An old lampshade highlights a pale spot on the oval table, where evidence of time is laid out - photographs: yellowish, with uneven edges - this is a grandmother, black and white - mother's screen tests, and modern, artistic ones, in which a young girl fits harmoniously into an elegant corset of the beginning of the century. Masha Maksakova - daughter famous actress Lyudmila Maksakova and the granddaughter of the legendary opera singer Maria Petrovna Maksakova became the successor of the famous family, choosing opera as her destiny.

Get into the Guinness Book of Records

Now there are many creative dynasties: the Mikhalkovs, the Konchalovskys, the Surikovs: If I have a child, and he also decides to engage in art - this will be the fourth generation of direct heirs of the Maksakov family - then we may get into the Guinness Book of Records. Perhaps, for the sake of such a temptation, it would be worth even spitting on his personal development and forcing him to sit at the piano - even a hare can be taught to play the instrument. It’s more difficult with a voice: either you have it or you don’t: I was lucky in this regard, thanks to my grandmother:

Divine voice of Marusya

The founder of the creative dynasty, Maria Petrovna Maksakova, was born in 1902 in prosperous family employee of the Volga Shipping Company Sidorov. But it so happened that the family lost its breadwinner early and eight-year-old Masha, the eldest of the children, had to earn money. She went to sing in a church choir, for which she received as much as a ruble a month. By the age of seventeen, Maria had mastered her voice so much that she was enrolled in the troupe of the Astrakhan Opera Theater, where she was entrusted with performing the second main roles. At this time, the famous baritone and opera entrepreneur Maximilian Karlovich Maksakov came on tour to the Astrakhan Opera. He himself was from Austria, and since he was not distinguished by his heroic stature, which was unforgivable for a baritone at that time, he could not make a decent career in the theater. That's why he created the enterprise. Maximilian Karlovich noticed a thin, vocal girl, but immediately categorically stated: “Your voice is wonderful, but you don’t know how to sing.” Marusya got angry and went to audition for the Petrograd Conservatory: where she received exactly the same resume. Distressed, the girl returned to Maksakov.

I don’t know if tragedy can be called luck? But it was precisely the fact that at that very time Mark Karlovich became a widower that played decisive role in the fate of my grandmother. According to legend, his wife said before her death: “Marusya good girl, marry her." So he did, promising to make his grandmother a real singer. Then he was fifty years old, and she was only eighteen.

And indeed, three years later, Maria Maksakova made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater with the role of Amneris in the opera “Aida”, and so successfully that for many years she became the leading voice of this stage. True, once having quarreled with the management, Maria performed for two seasons at the Mariinsky Theater: but this did not harm her popularity at all. God is fair, and if he gives career success, he takes away personal well-being. At the end of 16 years happy marriage Maria Petrovna's husband, teacher and friend dies, a year later, having endured mourning, she marries the Soviet diplomat Ya. funnels". Maria Petrovna never saw her husband again.

For two years, my grandmother sat on her suitcases and flinched at every rustle outside the door. From an energetic laugher with a cheeky character, she turned into a gloomy, silent, frightened woman. And then, as a consolation, my mother was born in 1940. Who her father was remained a mystery until her grandmother’s death. The patronymic was written down as Vasilievna: The grandmother was terribly scared, because in fact the father of her child was a baritone Bolshoi Theater Alexander Volkov, who emigrated to America two years after the birth of his daughter - the Soviet government would not have forgiven his grandmother for this.

Little Lyudmila Maksakova did not really understand that her mother was the prima of the Bolshoi Theater, she only once saw how the audience applauded her famous parent - it was a farewell concert, the famous singer was sent to retire in the prime of her creative powers, when she was not even fifty years old. But every cloud has a silver lining - it was this fact that brought the singer nationwide popularity.

Left out of work, the grandmother began to sing folk songs and travel with them around the country. Earning money, she increased her popularity. Her voice sounded from every radio dish - today's pop stars have never dreamed of such fame!

Fatherlessness

Lyudmila Maksakova’s career was exactly the opposite - her creative upsurge came in the second half of her life. After school, on the instructions of Maria Petrovna, Lyudmila went to enroll as a translator at the Morris Thorez Institute, and on the way she went to the Shchukin School and immediately entered there. Quite early, having married the talented graphic artist Andrei Zbarsky, the son of the famous doctor who embalmed Lenin’s body, Lyudmila Vasilievna gave birth to a son. But very soon the husband immigrates to America: and for some reason they stop inviting Lyudmila to the movies.

- There is such a thing as “children work off the karma of their parents” - my husband’s immigration to America interfered with the careers of both my grandmother and mother, I really hope that this fate will pass me by.

And again the dreamer-fate-maker mixes up the cards by sending Lyudmila Vasilievna a foreigner as her second husband.

My father is from a very good Polish family; during the war, his parents, fleeing Poland, burned everything, including the family coat of arms. In the end, they settled in Germany - if they had known that this would happen, they would have kept the family heirlooms. Grandparents were perfect couple: he was engaged in parapsychology, she was establishing cultural relations with Russia, she was very friendly with Furtseva. My father is a physicist and came to Russia as a representative of Siemens. One day, at a mutual friend’s birthday party, he met my mother, in the evening he went to accompany her home and immediately, at the doorstep, proposed to her. Mom was in shock; she could not immediately decide to marry a foreigner. But the father showed enviable persistence, and he treated his mother’s son Maxim with great love.

A year later, this romantic story ended in marriage. True, this couple could not avoid problems - the Soviet country was still fenced off from the world with an “iron curtain”, and it was not happy that this “curtain” was being pulled apart in the marital bedroom. Igenbergs Peter Andreas was denied a visa to the Soviet Union.

At this time, my grandmother was already lying sick, Max was little - all this “fell on my mother’s head.” Desperate, she called Gromyko’s reception and said: “If you don’t give a visa to my husband right now, then I will write a note that my People’s mother, twice awarded the Order of Lenin, is lying and dying, and my young son is crying, and I myself will go up to the ninth floor of my house and throw myself out of the window." For some reason, this desperate statement embarrassed Gromyko, and literally the next day his father was given a visa. The problems didn’t end there - first they didn’t let my mother leave the country, then Max, and when they finally collected all the visas, my parents were arrested at the airport - Max was wearing a fashionable T-shirt, printed like a newspaper, for some reason the customs decided that in this way they want to take away secret information about the country. They left Mike at the airport and then joked all the way - my mother was already pregnant with me - that if a boy was born, he would be called Avir, and if a girl, Visa. Thank God that I was named Masha in honor of my grandmother, otherwise it would not be known how my fate would have turned out...

Visa Petrovna Maksakova

Masha never felt that she was the daughter of a famous actress. Until she was six years old, she lived in the country with numerous nannies and a French governess. Her dad visited her all the time, and her mother came on holidays with a noisy round dance of guests. But the holidays were a great success: with songs, games, lotteries, and gifts. The girl never felt abandoned. When Mashenka arrived in Moscow, she entered a school where the children of world-famous musicians and singers studied, so there was no feeling of her own exclusivity. The initiator for my daughter to study music was her dad. Mom, to atone for the fact that she did not fulfill her mother’s order and did not enter the Morris Thorez Institute, set her daughter up for this particular education.

My mother did not take the fact that I sat at the piano for six hours a day seriously; she believed that an accompanist was not a profession; a translator was another matter! So as not to upset her, I entered her coveted institute: But a year later I also entered the Gnessin School. Dad always told me that the only way To achieve something in life is to study well. And I learned: well and easily. I currently own four foreign languages, I am graduating from the Law Academy. Why do I need this? I understand that the voice is a fragile instrument and I remember, using the example of my grandmother and mother, that an artist’s career depends not only on his talent, but also on many circumstances - in any case, I can always provide for myself.

Masha Maksakova is the complete mother of her grandmother Maria Petrovna, apparently that’s why she inherited her love for opera art, not to drama theater. Yes, and cinema never attracted her - her mother did not pull her daughter into film set, as many compassionate parent-actors do. Only once did Svetlana Druzhinina invite the Maksakovs’ mother and daughter to try out for the role of Catherine the Great - young and adult. They did tests in secret from her father, and then decided that nothing good would come of it - Masha was already “sick” about opera. Perhaps years will pass, and Maria Maksakova, the granddaughter of Maria Maksakova, will appear on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater again. Well, as for personal life- Masha is not yet married, apparently the foreign husband prescribed to her by karma has not yet reached the harsh country under mysterious name Russia...

Violinist, opera and symphony conductor.

Graduated from 1st music school violin class by V. Ya. Shpet, Omsk School of Music(1940, violin class of V. Mikhailov).
From 1940 to 1941 played in the symphony orchestra of the Omsk Philharmonic. Since 1942 - in the army, he served in Omsk as the leader and conductor of a jazz orchestra. Since 1944 - head of the musical department of the Youth Theater, played in the small symphony orchestra of the regional radio committee. In 1945, he was invited as a conductor of the musical comedy theater in Molotov (now Perm), at the same time conducting symphony orchestra Philharmonic. Having performed in 1947 at the All-Russian Show of Creative Theater Youth, he was sent by the USSR Committee for Arts as a conductor to the musical theaters of Daugavpils, Chelyabinsk (1948), Orenburg (1948–1949), Irkutsk (1949). On February 25, 1950, he was appointed conductor of the Omsk Theater of Musical Comedy. He staged the operettas “Someone else’s Daughter” by O. Feltsman, “The Sea Knot” by E. Zharkovsky, “Shelmenko the Batman” by A. Ryabov, “Trembita” by Yu. Milyutin and others.
In May 1953, at the competition musical theaters in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater took 2nd place. As a promising conductor, he was sent to the Ashgabat Opera House, and in 1954 - as the second conductor to the Sverdlovsk Opera and Ballet Theater. He worked there for about 7 years, conducting many operas by Russian and foreign composers.
He graduated from the Sverdlovsk Conservatory, where he taught a symphony conducting class.
Since 1961 - conductor of Kuibyshevsky opera house. He staged the operas “Troubadour”, “The Demon” (1962), “Mazeppa” and “Iolanta” (1963–1965), “The Tsar’s Bride” (1969), and a number of ballets. Collaborated with the Kuibyshev Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, performed with concert programs and soloists. In 1974, by invitation, he returned to Omsk and was appointed chief conductor of the musical comedy theater. In 1977, after a conflict with the directorate about the ways of developing the theater, he moved to the Omsk Drama Theater as head of the musical department.
Died in a car accident. He was buried at the Eastern Russian Cemetery in Omsk.

Olga Sobolevskaya, RIA Novosti columnist

When Andrei Voznesensky wrote the poem “Pharaoh’s Daughter” dedicated to Lyudmila Maksakova, the public became convinced that her father, whose name was kept secret in the family, was none other than Joseph Stalin. The Generalissimo really appreciated the work of Lyudmila's mother, Maria Maksakova, a singer of the Bolshoi Theater. However, the relationship between Stalin and the famous “Vakhtangovka” is nothing more than a myth. The father of Lyudmila Maksakova, who celebrates her 70th birthday on September 26, is baritone Alexander Volkov, who emigrated to the United States and therefore found himself outside the brackets of family history.

These works by Maksakova, along with her role in the film operetta " Bat"1979, directed by Jan Fried, are perhaps the most famous. She could play a lot in films bright roles. However, having married a German from the former Federal Republic of Germany, physicist Peter Igenberg, found herself “restricted to travel” and lost many film offers. Things reached the point of absurdity: the theater named after. Vakhtangov, where Maksakova worked since graduation Theater School them. Shchukin, went on tour to Greece... without her, the leading actress! Fortunately, justice was restored by the then Minister of Culture Demichev: he included Maksakova on the tour list.

Maksakova can be called the wonderful face of the Vakhtangov Theater. She is internally close to that festive grotesque mood, that theatrical extravaganza and life-giving improvisational principle that initially determined the life of the famous troupe. The founder of the theater, Yevgeny Vakhtangov, called performing arts a “holiday.” His followers, Ruben Simonov and his son Evgeniy, and then Mikhail Ulyanov, followed the same course. Business card For a long time, the team had “Princess Turandot”, which invariably opened every theater season. Staged in 1922 by Vakhtangov himself, the play was revived in 1963 by Ruben Simonov. How Maksakova - Adelma, as well as Yulia Borisova - Turandot, Vasily Lanovoy - Prince Calaf, Mikhail Ulyanov, Yuri Yakovlev and Nikolai Gritsenko (a triumvirate that embodied the traditional masks of commedia del arte) played in it can be judged today by the 1971 television version. In this ironic, carnival-like performance, the main plot was accompanied by improvisations by the actors, hilarious jokes and pranks that commented on modernity. In such a lively, spontaneous setting, reminiscent of a talented skit, the classics began to play especially brightly and freshly.

Lyudmila Maksakova has always been successful in character roles. Such was her charmingly contradictory Nadezhda Feodorovna in the film based on Chekhov’s “Duel” - “Bad good man". This psychological film about the confrontation between the fanatical and principled von Koren and the initially cowardly Laevsky revealed new facets of the talent of Vladimir Vysotsky, Oleg Dahl, Anatoly Papanov. In the finale of the film, Nadezhda Fedorovna is no longer an idle fatal beauty, but a mature woman with principles. Not only an actor. gift, but also deep intelligence allowed Maksakova to make this metamorphosis psychologically convincing.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of her career, Lyudmila Maksakova was unsure of herself professionally. The aspiring actress was supported by Evgeny and Ruben Simonov. In 1961, she played Laura in Pushkin's Little Tragedies. And the next year she was the gypsy Masha in “The Living Corpse” by Leo Tolstoy. In the 1960-1970s, Maksakova already played on stage Olga Knipper-Chekhova, Nicole (Molière's "The Bourgeois in the Nobility"), Maria in Babel's "Cavalry", Mamaeva ("Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man" by Ostrovsky), Lady Anna in "Richard III" by Shakespeare, George Sand, the Duchess of Marlborough, Anna Karenina by Roman Viktyuk in 1983.

Her heroines are strong-willed and changeable, mysterious and integral, proud and loving. With a devilish look and imperious charm.

Chapter 2. ROSA KAGANOVICH.
After the death of Nadezhda Sergeevna, there was talk about Stalin's future wife. Naturally, assumptions and versions were born, and rumors spread throughout Moscow. In the understanding of the people, the leader could not live without a wife; he must have a companion, and everyone was sure that in a year the bride’s candidacy would be announced. There were many versions, one more beautiful than the other, but Rosa Kaganovich was considered the most real contender among the Moscow elite and emigrants abroad.
The myth about Stalin’s third wife arose back in 1932. Ostensibly wanting to distract Stalin from his worries, members of the Politburo decided to introduce him closer to Rosa Kaganovich. “She was very beautiful, and Lazar hoped that the presence of an interesting woman next to the leader would relieve Stalin’s attacks of persecution mania, which, like Ivan the Terrible, began immediately after the death of his wife,” notes researcher Kraskova in her book “Kremlin Mistresses.” " Then they said that he would marry Rose. About the same episode, D. Volkogonov wrote: “People from his circle soon (after the death of N.S. Alliluyeva) tried to arrange another marriage for Stalin - with one of the relatives of a person close to the leader. Everything seemed to be decided. But, for reasons known only to the widower, the marriage did not take place.”
The first person to document Rosa Kaganovich was Alexander Barmin, a Soviet diplomat who asked for political asylum in France in 1937, then moved to America, where he wrote several books about the Soviet Union in the late 1930s and after the war. He reported that: “soon after Nadezhda’s death we learned that Stalin had married Kaganovich’s sister. Until now, however, not a word has been said about this in the Soviet press.” Among other things, he noted that after Alliluyeva’s death, everyone said that Stalin became interested in Rosa while Nadezhda was still alive, and that, unable to bear the grief of her husband’s betrayal, she committed suicide, and that Lazar Kaganovich’s sister, a certain Rosa Kaganovich, was the culprit.
The Gestapo became interested in Rosa Kaganovich. When Yakov Dzhugashvili was captured during the war, the Germans during interrogations persistently tried to find out from him everything about Stalin’s third wife. Yakov denied the existence of any third wife, but the Germans insisted on her existence and called her Kaganovich. “The Gestapo and counterintelligence were looking for the people they needed in the occupied territories. German lists have been preserved with the names of people for whose arrest in the territory of Eastern Europe reward was given. Biographical information was given there, and the department that was interested in this person was named. And among them there is “Kaganovich-Stalin Roisa, Stalin’s wife, Moscow, Kremlin.” According to the memoirs of front-line soldiers, in the first half of 1941, the German authorities distributed leaflets in which it was written that the Soviet Supreme Commander-in-Chief was an agent of international Zionism, and that Stalin was influenced not only by Lazar Kaganovich, but also by Rosa Kaganovich. The command offered to catch Rosa for a reward and deliver her to the Gestapo.
After the war, all the authors who wrote about Rosa Kaganovich referred to the book by Nikolai Bakhesis “Stalin”, published in 1952. The author was an economist and journalist, born in Moscow and received German citizenship, lived constantly in Moscow, moved in circles close to The Kremlin. It was he who wrote about the rumor according to which the Politburo at a secret meeting chose Stalin’s wife. The authors who referred to him were no longer talking about a rumor, but about a fact, and that it was as if Bahesis was personally acquainted with Rosa. “The first mentions of Rosa speak of a beautiful Jewish woman who is much older than Stalin. In later works, Rose becomes younger and younger. And already in one of the later references she turns into a 16-year-old schoolgirl.”
About Rosa Kaganovich he wrote a book “The Kremlin Wolves”, published in the USA in 1990, S. Kagan. He illuminated this episode, as befits a writer, brightly, sparing no colors: “After the voluntary departure from life of the beloved and only wife of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Nadezhda Sergeevna Alliluyeva, Secretary General The Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks had a common-law wife, Roza Moiseevna Kaganovich, Native sister Lazar Moiseevich. With huge black eyes, tar-colored hair with a purple tint and a beautiful chiseled nose, this woman was exceptionally attractive. Of medium height, with strong legs, wide hips and a thin waist, she professed life principle“everything is good that is good for the Jews.” She was 37 years old, and they met with her brother Lazar in house No. 2 on Dzerzhinsky Square, where her brother worked at that time.
Lazarus began the conversation:
- He now needs a person like you... He needs a doctor whom he can trust. He knows you, so he will trust you and trust your treatment.
Second: he needs a more stable family life. His daughter Svetlana is six years old. We must, we must arrange a family for him.
Finally, you should become a kind of anchor, a woman who will not disturb him, will not argue with him, a woman whom he will eventually begin to call upon and come to her himself, as if into a safe haven...
Rose listened to her brother’s words soulfully and unconditionally took them into action. Having entered Stalin's family, she, first of all, remodeled Stalin's dacha. She pasted up some dull wallpaper, brought in new furniture and began organizing entertainment twice a week, organizing receptions, inviting her friends to them, and, above all, her close friend, doctor Nadezhda Bulganina...
Lavrentiy Beria’s son, Sergo, in his book of memoirs about his father “My Father Lavrentiy Beria” wrote: “Kaganovich’s sister or niece Rosa... was not the wife of Joseph Vissarionovich, but she had a child from Stalin. She herself was very beautiful and very smart woman and, as far as I know, Stalin liked it. Their closeness was the direct cause of the suicide of Nadezhda Alliluyeva, the wife of Joseph Vissarionovich. I knew the child who grew up in the Kaganovich family well. The boy's name was Yura. The boy looked very much like a Georgian. His mother left somewhere, and he stayed to live with the Kaganovich family.”
L. Vasilyeva in her book “Kremlin Wives” claimed that Yuri died in 1951, and S. Krasikov claimed that he saw Yuri on March 9, 1953, on the day of Stalin’s funeral. The leader’s son, Yuri, was also mentioned by the writer V.A. Soloukhin.
There is a legend about the relationship between Stalin and Shamil Basayev: “The leader’s son Yuri was kicked out of his house by Lazar Moiseevich back in the early 1950s for stealing rabbits from his dacha in Serebryany Bor. Even then, Yuri began to become an alcoholic and stole everything he could get his hands on from the house. He enlisted in the gold mines in Yakutia. Then in the 1960s he moved to Chechnya. There he met a Chechen woman, a teacher kindergarten, with whom they had a child. Yuri Kaganovich himself - Stalin died in 1976, but his son (the grandson of “Stalin”) later became a prominent Chechen separatist.”

All these versions wandered and were heard when there was no Internet, and in order to get information about the Kaganovich family, you had to go to Lenin’s library and search and search. Not everyone had the patience and time, so they believed and were sure that there was a third wife, Rosa Kaganovich. Now everything is simple, you type in the search engine - Roza Kaganovich - and you get an answer. “There were four brothers and one sister in the Kaganovich family. Lazar Kaganovich's sister's name was Rachel, and she was 17 years older than him. Rachel married early, gave birth to six children and died in 1926 in Chernigov. As far as we know, she never came to Moscow.” In addition, “Kaganovich had a niece, who was also named Rachel (she was the daughter of Yuliy Moiseevich Kaganovich, Lazar’s brother). Kaganovich's niece was born in 1918, lived in Nizhny Novgorod, got married and changed her last name to Karpova, and died in 1994.”

When Lazar Moiseevich Kaganovich's sister, Rachel (1926), died, he had just begun his ascent to power. Nadezhda died in 1932, so there was no way Rachel could become Stalin’s third wife. Niece Rakhil Yulievna was only 14 years old in 1932, and the Politburo could hardly recommend her as a wife to the leader. Moreover, the leader could not have had any close ties with 13-year-old Rose before Nadezhda’s death. The name Rosa became popular thanks to Rosa Luxemburg and is one of the transformations of the Hebrew name Rachel, like Michael from Moishe, Boris from Borukh. Another popular transformation of the name Rachel is Raisa.
After the war, another version appeared that Stalin married Kaganovich’s daughter, Maya Lazarevna, (born in 1923) and that in 1953 she walked behind his coffin, holding the hand of a girl who looked so much like the dictator. Maya responded to this tale: “Firstly, I didn’t follow his coffin, and secondly, look at my Yulia - does she look like Stalin? And thirdly, this is such nonsense! When this rumor started, I was a pioneer. We in the family were terribly afraid that it would not reach Stalin.”
Chapter 3. CONCUBINES FROM THE BOLSH THEATER.
After 1932, the widower Stalin was in no hurry to get a wife, there was no official woman next to him, he lived as a bourgeois. But the people could not imagine their almighty leader living without women. According to the ideas of the population brought up on fairy tales, he should have a harem like any eastern ruler. And rumor gave rise to a legend that the artists of the Bolshoi Theater, where he often came to performances, became his concubines. And oddly enough, this version did not raise any doubts even among the intelligent public; moreover, it was overgrown with piquant details. What was this version based on?
1. The leader could not live without a woman.
2. He, as the Lord, could have countless numbers of them. All he had to do was beckon with his finger.
3. He was an opera and ballet music lover and often visited the Bolshoi Theater
4. He invited artists to the Kremlin or to the dacha.
When receiving foreign delegations in the Kremlin or at the dacha, Stalin liked to complete business meeting concert. According to the memoirs of the head of the security, Vlasik: “in October 1943, Stalin hosted the British and American delegations. At about one o'clock in the morning, on the instructions of Joseph Vissarionovich, he brought the artists. Many were lifted out of bed. These were Davydova, Shpiller, Lemeshev, Barsova, Zlatogorova, Raikin and others. After the guests left, Stalin approached the artists and said sternly: “Comrade Davydova, you made foreigners smile with your ultra-fashionable clothes (it was wearing some kind of belt with a bouquet below navel). Shpiller is also an interesting woman, but she is dressed as a Soviet woman should be.”
Among the ballerinas to whom Stalin was partial and whom he showered with awards, the public singled out Marina Semenova and Olga Lepeshinskaya; among the singers they talked about Valeria Barsova and Natalia Shpiller. Maria Maksakova. But above all, rumor connected him with Vera Davydova. She was nicknamed "Tsar Baba" for her amazing mezzo-soprano voice and rare beauty.
The version of Stalin’s secret relationship with Vera Davydova was literary processed by Leonard Gendlin. His book “Confession of Stalin’s Mistress” was first published in London in 1983. It appeared in Russian in 1994 in St. Petersburg under the title “Behind the Kremlin Wall.” And then, under the title “Confession of Stalin’s Mistress,” it was published in 1996 in Minsk and republished in Moscow in 1997. The book was written as if on behalf of the singer Vera Davydova, who, as it is written in the annotation to the book, in the 1930s-x-1940s In the 1960s, she “was intimate with the great leader.”
The singer shares with the reader intimate, secret things, her experiences and fears, talks about her romance novels, adventures and hopeless situations in which she found herself, being between communist leaders fighting for her body. In the preface to the book, the author writes on behalf of Davydova: “I am an actress! And, perhaps, I was the only one in the whole wide world that the incredulous Stalin believed to the end... For many years I led a double life, which I had to divide between the theater - rehearsals, performances, concerts - and its passionate, sometimes hysterically stormy caresses. I’m talking about this because I want humanity to recognize another Stalin, naked, after my death.”
The author spoke about Davydova’s first visit to Stalin with details that no woman would mention even in confession to a priest. According to the story, Vera Alexandrovna found a note in her fur coat pocket after the performance: “A car will be waiting for you near the Manege. The driver will take you to your place. Save the note." The singer proceeded to the appointed place, understanding what would happen. She was married, loved her husband, but was forced to obey the instructions. She was taken to Stalin's dacha. “After strong hot coffee and delicious grog, I felt completely good. The fear and confusion disappeared. I followed him. It turned out that I.V. taller than me. We entered a room where there was a large low couch. Stalin asked permission to take off his jacket. He threw an oriental robe over his shoulders, sat down next to him, and asked: “Can I turn off the light? It's easier to talk in the dark." Without waiting for an answer, he turned off the light. I.V. He hugged me and skillfully unbuttoned my blouse. My heart began to flutter. "Comrade Stalin! Joseph Vissarionovich, dear, don’t, I’m afraid! Let me go home!..” He did not pay any attention to my pathetic babble, only in the darkness his animal eyes lit up with a bright flame. I tried to break free again, but it was all in vain.” Stalin was then 54, Davydova - 28. Their relationship lasted 19 years. A three-room apartment, titles and awards were awarded as if by magic. But the wand really is magic.”
"Confession" instantly became a worldwide bestseller. The book is presented by the author as a fictional novel, the authenticity of the events presented in which is not required. Book characters can have names historical figures, but their actions in the novel do not necessarily correspond to reality. This is a work of fiction, and historians cannot make any claims against the author.
Lina Tarkhova in her book “Hostages of the Kremlin” cited the opinion of Stalin’s grandson, Alexander Burdonsky, regarding the “Confession”: “I can’t say anything about this. I saw Davydova in a TV documentary. She has the type, I know this from the Alliluyevs, that Stalin liked: a strict, smooth hairstyle, black skirts, light blouses.” G. Krasnaya, in the collection “Secrets of the Kremlin Wives,” perceived the book “Confession” as a fantasy: “I think that all this is from the sphere of assumptions and fantasies,”
The writer and lawyer A. Vaksberg noted: “Stalin himself, as is known, was not an ascetic, but he never advertised it and was distinguished by undoubted moderation, which gave him the moral right to demand the same from others.” According to Larisa Vasilyeva, Vera Davydova was never Stalin’s mistress. The leader actually proposed to her, but she refused, citing her marriage to Mchedlidze.

Vera Davydova herself categorically denied her closeness to the leader. And she learned about the very existence of the book by accident. This episode was described in detail by her granddaughter Olga: “When my grandmother learned the contents in detail, she felt bad. It turned out that Gendlin’s essay, which he presented as Davydova’s memoirs allegedly dictated to him, was published in Europe in the 70s, almost instantly became a bestseller all over the world, and was translated into several languages. Moreover, in Hollywood they were going to make a film based on this book. First of all, my grandmother demanded that the book be translated into Russian for her. First, we read the text and decided not to show it to grandma. But she wasn’t the kind of person who wouldn’t get her way. As a result, she suffered a seizure. And I think her passing was a consequence of this book. She wasn’t sick with anything.”

The granddaughter of Vera Davydova clarified: “my grandmother herself said that she met Stalin more than once. But each time this happened during government receptions, to which she was invited as the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. Grandmother was already married to Mchelidze, and therefore knew a little Georgian and could answer Stalin in his native language, which, of course, he really liked. Stalin often came to her performances at the Bolshoi Theater. But, as far as I know, a personal meeting between the grandmother and the leader took place only once. Davydova was taken to Stalin’s Near Dacha right after the performance. At home, of course, no one slept that night. They were waiting to see what grandma would return home with - and whether she would return at all. She arrived in the morning and told the following. She was brought to the dacha and immediately taken to Stalin’s office. He stood with his face turned to the window. Without a jacket, just a shirt. When my grandmother crossed the threshold, Stalin turned to her with the words: “I am already many years old. And you are the only person with whom I would like to spend my last years. Do you mind?” To which the grandmother replied that she was married and for Stalin’s sake she was ready to do anything, even throw herself under a tank, but not what he asked her to do. After this, Stalin asked how he could help Davydova. And she replied that she was asking for the title of People’s Artist to be awarded to her teacher. Stalin went to the table and wrote down his grandmother’s words on the calendar. And he gave the order to take her home. That’s where it all ended, she said.” People did not stop talking about Stalin's mistresses, even some stubbornly insisted that Vera Davydova's son, Ramaz, was Stalin's son.

Vera Davydova achieved all titles and awards with her extraordinary voice, her musical abilities and daily, long hours of work
In 1920, during the Japanese occupation Far East, the entire Davydov family had to flee to Blagoveshchensk. Vera continued her studies here; she already sang well, played the piano and was familiar with music theory. The singer Akhmatov came to Blagoveshchensk and organized an amateur group, where Vera began singing opera parts for the first time. She was noticed by professional professionals who came on tour opera singers, who recommended that she continue her singing studies. In 1924 she entered the Leningrad Conservatory. During the entrance exams, Professor A.K. Glazunov was amazed by the beauty and power of the applicant’s voice and spoke approvingly of her performance. From the first year of the conservatory, Vera Alexandrovna was immediately transferred to the third and began to take part in the work of the opera studio at the conservatory. Here she met a talented student, bass from Georgia, Dmitry Semenovich Mchedlidze, whom she married. Together they graduated from the conservatory. After performing the role of Carmen in the studio in 1929, she was invited to the Mariinsky Theater. Vera's debut was the role of the page Urban in the opera "The Huguenots", and soon after that she performed the roles of Amneris in "Aida" and Martha in "Khovanshchina". Three years of work at the Mariinsky Theater were marked by many creative successes for the singer. They started talking about her as a new young talent. In 1932, V. A. Davydova was invited to the Bolshoi Theater, she made her debut in the opera “Aida”. Her husband was invited to the Bolshoi Theater in 1933. Over the years of work at the Bolshoi Theater, Vera Alexandrovna sang more than twenty roles. Her voice was called divine, velvety, unique. Its owner graced the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for many years, and her name stood on posters among a stellar scattering of names, titans of the Russian vocal school: Sobinov and Nezhdanova, Derzhinskaya and Obukhova, Lemeshev and Kozlovsky, Khanaev and Ozerov, Barsova and Stepanova, Reisen and Mikhailov, brothers Pirogov and Shpiller. She repeatedly great success performed abroad: in Finland (1937), in Norway, Denmark and Sweden (1946), in Hungary (1948), in Iran. Everywhere Vera Alexandrovna Davydova was received enthusiastically. During performances in Norway in 1946, composer Klaus Egge wrote: “Davydova’s singing is a magnificent musical evening. Form, sound, outline and interpretation - the singer combined all this in such perfect unity that each song received its own completeness. There is a great sense of culture and style throughout.”

Her stage colleagues, who were also included as Stalin’s mistresses, became People’s Artists of the USSR, but Davydova did not receive this highest title; she was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the RSFSR. Perhaps, for refusing to become Stalin’s companion, Davydova was removed from the lists for the title of People’s Artist of the USSR. This is how the offended leader of the peoples punished her.

She lived with her husband, Dmitry Mchedlidze, for a long time and happy life, 54 years old. Relatives and acquaintances always admired this loving, helping couple. In 1952, Dmitry was invited to the Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater, where he became both a director, a soloist, and a director. Vera Alexandrovna followed him and performed with her husband on the stage of the Georgian Theater. Dmitry Mchedlidze died in 1983, Vera Davydova survived her husband by ten years.

According to rumors, in Stalin’s “harem”, in addition to Davydova, there were people’s artists of the USSR: singers V.V. Barsova, Maria Maksakova, N.D. Shpiller, ballerinas O.V. Lepeshinskaya. And Maria Maksakova’s daughter, Lyudmila, was called Stalin’s daughter.

Maria Maksakova at the age of 17 was enrolled in the troupe of the Astrakhan Opera Theater. In 1920, the famous baritone, entrepreneur, Austrian Maximilian Karlovich Schwartz came there on tour, taking the pseudonym Maksakov. Maria was 18 and he was 50 when they got married. Three years later, Maria Maksakova made her debut on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in the opera “Aida”. The success was enormous. S. Lemeshev, who heard the debutante, recalled that he was amazed by the purity of her voice, which flowed freely and easily. For the next 14 years she was the leading voice of this scene. In 1936, her husband died. While on tour in Warsaw, Maria Petrovna met the Soviet Ambassador Yakov Davtyan (Davydov). But their life together was short. Six months later he was shot. The singer’s daughter, Lyudmila, later said: “My mother’s husband (he was the ambassador to Poland) was taken at night and taken away. She never saw him again. And so it was for many. After her husband was imprisoned and shot, she lived under the sword of Damocles, because it was Stalin’s court theater. How could a singer with such a biography be in it? They wanted to send her and the ballerina Marina Semenova into exile. But then the war began, my mother left for Astrakhan, and the matter seemed to be forgotten.” In 1940 Lyudmila was born. Her father was Bolshoi Theater baritone Alexander Volkov, who emigrated to America two years later. Taking care of her daughter’s future life, she entered her middle name – Vasilievna – into her metric. When World War II began, Maksakova left for Astrakhan, and then moved to Kuibyshev, where the theater actors were evacuated. In 1953, the theater sent Maria Petrovna into retirement. “Mom worked like crazy all her life. First in the theater, later she was involved in active concert activities. She traveled all over Russia with performances,” recalled Lyudmila. When Vera Davydova tried to defend her name and prove that she did not have a close relationship with Stalin, Maria Maksakova tried to help her with this.

There is no information about the secretary general’s romance with the opera queen Valeria Vladimirovna Barsova (Vladimirova). But still, she is also ranked among the host of “concubines.” The justification is elementary - in 1947 she left for Sochi, where she began to build a dacha on the shores of the Black Sea, which was called “Valeria”. Naturally, according to “informed” people, such a dacha could only be built by order and support of the Supreme Commander. 40 years after the singer’s death, it was discovered that she had a lot of jewelry. So, in one of the thrift stores in Sochi they offered her ring with a sapphire surrounded by diamonds. And again, only Comrade Stalin could give such expensive gifts. Not too much, but great singer, people's artist The USSR, “possessing a light, mobile, beautiful voice - soprano, and filigree vocal technique,” ​​was thrown into the mud. She performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater until 1948, and in 1952 she became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory.

Got it from evil tongues and ballerina Olga Lepeshinskaya. She was also included in the harem, and, according to their stories, she delighted the leader not only with her dancing in his boudoir, but also in bed. Judging by her success on stage, these great Pinkertons came to the conclusion that Stalin was crazy about her. But all those who came up with such “brilliant” ideas would do well to at least read her biography. And even this compressed data would make them doubt her performance as a geisha.

Olga was so extraordinary and expressive in dance that she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater immediately after graduating from college in 1933 at the age of 17. Three years later, she danced Princess Auror at the premiere of a new production of The Sleeping Beauty. Her performance was met with a standing ovation. It was a triumph. Lepeshinskaya became prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater. She got married. Her first husband was film director and screenwriter of Lenfilm Ilya Zakharovich Trauberg. She divorced him in 1941, shortly before the start of the war. Possessing sparkling technique, filigree precision of movements, and lively temperament, she successfully danced the roles of Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake. Lepeshinskaya received her first order at the age of 21. Together with Galina Ulanova, she became the first ballerina to be awarded the high title people's artist THE USSR.

In October 1941, the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe was evacuated to Kuibyshev. A front-line concert brigade was formed, which included Active participation hosted by Olga Vasilievna. The brigade gave concerts in hospitals, at the front, in liberated and destroyed cities. On December 5, 1943, the premiere of the ballet “ Scarlet Sails"Based on the story by Alexander Green. The role of Assol was masterfully performed by Lepeshinskaya.
Olga Lepeshinskaya was a four-time winner of Stalin Prizes, among her awards are the Order of Lenin, October revolution, Red Banner of Labor, “For Services to the Fatherland”, III degree.
Answering questions from the Estonian publication Postimees at one time about why ballet was so popular in the country, and the Bolshoi Theater troupe reached such heights and world fame, Lepeshinskaya bluntly stated: “Because Stalin came to the Bolshoi Theater. When he had free time, he always came, sat in his box, and we knew that Stalin was in the theater. Many young, well-dressed men appeared backstage. Stalin was very fond of the ballet “Flames of Paris”, which was sacred for us too. He often came to only one act, in which the capture of the Tuileries took place. Stalin did a lot for the Bolshoi Theater, under him the theater turned into a single whole. First-class musicians appeared, and the orchestra itself became a workshop like ballet and opera.”
In the 1930s, her aunt and two nieces were arrested. In the early 1950s, her second husband, MGB Lieutenant General L.F., was arrested. Reichman, and she herself was summoned by Beria to the Lubyanka. She was expelled from the party and everyone public organizations. Reichman did not return to his wife after his release. With her third husband, Army General A.I. She met Antonov in 1956, and they got married that same year. Antonov died in 1962. They lived together for six happy years. The death of her husband, Alexei Antonov, was such a strong shock for her that she lost her sight. In 1963, the government sent Olga Vasilievna to Italy for treatment. Her vision was restored, but for a long time she required constant medical supervision.
In these short biographies of our great actresses there is no place for a leader. In addition to awards, visits to the theater, gifts, there should have been some traces of joint leisure activities. If the leader had wished, then the one chosen would become the queen. And this would have been known - one of the guards or close comrades could have accidentally mentioned it. It is difficult to imagine that the leader could see them only as call women for one night. Why force these great ones, on pain of death, to go to his bed, when there were millions of willing girls, women who dreamed of at least touching him, the great one? Many, many would consider it a great happiness to spend even an hour alone with him. Some young Don Juan could indulge his vanity and include great artists in the list of beauties he conquered, but the Lord had no need for this. It was not they who made him happy, but he who made them happy.
You have to understand that opera singing and ballet are hard labor. These are daily, many-hour exercises, rehearsals, performances, concerts, tours. Life on wheels. Due to the lack of free time, more often than not, these artists’ family life did not work out and collapsed. And if he really became interested in one of them, wouldn’t he really free her from these activities and force her to be with him constantly? Would the Lord really agree to share his beloved’s bed with someone else, even with her husband? Wouldn't a Georgian be jealous of the thousands of admirers who stood at the door and showered her with flowers and expensive gifts? And those nights spent on tour, spent unknown where and with whom, really didn’t cause a storm of emotions in the Georgian? The proposal that he made to Vera Davydova meant for her not only a change in status and moving to the Kremlin, but also the cessation of all stage activities, reducing the circle of relatives to a minimum and seclusion under the constant watchful eye of security. She understood this very well and refused. She was, firstly, a singer, and secondly, the wife of her beloved husband, but she did not want to be a canary in a golden cage and please her owner.
And still very important point What these lovers of spreading cranberries are missing is Stalin’s health. Following the legend of concubines in plural, Stalin was a sexual giant. In fact, we must remember that after Nadezhda’s death he turned 54 years old, and he could not boast of his health; he was often sick. But most importantly, he was maniacally suspicious. Academician, professor, doctor of historical sciences Kumanev G.A. in his book “Next to Stalin: Frank Evidence” he cited Mikoyan’s statement: “Remember,” Anastas Ivanovich said during one conversation, “Stalin at the end of the 30s was a completely changed person: extremely suspicious, ruthless and terribly self-confident. He often spoke about himself in the third person. I think he was just crazy then. However, this is how Stalin appeared before us again in the last three or four years before his death.” His fears extended not only to medicines, doctors, cooks, his enemies and loved ones. The woman who came by order must have caused him a lot of phobias, ranging from the possibility of contracting a venereal disease to the fear of being strangled when left alone with her.
He was a physically undeveloped man. Since childhood, he grew up sickly. He was about two years old when he became seriously ill and was near death. His mother, Keke, brought him out with difficulty and prayers; his two older brothers died in infancy. At the age of five, Joseph suffered from smallpox. A year later, he was hit by a phaeton, was very seriously ill, was again near death, survived, only the muscles of his left arm began to atrophy, his arm began to slowly dry out and could barely move. Since he became a leader, he had not done any physical labor, his muscles on his left arm slowly withered, and it, remaining in a slightly bent position, looked like a whip. He understood that the summoned stars of the Bolshoi Theater would not come to him voluntarily, unlike those who sell their bodies for money, which means that their hatred could reach such an intensity that in a fit of resistance it could kill him. And God forbid, if his enemies find out that so-and-so is visiting him in the Kremlin, they will be able to force her to commit a terrorist act. Given the presence of such a huge number of phobias, he would never have dared to make any contacts with unknown, untested women, even super-outstanding ones. He was merciless to everyone and seemed omnipotent, but in fact, after fifty, he was physically a frail and sick man.

He needed his woman to be always nearby, under the supervision of security, so that she would greet him when he was tired and put him to bed when he was sick, so that she would be caring like a mother, gentle and loving in bed like a wife, and treat pain better than any doctor. so that she would be devoted to him and remain faithful to him until the end of her days. And beauties do not have to be forced to dance in their boudoir, they will perform better on stage with the troupe and orchestra, and they will not even need to be forced to do this, they will rehearse and train daily of their own free will. And this will make their performances give him more pleasure, and he will thank them, give them gifts, and they will try even harder.

The life of an actor is changeable and unpredictable. This statement is reflected in creative development Alexandra Volkova.

Childhood and youth

The Volkov family lived in the village of Snegiri near Moscow. My parents were far from creativity, especially from cinema and theater. Gennady Mikhailovich worked as a model maker, took care of the house and children. The family had three children, two boys and a girl. One of them is famous actor Alexander Volkov.

Sasha was born on September twenty-first, 1975. In the first place for the boy was not studying at school, but physical development. He attended school classes without much enthusiasm, so he dreamed of quickly getting a certificate and doing what he loved. Alexander wanted to become a professional boxer. He cultivated sternness in himself and practiced kickboxing. The ideal for the young man was Van Damme. But, according to the coach, boxing requires being more brutal and aggressive.

School is behind. Boxing is closed. Alexander tries himself in different professions: carpenter, joiner, advertising agent, security guard. The understanding comes quite quickly: you need to get a higher education. This is how a mediocre student becomes a diligent student.

Students

The choice of their son came as a complete surprise to the parents. Sasha never wanted to connect his life with cinema. But they respected his independence and left him to decide such important issues of his destiny.

The future actor enters the preparatory courses of L. Yu. Cherkova. Her statement about a person’s right to go on stage sank into his soul. Preserving this right and being able to use it throughout his life pushed Sasha to continue his studies.

A young man becomes a student at VGIK named after The courses turned out to be the best option. 2001 - the year I received my acting diploma and started professional activity. At the same time, Volkov is studying another profession - stuntman. Physical training and boxing only helped me master complex tricks.

Theater career

Working as a stuntman was great. But acting gave more scope for the development of talent. Immediately after completing his studies, the actor entered the troupe of the N.V. Gogol Theater in Moscow. Here he worked for five years. The most striking performances were “The King Amuses himself” and “The Last Lover is Always Better.” Alexander plays in many performances, honing his skills.

In 2006 new turn Volkov Alexander Gennadievich does in his life. The actor moves to the private theater "World of Art". Here he plays in plays " Garnet bracelet"(Zheltkov) and "Mother's Heart" (Vitka).

Participation in the production of the project “Peter Pan. Online version" gave Sasha the opportunity to play the role of Captain Hook. At the end of 2012, the actor began serving at the Maly Theater. His debut in the role of Francis I in the performance of the play “Secrets of the Madrid Court” revealed new facets of his artistry. There was a new sharp turn in my career ahead.

Start of a new life

He began acting in Volkov with small roles. The first appearance on the screen occurred in the form of a bodyguard in 2002 (the film " Secret sign"). Serious work in cinema began with the role of paratrooper Dmitry Sokolov in 2005 (“Rope of Sand”). The fate of the main character was followed not only by the large audience of the series, but even by the actor’s father and mother. The parents were convinced that their son had made the right choice of profession.

But Alexander Gennadievich Volkov considers only the next role of the noble Prince Repin to be his success. The actor endured many difficulties to play the role of an aristocrat. Posture, gestures, growing up and growing old with your hero were not easy, but worth it. According to the artist himself, there is nothing aristocratic in his appearance. Even his natural stoop was against him. But the role was presented perfectly.

Popularity

Filming in the film “The Return of Mukhtar” was a real triumph. The main character, Maxim Zharov, was not what Volkov imagined a hero should be. Too perfect. But it was getting used to this image that brought fame and love from the audience. Acting with a dog on camera was a new challenge for the actor. He never had a dog. In order for a shepherd dog to obey and carry out its owner’s commands, it was necessary to live with it, care for and caress it. Alexander and Mukhtar (the dog's real name is Wax von Weisrusland Kirschenthal) became friends. The actor refused to continue filming without his constant partner.

But actor Alexander Volkov was not left without work. The biography seemed to compensate for his impossible dream: to practice boxing. Popularity is picking up pace. The films “Lights” appear big city", "Pechorin. Hero of our time". And the sensational series " Wedding ring"took the actor to a new level of popularity. In the role of Igor Gritsenko, the actor had the opportunity to create the image himself. The real Alexander- the complete opposite of his movie hero. But there is also common features, the main one being that they both come from the village.

From latest works The films “Upside Down”, “Trust Me”, “Moscow - Lopushki”, “Red Dog” are famous.

Personal life

The creative path is thorny. It’s very good when there is a deep and reliable rear - the wife of Alexander Volkov. The actor was attracted to this girl in his youth. Taisiya’s family had a dacha in the village of Snegiri. The family of his future wife encouraged the young man to receive higher education. Mom did not want to give her daughter in marriage to a man without a diploma. Mutual understanding and support from his wife helped him complete the stunt training course. Only there can you feel your masculine essence, the actor believes.

Alexander and Taisiya got married back in student years. Things turned out quite well with such a wonderful wife of actor Alexander Volkov. Soon after the wedding, their daughter Alexandra Alexandrovna was born. Now there are two heirs growing up in the family - Nikolai and Georgy.

In their native village, the Volkov family has a huge house. His spacious embrace welcomes all his many friends. There is a place, warmth and love for everyone. Guests are warmly welcomed here. Here the dog Roy, the son of a famous parent who once played the role of Mukhtar along with his owner, found his refuge.

Although there is not much free time, Alexander Volkov tries to spend every minute with his family. The actor and his wife are fond of landscape design. Alpine slides and a fish pond create a piece of paradise on native land in outskirts of Moscow.

Alexander loves to sit with a fishing rod. He treats humanity philosophically: on Earth, all people can be divided into two categories - good and bad. Everything else (age, nationality, financial situation) does not matter.