Maria Maksakova is a Soviet opera singer. Despite all the circumstances, the creative biography of the artist developed well. Maria made a significant contribution to the development of opera music.
Maksakova was the daughter of a tradesman and the wife of a foreign citizen. She gave birth to a child from a man who fled the USSR. The opera singer managed to avoid repression. In addition, Maria continued to perform the main roles in the main theater of the Soviet Union. The opera diva has repeatedly held state prizes and awards.
Childhood and youth of the artist Maria Maksakova
Maria Maksakova was born in 1902 in provincial Astrakhan. The maiden name of the opera singer is Sidorova. Maria is the youngest of the children of the Astrakhan shipping company employee Pyotr Vasilyevich and his wife Lyudmila, who was an ordinary peasant woman.
The girl had to grow up early. She lost her father at a young age. In order not to burden the family with expenses, Maria began to earn her own living on her own. Maksakova sang in the church choir. Singing gave Masha great pleasure. She dreamed of a big stage.
The beginning of the singer's work Maria Maksakova
Maria received her professional vocal education at the Astrakhan College of Music, which was established in 1900. It was during this period that the civil war began. Maria gave concerts in front of the Red Army soldiers, encouraging the soldiers with her singing.
In 1919, in the city of Krasny Yar, the singer performed an opera part for the first time. Her performance impressed the audience so much that the audience gave the young diva a standing ovation.
After that, Maria came to get a job in the Astrakhan opera troupe. Before enrolling, she was asked to perform a part from the opera "Eugene Onegin" by P. I. Tchaikovsky. She got the job done. The singer's vocal data made an excellent impression on entrepreneurs. Maria Maksakova was hired.
Not everyone was happy with Mary. The members of the troupe frankly envied the talented girl. She was gossiped about behind her back, constantly spreading ridiculous rumors. They wanted to undermine Maksakova's authority, but Maria's character was so strong that all attempts by ill-wishers were unsuccessful.
Once she heard how they said about her: “She doesn’t know how to walk around the stage at all, but she asks to become a vocalist.” In her memoirs, the opera diva recalled that she was so naive and stupid that she stood backstage, peering at the gait of experienced approx. Maria tried to copy the behavior of accomplished singers, not realizing that she was self-sufficient and interesting to the public.
Soon the post of the head of the troupe was taken by the teacher and entrepreneur Maximilian Schwartz, who performed under the pseudonym Maksakov. The man upset Maria with a statement that she did not have enough control over her voice and could do much more if she studied with a teacher. Maria took Schwartz's advice. She began to diligently hone her vocal abilities.
Creative way Maria Maksakova
In 1923, Maria Maksakova first appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. She sang the parts of Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi's Aida. Sergei Lemeshev attended the first performance of the opera diva. Then he was still studying at the conservatory. The future people's artist was amazed by the voice of Maria and her ability to stay on stage. He was attracted by the beauty of the singer, especially her thin figure and harmonious features.
Maria's repertoire was replenished with new parties every year. She played in the operas "Carmen" by Georges Bizet, "The Snow Maiden" and "May Night" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, "Lohengrin" by Richard Wagner. The popularity of the singer has increased exponentially.
Maria Maksakova, unlike those who took place, did not shy away from performing the parts of Soviet composers. For example, the singer participated in the production of Arseny Gladkovsky and Yevgeny Prussak "For Red Petrograd". She was the first to sing the role of Almast in the opera of the same name by Alexander Stipendiarov.
Stalin's favorite, a month after the death of the leader, was unexpectedly retired. For her, this was a shock, since Mary was only 51 years old. Maksakova was not taken aback. She performed romances and taught at GITIS.
Soon, Maria had her first favorite - Tamara Milashkina. She patronized her ward and played a significant role in Tamara's development as an opera singer.
Maria Maksakova made a significant contribution to the development of Russian opera. Thanks to loudspeakers, the interpretation of the singer of romances was remembered by many Soviet people as classical. Despite this, she received the title of "People's Artist" only in 1971.
Maria Maksakova's personal life
The first husband of the opera singer was the widowed Maksakov. Neither the big difference in age, nor the fact that Maksakov had dual citizenship prevented family happiness. One version says that Xenia Jordanskaya (Maksakov's wife) told him to marry Mary before her death.
Maria's official husband used the necessary connections to get his young wife accepted into the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. The personal and creative lives of the spouses were closely connected. The opera singer recalled that after each performance, the spouses got together and analyzed the mistakes that she made when performing parts.
In 1936 Maria Maksakova lost her husband. However, she was not in the status of a widow for long. Soon the woman married the diplomat Yakov Davtyan. Family life with Jacob was calm and quiet. The end of happiness was put by the arrest and execution of the diplomat.
Children of the artist
At 38, Maria Maksakova became a mother. She gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Lyudmila. They said that the woman gave birth to Alexander Volkov. The man also worked at the Bolshoi Theater. During the war years, he was forced to leave the USSR and move to America.
Patronymic "Vasilievna" Lyudmila Maksakova was given by a good friend of her famous mother, an employee of the state security agencies Vasily Novikov. In addition, there is another version of the birth of a daughter. They say that Maria gave birth to Joseph Stalin, who was a fan of the opera singer.
Lyudmila graduated from the Higher Theater School named after M. S. Shchepkin. At the time of 2020, a woman is listed in an educational institution in the status of a teacher. She realized herself as an actress. Among the most striking roles performed by Maksakova: Tanya Ogneva (in Isidor Annensky's drama "Tatiana's Day"), Rosalind Aizenstein (in the film adaptation of Johann Strauss' operetta "Die Fledermaus") and Miss Emily Brent ("Ten Little Indians").
The daughter did not inherit the chic voice of her talented mother. But she repeated her fate. The fact is that Lyudmila was married twice. In 1970, Lyudmila gave birth to a son from the artist Felix-Lev Zbarsky. Two years later, the husband emigrated from the Soviet Union.
5 years after the death of Maria Maksakova, her granddaughter was born, who was named after the opera diva. By the way, Maria Maksakova Jr. is a media personality. The woman is part of the Mariinsky Theater and is an ex-deputy of the State Duma of Russia. In 2016, the celebrity moved to the territory of Ukraine.
Interesting facts about Maria Maksakova
- On the monument to Mary, her maiden name is indicated.
- The plot for the film by Eldar Ryazanov "Station for Two" was some moments of Maksakova's personal life.
- The second husband of the opera singer led the reorganization of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute.
Death of Maria Maksakova
Maria Petrovna Maksakova passed away in August 1974. On the day of the funeral, a significant number of people gathered. To ensure that no one was hurt, mounted police patrolled.
The opera diva was buried at the Vvedensky cemetery of the capital of the Russian Federation. In her native city, a street, a square, and a philharmonic are named after Maria Maksakova. Since the late 1980s, a music festival named after Valeria Barsova and Maria Maksakova has been organized in Astrakhan.
