Conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky: biography, professional activity, private life

In the history of 20th century culture, the name of the Russian composer and pianist Gennady Rozhdestvensky is on the list of the world's largest conductors. By the twists of his amazing life you can learn about the main stages of the formation of musical culture.

For more than 60 years, Gennady Rozhdestvensky has devoted his life to music. Photos and biography of the conductor are presented to your attention in this article. His past and present are a reflection of true artistic creativity with the manifestation of the highest taste and convictions tempered by time.

Gennady Rozhdestvensky (conductor): biography

An outstanding musician of our time was born in the capital on May 4, 1931 in the family of professional musicians: Nikolai Anosov, the famous conductor of the Moscow Conservatory, and Natalia Rozhdestvenskaya, a soloist, singer at the All-Union Radio. From the above, it is already possible to understand why Gennady Rozhdestvensky connected his life with music. The family of the capital's intellectuals attached their son to the musical art from early childhood. Among the memories of childhood: the beginning of the war, evacuation and piano, which was buried in the ground, so it does not get to the enemies. Upon his return to Moscow, he continued his studies.

In the year of the end of the war, Gennady Rozhdestvensky began learning to play the piano under the direction of Elena Gnessina in the author's school, and then moved to the class of Professor Lev Oborin at the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory, with which in 1950 his musical maturation began. At the same time, the father gave lessons in conducting skills, gave his son the skills to manage the orchestra with one eye, without the help of hands. In these years came the conviction that being a conductor is his true calling.

First lines

The years spent at the Conservatory were very eventful:

• Performing debut in Leningrad with the performance of works by Tchaikovsky,
• An internship at the Bolshoi Theater and the position of a ballet conductor (1951-1960),
• The participation of students' orchestra under the direction of Christmas in Berlin within the framework of the Festival of Youth and Students,
• Victory in Bucharest at a creative contest.

At the age of 20, the young conductor Rozhdestvensky directed the orchestra for the first time at the Bolshoi Theater in the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky. From this time began his way theatrical, and later the symphonic conductor, as well as the pages of his creative biography in the Bolshoi Theater.

After graduating from the conservatoire in 1954, the training continued in postgraduate studies until 1957. Conductors' art was sharpened in ballet productions ("War and Peace" by Sergei Prokofiev, "The Nutcracker" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, "Spartacus" by Aram Khachaturyan, Rodion Shchedrin's "Humpbacked Horse").

Talent of serving the arts

Christmas broadcast his reading of music through different orchestras, but at the beginning of the journey milestones were the periods of work as the chief conductor at the Bolshoi Theater and, at the same time, in the orchestra at the All-Union Radio and Television.

Almost 40 ballets and operas were performed in the theater under the guidance of the master for five years. At that time, the conductor's desire not only to perform the classics of the orchestral repertoire, but also to revive the best works of the authors from the past, for which later he was called a musical archeologist. Thanks to the devotional work of Christmas listeners, the beautiful music of compatriots or avant-garde composers who returned from opals also opened up. His conductor technique is characterized by an individual artistic handwriting, through which he is able to convey to the listener almost visually the imagery of musical masterpieces.

The scope of creative activity and the display of mighty talent attracted Western collectives to cooperate with Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

Breakthrough to Europe

In Soviet times, art was tightly controlled by party organs. The conductor Rozhdestvensky became the first to be allowed to work in Europe and released in 1972 in Stockholm for a tour. The success was of the highest level, as a result - an invitation to head the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It took time and decision at the level of the first persons of the states that the Minister of Culture Furtseva opened the way for the musician to work in Sweden with one of the best world orchestras. This was a real breakthrough not only in the fate of Christmas, but also in Soviet culture.

Political aspect

In 1974 there was an event that became a test of the personal qualities of both the leader and the man of Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky.

Chairman Gosteleradio SG Lapin urged the conductor to conduct a purification in the Symphony Orchestra of the Central Television and All-Union Radio from persons of Jewish nationality under any formal pretext. The next step was an anonymous letter about the creation of the Zionist Center in the orchestra. But the pressure exerted did not force the conductor to follow the recommendations from above.

His rejection of the post of head was quickly adopted, the time of uncertainty became a painful test for a man who lived with creativity and work. But the meeting with the director Boris Pokrovsky opened up new possibilities for the musician.

Inspired creativity

Joint work with B. Pokrovsky at the Chamber Opera Theater on the production of D. Shostakovich "The Nose" led to an unprecedented success and numerous invitations of the maestro to work in various domestic and foreign groups. This was the period of the creative rise of the musician, which was enthusiastically written in Moscow, Leningrad, Amsterdam, London, Cleveland, Chicago, Stockholm, Tokyo and other cities around the world. More than 100 world orchestras performed music when Rozhdestvensky was behind the conductor's console.

The list of collectives with whom the maestro worked reflects the scope of the creative activity of the conductor and the huge devotion of one of the most sought-after musicians of the era.

The execution of works under the direction of G. Rozhdestvensky returned the admirers of the music of Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitry Shostakovich. The name of the composer A. Schnittke is inextricably linked with the conductor, who first began to represent the public his orchestral music.

Broad concert activity, the records of outstanding composers reflected the talent of both the discoverer and the historian of culture who collected the musical pearls of past eras: the symphonies of L. Beethoven, A. Bruckner, I. Brahms, J. Haydn, A. Glazunov, S. Gubaidullina, J. Sibelius, V. Fleishman, and others.

Tour activity

In the repertoire of Christmas, according to approximate calculations, more than 2000 works of different eras and musical styles. Almost all the best world collectives - the Philharmonic Orchestras of London, Berlin, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and others - worked under the swings of Rozhdestvensky's conductor's baton. The ability to convey to the orchestra the idea of the author, convince him of the idea of the composer and follow its embodiment - this manifested the great mastery of the conductor.

37 countries and more than two hundred different cities were hosted by the maestro. There is no such geography of tours for any contemporary.

More than 150 works were presented to the world music audience for the first time. Prof. Rozhdestvensky's deep conviction that the theater should shape the tastes of the viewer, educate the musical culture, and not follow the requests of the public, fully embodied the selection of the repertoire and the setting of unique concert programs.

Gennady Rozhdestvensky: personal life

The successful and extraordinarily rich musical activity of the conductor would not have been possible without the support of the family. This is sure himself Gennady Rozhdestvensky. The conductor's wife is a famous pianist and stage partner Victoria Postnikova. Son Alexander - continuer of the musical dynasty, violinist.

Today they can be seen at one performance. Family creativity was reflected not only in traditional genres, but also in almost forgotten melodic declarations, within which Rozhdestvensky's talent was revealed as a brilliant reader.

Gennady Rozhdestvensky is a conductor whose personal life can be said to have developed in the best way, because everyone in the family is like-minded.

Criticism and time

Relations with music critics and press representatives were not always objective and friendly. The feeling of creative and personal freedom never left the conductor, it interfered with its compliance with the standards of time and formalized requirements. Followed by targeted journalistic persecution. The fulfillment of political orders by the press and the flow of unreasonable charges led to the fact that Gennady Nikolayevich did not always flatteringly speak about the workers of the pen. He is convinced that those authors who are at least acquainted with the score can write constructively about music.

Time changes the assessments of previous years: what was yesterday the object of condemnation, today becomes a matter of pride. That confirmation is the statement of the world premiere of S. Prokofiev's opera The Gambler. Christmas, in spite of all critics, is a laureate of numerous Russian and international awards and awards of the highest level.

Unique talent

The talent of the Christmas interpreter was revealed in various symphonic, opera and ballet genres. More than 300 works were first presented to the domestic public. Masterful performance of foreign and Russian classical music, works of avant-garde composers, ability to translate different styles with understanding of the author's essence reflected the unique talent of the musician whose name became a bright page of world culture.

Undoubted merit of the conductor was the establishment of cultural ties between countries, including Sweden, England, Germany, Japan, etc.

The mission of an enlightener in the field of musical culture accompanied the creative path of Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Thanks to his efforts, the heritage of I. Stravinsky was restored , and the creations of Bruckner, Bartók, Millau, and Schoenberg, unknown to the public , were discovered. It became a tradition to anticipate the performance with stories and explanations to the program of the performance, which undoubtedly enhances the perception of artistic images created by word and sound.

Rozhdestvensky is the author of cycle programs on television and radio about outstanding directors of the 20th century, the best world orchestras.

The literary work of the musician is represented by several editions about the art of conducting, a book of memories.

Today Rozhdestvensky conducts pedagogical activity as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory and continues to be a unique medium between creators in music and a new generation of listeners.

Gennady Rozhdestvensky is a conductor with a capital letter. His talent has no boundaries. Let us wish him good luck and inspiration!