.
The novel of Matilda Kshesinskaya with the Tsarevich
The biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya is closely connected with the imperial family. In 1890, the girl met Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Nicholas II. According to the memoirs of the ballerina, she immediately fell in love with the heir. Nikolai was also fascinated by this fragile and petite girl (her height was only 153 centimeters!).
Empress Maria Feodorovna approved of the Tsarevich's decision to have an affair with Matilda and even helped with money for Kshesinskaya's gifts. This was due to the fact that Nikolai was too modest and paid little attention to the female gender. His mother was seriously worried about this.
But, unfortunately, there could be no marriage between the ballerina and Nicholas, since in this case the crown prince would have lost the opportunity to take the throne. Everyone understood this, and Matilda too. However, no one forbade young lovers to meet.
Matilda in her country house
Their love was like a young unopened rose that attracts attention with its fragrance and beauty. However, it can be very difficult to break it due to the sharpness of the thorns.
Thanks to this novel, Nikolai gained experience in love and communication with women. The love of the Tsarevich and the young beautiful ballerina became a forbidden fruit when the time came for him to marry, having found a worthy candidate for this, and take the throne.
In 1894, on the occasion of the death of Emperor Alexander III, Nikolai decides to marry Alice of Darmstadt, the future Alexandra Feodorovna, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. Moreover, the crown prince fell in love with the princess. Nikolai saw Alix (as her relatives called her) as a child, at the wedding of her sister, Princess Elizabeth, and his uncle, Prince Sergei. Having met with Alix a few years later, Nikolai saw a formed beauty in her appearance, and his heart trembled. He realized that he could not find a better party for marriage.
Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nikolai Alexandrovich
Since then, the relationship between Matilda and Nikolai has ceased forever. The girl was very upset by the breakup, but soon quickly dealt with it. Matilda and Nikolai have fond memories of each other.
Before his wedding, the future emperor asked his nephew, Sergei Mikhailovich, to take care of Kshesinskaya, to which he happily agreed. Moreover, Sergei was the president of the Russian Theater Society, which had a beneficial effect on the girl's career. Matilda and Sergei became good friends, and later lovers.
Personal life
Love affairs were not alien to this pretty girl. After parting with the Tsarevich, Matilda had two lovers, His Serene Highness Princes Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich. Sergey made an offer to the ballerina, but for some unknown reason she refused. Probably then the girl was still too windy in nature and was not ready for a serious family life.
Once, in 1908, on a tour in Paris, Matilda began an affair with the young Peter Vladimirovich. As a result of this romance, Peter and Andrei developed far from friendly relations, it even came to a duel, where Peter was shot in the nose.
Matilda with her husband and son
The unmarried life of a ballerina at that time could not continue for a long time, and the dream of a large and friendly family did not allow Kshesinskaya to enjoy a free life. In 1902, Matilda's son Vladimir was born. By the way, it is still unknown who the real father of the boy is.
Despite the fact that Kshesinskaya was not married to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, her son was given the nobility and patronymic Sergeevich. But soon the son had to change this patronymic, since in 1921, in Cannes, Matilda married Andrei Vladimirovich, the grandson of Alexander II. Matilda, who was a Catholic before the wedding, converted to Orthodoxy with the name Maria. Their family was exactly what the ballerina dreamed of. They were together until the end of their days.
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya Born September 1, 1872 in Ligovo, near St. Petersburg, in a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater.
The girl's father was a dancer and an opera singer. Felix Kshesinsky and mother is a ballerina Yulia Dolinskaya. Matilda was the last thirteenth child in a creative family and had an affectionate nickname Malechka, Malya. Matilda's older brother and sister were also actors. So the creative atmosphere in the family could not but affect the development of the girl.
At the age of 8, Matilda began to attend the Imperial Theater School, and at the age of 15 she took lessons from Christian Ioganson, who remained her teacher for many years, even when she became a recognized artist. In 1890, Matilda was enrolled at the Mariinsky Theatre, where in her first season she danced in 21 operas and 22 ballets.
A novel by Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II
But is it only thanks to her talent that the young ballerina has achieved such success? Of course not!
Imperial ballet has always been a part of court life. During the graduation ball, Matilda meets a modest young man and future emperor, Nicholas II.
This acquaintance was approved by Nikolai's parents, who wanted their son to become a man.
Flirting young people led to mutual attraction. The fire that engulfed Matilda also burned the weak-willed, inert Nicholas. And how burned! 60 years later, Kseshinskaya will read in the diary of the last Russian tsar, published abroad, what he felt that summer: “Kseshinskaya ... I positively like it very much”, “Standing at the theater teased memories ...”, “I returned ... to Krasnoe Selo was at the theater that same evening ... ". The feeling of the Tsarevich was sincere. After the first date, when the heir arrived at the Kshesinsky's house under the guise of Volkov's hussar, he wrote to Matilda: "I still walk like a child ..."
In 1984, the engagement of the Tsarevich with Alice of Hesse was announced and the love of young people was doomed. But Nikolai promised to help Matilda in everything and allowed him to be addressed in letters to "you". Nikolai did not go to Kshesinskaya anymore. But, a man of honor, having parted with his beloved, he asked Prince Sergei Mikhailovich to take care of her.
Matilda Kshesinskaya was not considered an impeccable beauty, but, undoubtedly, she was an outstanding woman. She had tremendous energy, amazing willpower and was well versed in life's problems. She knew how to do good, but also knew how to subtly take revenge. Numerous photographs captured this woman smug, with a defiant look.
Was Kshesinskaya a great ballerina?
Of course not. In any case, she cannot be compared with Anna Pavlova. And, nevertheless, it was Kshesinskaya who dominated the St. Petersburg ballet scene. The entire repertoire of the theater was in her charge. Prima simply informed the management of the Mariinsky Theater that such and such a performance would then be danced - and this was done!
The championship on the stage was the main thing for her, and she never gave it up without a fight.
Matilda enjoyed her power in the theatre. She directed the Mariinsky. Her first victim was Prince Volkonsky. In an effort to somehow hide her short legs, the ballerina refused fizhma, for which the directorate imposed some trifling fine on her. But the tsar intervened, the order was immediately canceled, and Prince Volkonsky was forced to resign.
The whims of Kshesinskaya decided everything. Often this ended in injustice in relation to another ballerina. The favorite vigilantly looked after her rivals, herself performed the main parts in half of the performances, and kept the management, as they say, in a tight grip. If Kshesinskaya was not given a role in the next ballet, the emperor immediately found out about this, and she received it. When in the ballet intended for the coronation day, Matilda Kshesinskaya was deliberately not given a role (sparing the feelings of the young empress), she, as always, turned to Niki. The composer was asked to complete the ballet specifically for Kshesinskaya - as a result, a new part of the "yellow pearl" was introduced into the performance.
Mistress of the Romanovs - Matilda Kshesinskaya
But Kshesinskaya, we must pay tribute to her, knew how to touch the hearts of balletomanes. Her technique was impeccable, and she constantly polished her skills. One of the crown parties of Kseshinsky was the party of Esmeralda. The ballerina came out in a white tunic, pink leotards and satin shoes, in a lovely hat adorned with gold coins. In a word, it was Esmeralda not Hugo, but Petipa. But her biggest creative success was Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. The success was overwhelming. Kshesinskaya was praised by Tchaikovsky himself, who even planned to write a ballet for her. Alas, this was never destined to come true - the composer died soon after.
In all parties, the appearance of Matilda was unchanged. The newspapers were sarcastic: “In vain, Madame Kshesinskaya, playing a beggar, did not take off her diamond earrings and luxurious pearl necklace. Begging for alms, and suddenly in diamonds - absurd. The style of her dance was also unchanged: technique always prevailed over feelings. If Anna Pavlova put her whole soul into the image, Kshesinskaya remained a brilliant prime minister in all roles.
The art of Matilda Kshesinskaya could flourish only in the conditions of the imperial theater, closely connected with the royal court. It is no coincidence that she was called a monarchist ballerina, a dancer of Russian classical academicism. And this suggested royalty, aristocracy, cold severity of manners. Containing classical completeness, her dance was nevertheless distinguished by bravura, coquetry, and piquancy. And although the manner of Kshesinskaya's dance became more and more archaic, the virtuosity of the ballerina's technique delighted the audience of the Mariinsky Theater.
She wanted to dance everything. But, despite her titanic efforts - she studied in St. Petersburg and abroad with the best teachers - the championship slipped away. Kshesinskaya reigned in ballet for several years and left the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, still full of strength, in 1903 the time for the ballerina to tour Europe began.
Matilda Feliksovna was economical and rather prudent - she always kept account books. Unthinkable wealth gave her the opportunity to buy a plot in the best part of St. Petersburg, on Kronverksky Prospekt, and also build a palace that was not inferior in luxury to the royal apartments. In addition, there was a wine cellar where fine wines were stored, and a laundry, and a cowshed, and garages for cars, exits ...
Kshesinskaya's special passion was jewelry, each of which she kept in a special bag or box. In her diary, she enthusiastically describes the priceless trinkets that she received in abundance from the royal family, including the first gift from Nike - a gold bracelet with precious stones. The gift was really “small” - further offerings became more and more luxurious ...
She had a weakness - roulette. In the casino, Matilda Feliksovna was called "Madame 17", because she bet only on 17. A prudent player, Matilda knew how to lose. Getting up from the table after losing, she always smiled. She did not lose shape, participated in performances, went on tour. In 1936, she performed at a London charity concert, and she was then already 64 years old.
The blows of fate did not break this woman. When the money ran out, she and her husband settled in a small house in the Parisian suburbs. No one ever complained from her. In difficult times for the family, Kshesinskaya opened a ballet studio in Paris. Her students were prominent dancers, our and foreign stars - Margot Fontaine herself came from London to take lessons from her.
In 1958, the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater came on tour to Paris. Could she not go to their performances? “I cried with happiness,” she recalled. “Russia is capable, like no other, of combining technique and inspiration.” Galina Ulanova delighted her. Matilda Feliksovna asked one of her friends to approach the ballerina and convey her admiration for her skill and talent. She didn’t dare herself - communication, even if brief, with such an emigrant as she was, was too dangerous for Ulanova.
Having survived her husband much, Kshesinskaya retained an excellent memory until the end of her life. She took up her pen and left us living testimonies of the past.
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya lived a very long life: as they say, the “Methuselah age” is almost a hundred years old. She died in Paris in 1971 and is buried in the famous Russian cemetery at Geneviève-du-Bois.
who took part in the show of Ilya Averbukh and Channel One.
BOLERO performed by Natalia Osipova and Roman Kostomarov.
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