Rodion Shchedrin is a talented Soviet and Russian composer, musician, teacher, public figure. Despite his age, he continues to create and compose brilliant works even today. In 2021, the maestro visited Moscow and spoke to the students of the Moscow Conservatory.
Childhood and youth of Rodion Shchedrin
He was born in mid-December 1932. Rodion was lucky to be born in the capital of Russia. Shchedrin was surrounded by music from early childhood. The head of the family graduated from the seminary. In addition, he loved to play music and had absolute pitch.
The father did not work by profession. Soon he entered the Moscow Conservatory and was listed as one of the most gifted students of his stream. Rodion's mother also loved music, although she did not have a special education.
Rodion studied at a school at the Moscow Conservatory, but the war prevented him from graduating from an educational institution. After some time, he was enrolled in a choir school, where his father went to work. In an educational institution, he received excellent knowledge. By the end of the school, Rodion looked like a professional pianist.
Shchedrin's studies at the conservatory
Then he was expected to study at the Moscow Conservatory. The young man chose the composition and piano department for himself. He played the musical instrument so professionally that he thought of abandoning the composition department. Fortunately, his parents dissuaded him from this idea.
He was fond of not only the compositions of foreign and Russian composers, but also folk art. In one composition, he perfectly intertwined classics and folklore. In the 63rd year of the last century, the maestro presented his debut concert, called "Naughty ditties".
Soon he became a member of the Union of Composers. When he headed the organization, he sought to help budding composers. The maestro continued in the good sense of the word to promote the system of the former leader - Shostakovich.
The career of Rodion Shchedrin, unlike many other Soviet composers, developed simply remarkably. He quickly achieved popularity and recognition, both among fans and among colleagues.
Rodion Shchedrin: a creative path
Each composition of Shchedrin felt individuality, and it was in this that all the beauty of his works lay. Rodion never tried to please music critics, which allowed him to create unique and inimitable works. He says that in the last 15-20 years he has completely stopped reading reviews about his work.
He composes compositions based on Russian classics at its best. Although Rodion respects the work of foreign classics, he still believes that you need to “walk” along the beaten track.
According to Shchedrin, the opera will always live forever. Perhaps because of this, he produced 7 brilliant operas. The composer's debut opera was called Not Only Love. Vasily Katanyan helped Rodion to work on this musical composition.
The premiere of the opera took place at the Bolshoi Theatre. It was conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov. On the wave of popularity, the maestro composes a number of other equally famous works.
He also worked on vocal works. Six choirs from Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" deserve special attention, as well as a cappella compositions.
Throughout his career, Shchedrin did not tire of experimenting. He never boxed himself in. So, he was also noted as a film composer.
He composed music for several films by A. Zarkhi. In addition, he collaborated with directors Y. Raizman and S. Yutkevich. The maestro's works are featured in the cartoons "Cockerel-Golden Scallop" and "Gingerbread Man".
Details of the composer's personal life
Rodion Shchedrin calls the charming ballerina Maya Plisetskaya the main woman of his life. They lived in a strong family union for more than 55 years. The composer filled up his wife with expensive gifts. In addition, he dedicated music to women.
Maya and Rodin met at Lily Brik's house. Lily advised Rodion to take a closer look at Plisetskaya, who, in her opinion, in addition to ballroom dancing, had absolute pitch. But the first date took place only a few years later. Since that time, young people have not parted.
By the way, the man was not worried about the fact that against the background of Maya, he always remained in the background. Everyone spoke of him as the wife of a great ballerina. But the woman herself treated Rodion no less than a deity. It adored him with all the advantages and disadvantages.
Rodion dreamed of common children. Alas, they never appeared in this marriage. For the composer, the topic of the absence of children in marriage has always been “sick”, so he was reluctant to answer the “poignant” questions of journalists and acquaintances.
The Shchedrin family has always been well known. So, it was rumored that Maria Shell gave a chic apartment in Munich to Rodion. The composer himself always denied the fact of donating real estate, but never denied that they were really friends with the Shell families.
But, later Rodion did share some information. It turned out that Maria was secretly in love with him. Later, the woman confessed her love to the maestro, but the feelings were not mutual. The actress even tried to poison herself because of Shchedrin.
Rodion Shchedrin: our days
Specially for the anniversary of the composer in 2017, the film "Passion for Shchedrin" was released. In most Russian cities, a fest was held in honor of the Honored Composer of the Russian Federation. For his own anniversary, he released “Composition for the choir. A cappella".
He does not enter into new contracts. Rodion admits that every year he has less and less strength and today it's time to enjoy the fruits of what he has gained during his creative activity. But, this does not exclude the fact of writing new compositions. In 2019, he presented his fans with a new work. We are talking about the "Mass of Remembrance" (for mixed choir).
In 2019, the Mariinsky Theater continued its collaboration with the composer with a production of his opera Lolita. In 2020, another opera was staged at the theater. It's about Dead Souls. Today he spends most of his time in Germany.
In 2021, he returned to the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated more than five decades ago. Shchedrin presented his new choral collection “Rodion Shchedrin. The twenty-first century ... ”, published by the Chelyabinsk publishing house MPI.
The creative meeting of the maestro, who visited Russia for the first time during the pandemic, took place in the Rachmaninov Hall, crowded with students and teachers.
