150th anniversary of the birth of F.I.
Chaliapin is celebrated with all respect.
On the TV channel "Russia" begins showing the series "Chaliapin", which continues, according to the creators, the tradition of films about great historical figures.
Before that, there were the series Sophia (that is, talking about Ivan the Great), Grozny, Godunov.
Now the performer of the parts of Grozny and Boris himself has been awarded the series.
As stated in the announcement, the film is “dedicated to the genius of the opera stage, Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, who in the late 19th and early 20th centuries became a symbol of national culture, and his talent helped Russian opera gain popularity abroad.”
As for the symbol and popularity - the pure truth without any anniversary exaggerations.
Chaliapin shocked the audience at La Scala, the Grand Opera, Covent Garden, and Diaghilev's Russian Seasons in Paris would hardly have been such a success without Chaliapin's Boris.
However, Chaliapin's relationship with his native land was not always idyllic.
Even before 1917, the progressive public reproached him for kowtowing before the tsar, that is, for his loyal attitude towards him.
He did not participate in the then accepted denunciation of Nicholas the Bloody.
After 1917, relations with the state and society seemed to improve, and in 1918 he was the first to be honored to become a people's artist of the republic, but in 1922, with the permission of the authorities, he went on tour abroad and never returned.
The tour dragged on until his death in Paris in 1938.
Moreover, in a foreign land, the singer behaved prudently and restrainedly.
He did not denounce the Soviet government, which is probably what a decisive part of both the white emigration and the new Soviet political and cultural establishment would like.
The latter needed a pretext for complete expulsion, but Chaliapin did not give this pretext.
The poet Mayakovsky regularly poked Chaliapin in the style
How does Chaliapin live?
crushed applause
olyapan?
come back
Now
such an artist
back
into Russian rubles
I'll be the first to shout
- Roll back
People's Artist of the Republic!
But the reason for organizational conclusions was given only in the fifth year of absence.
In Paris in 1927, the artist went to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Daru Street, and on the porch he was surrounded by Russian children and the disabled, who asked for alms.
After the service, Chaliapin wrote out a check for 5,000 francs in favor of distressed emigrants.
The story became famous in the USSR, and the singer was accused of complicity with the white emigration.
Here is the everlasting Mayakovsky, eager to steer the whole culture:
"And those
who will rush under the feet of the attackers,
from the road
will remove
working kick.
From the master
from white
tear off, drug commissars,
People's Artist
red wreath!
The demand of the agitator, bawler, leader was fulfilled.
On August 24, 1927, by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, Chaliapin was deprived of the title of People's Artist and the right to return to the USSR.
The last Soviet blasphemy against Chaliapin the relocant happened in 1938 on the day of his death, when Izvestia printed a vile text about the insignificance of the deceased, signed by M.O.
Reizen - bass of the Bolshoi Theatre.
But here something unusual happened.
Reizen stated that he did not write anything of the kind, and a week later Izvestia apologized to Reizen and said that the note was written by Efroimson, an editorial staff member.
For 1938, liberalism was on the verge of fantasy - Reisen did not suffer and sang at the Bolshoi until the 80s.
Either God granted a miracle, or they called the editor-in-chief and said: “Calm down, you fool!”
Perhaps the second option took place, since by that time there was a tendency, albeit a weak one, towards some connivance with respect to the creativity of some emigrants, which was in effect until the very end of Soviet power.
Something in the style of "And Dolgoruky was distinguished from the violent archer in front of him."
This is not about Chaliapin alone, although he turned out to be one of the first partially forgiven.
Half a century ago, a major album of his recordings was published (eight records and two additional ones), which even included church hymns.
Books dedicated to him were published, and on February 13, 1973, an anniversary concert was held at the Bolshoi Theater - completely apologetic.
And I was there, I drank honey-beer and I remember to this day.
But after all, the first collected works of Bunin in the USSR were published back in 1956 - pretty crumpled, but it came out.
On the other hand, Nabokov walked in violent archers until the very end of Soviet power.
It seems that in such a cautious rehabilitation, personal tastes and predilections served as a significant determining factor.
Nevertheless, the process of abandoning the Rappian-Lef attitude towards emigrant creators was, although very slow, but rather steady.
From berserk
"Then
Komsomol mass,
opening
bullet-pierced ears
will bring
acquaintance
with Chaliapin bass
through the bass
White Guard guns" -
to today's general opinion that Chaliapin is the pride and glory of eternal Russia.
This is how our age is corrected.
Another thing is that the current relocators of the artistic direction can hardly count on such a change in opinion.
And the point here is not so much in the recklessness of what they are now carrying (“The Cursed Days” of Bunin were also quite reckless, which, however, did not interfere with his subsequent rehabilitation), but in the Hamburg account.
Chaliapin, who left Russia, gathered huge halls around the world.
His concerts were always sold out.
And by no means only among the emigrant, but also among the completely autochthonous public, than the stars of the first emigration differed somewhat from the stars of the present.
Analogies are inappropriate here.
If you are a genius, sooner or later you will return to your homeland with glory.
If you are a prima donna, this is a slightly different case.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.