The famous Russian ballerina did not live to see her centenary for several months - she died on December 6, 1971 in Paris. Her life was like an unstoppable dance, which to this day is surrounded by legends and intriguing details.
Romance with the Tsarevich
The graceful, almost tiny Little Boy, it seemed, was destined by fate itself to devote herself to the service of Art. Her father was a talented dancer. It was from him that the baby inherited priceless gift- not just perform the part, but live in the dance, fill it with unbridled passion, pain, captivating dreams and hope - everything with which her own destiny will be rich in the future. She adored the theater and could watch the rehearsals go on for hours with a fascinated gaze. Therefore, it was not surprising that the girl entered the Imperial Theater School, and very soon became one of the first students: she studied a lot, grasped it on the fly, charming the audience with true drama and easy ballet technique. Ten years later, on March 23, 1890, after a graduation performance with the participation of a young ballerina, Emperor Alexander III admonished the prominent dancer with the words: “Be the glory and adornment of our ballet!” And then there was a gala dinner for the pupils with the participation of all members of the imperial family.
It was on this day that Matilda met the future Emperor of Russia, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.
What is true and what is fiction in the novel of the legendary ballerina and heir to the Russian throne is debated a lot and greedily. Some argue that their relationship was pure. Others, as if in revenge, immediately recall Nikolai’s visits to the house where his beloved soon moved with her sister. Still others are trying to suggest that if there was love, it came only from Mrs. Kshesinskaya. The love correspondence was not preserved, in diary entries Emperor there are only fleeting mentions of Malechka, but there are many details in the memoirs of the ballerina herself. But should we trust them unquestioningly? A charmed woman can easily become “deluded.” Be that as it may, there was no vulgarity or triviality in these relations, although St. Petersburg gossips competed, setting out the fantastic details of the Tsarevich’s “romance” with the actress.
"Polish Malya"
It seemed that Matilda was enjoying her happiness, while being perfectly aware that her love was doomed. And when in her memoirs she wrote that “priceless Nicky” loved her alone, and the marriage with Princess Alix of Hesse was based only on a sense of duty and determined by the desire of her relatives, she, of course, was cunning. How wise woman at the right moment she left the “scene”, “letting go” of her lover, as soon as she learned of his engagement. Was this step precise calculation? Hardly. He most likely allowed the “Pole Mala” to remain a warm memory in the heart of the Russian emperor.
The fate of Matilda Kshesinskaya was generally closely connected with the fate of the imperial family. Her good friend and the patron was Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich.
It was him who Nicholas II allegedly asked to “look after” Malechka after the breakup. Grand Duke for twenty years he will take care of Matilda, who, by the way, will then be blamed for his death - the prince will stay in St. Petersburg for too long, trying to save the ballerina’s property. One of the grandchildren of Alexander II, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, would become her husband and the father of her son, His Serene Highness Prince Vladimir Andreevich Romanovsky-Krasinsky. It was precisely the close connection with the imperial family that ill-wishers often explained all of Kshesinskaya’s “successes” in life
Prima ballerina
The prima ballerina of the Imperial Theater, who is applauded by the European public, the one who knows how to defend her position with the power of charm and the passion of her talent, who supposedly has influential patrons behind her - such a woman, of course, had envious people.
She was accused of “tailoring” the repertoire to suit herself, going only on profitable foreign tours, and even specially “ordering” parts for herself.
Thus, in the ballet “Pearl”, which was performed during the coronation celebrations, the part of the Yellow Pearl was introduced especially for Kshesinskaya, allegedly on the Highest instructions and “under pressure” from Matilda Feliksovna. It is difficult, however, to imagine how this impeccably mannered lady, with an innate sense of tact, could disturb ex-lover“theatrical trifles,” and even at such an important moment for him. Meanwhile, the part of the Yellow Pearl became a true decoration of the ballet. Well, after Kshesinskaya persuaded Corrigan, presented at the Paris Opera, to insert a variation from her favorite ballet Pharaoh’s Daughter, the ballerina had to encore, which was an “exceptional case” for the Opera. So isn’t the creative success of the Russian ballerina based on true talent and dedicated work?
Bitchy character
Perhaps one of the most scandalous and unpleasant episodes in the ballerina’s biography can be considered her “unacceptable behavior,” which led to the resignation of Sergei Volkonsky from the post of Director of the Imperial Theaters. “Unacceptable behavior” was that Kshesinskaya replaced the uncomfortable suit provided by the management with her own. The administration fined the ballerina, and she, without thinking twice, appealed the decision. The case was widely publicized and inflated to an incredible scandal, the consequences of which were the voluntary departure (or resignation?) of Volkonsky.
And again they started talking about the ballerina’s influential patrons and her bitchy character.
It is quite possible that at some stage Matilda simply could not explain to the person she respected that she was not involved in gossip and speculation. Be that as it may, Prince Volkonsky, having met her in Paris, took an enthusiastic part in setting up her ballet school, gave lectures there, and later wrote an excellent article about Kshesinskaya the teacher. She always complained that she could not stay “on an even note,” suffering from prejudice and gossip, which eventually forced her to leave the Mariinsky Theater.
"Madame Seventeen"
If no one dares to argue about the talent of Kshesinskaya as a ballerina, then their teaching activities are sometimes not very flattering. On February 26, 1920, Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia forever. They settled as a family in the French city of Cap de Ail in the Alam villa, purchased before the revolution. “The imperial theaters ceased to exist, and I had no desire to dance!” - wrote the ballerina.
For nine years she enjoyed a “quiet” life with people dear to her heart, but her searching soul demanded something new.
After painful thoughts, Matilda Feliksovna goes to Paris, looks for housing for her family and premises for her ballet studio. She worries that she won’t have enough students or will “fail” as a teacher, but the first lesson goes brilliantly, and very soon she will have to expand to accommodate everyone. It’s hard to call Kshesinskaya a secondary teacher; one only has to remember her students, world ballet stars Margot Fonteyn and Alicia Markova.
While living at the Alam villa, Matilda Feliksovna became interested in playing roulette. Together with another famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, they whiled away the evenings at the table in the Monte Carlo casino. For her constant bet on the same number, Kshesinskaya was nicknamed “Madame Seventeen.” The crowd, meanwhile, savored the details of how the “Russian ballerina” squandered the “royal jewels.” They said that Kshesinskaya was forced to decide to open a school by the desire to improve her financial situation, undermined by the game.
"Actress of Mercy"
The charitable activities that Kshesinskaya was involved in during the First World War usually fade into the background, giving way to scandals and intrigues. In addition to participating in front-line concerts, performances in hospitals and charity evenings, Matilda Feliksovna took an active part in the arrangement of two modern exemplary hospital-infirmaries for that time. She did not personally bandage the sick and did not work as a nurse, apparently believing that everyone should do what they know how to do well.
And she knew how to give people a holiday, for which she was loved no less than the most sensitive nurses.
She organized trips for the wounded to her dacha in Strelna, arranged trips for soldiers and doctors to the theater, wrote letters from dictation, decorated the wards with flowers, or, throwing off her shoes, without pointe shoes, simply danced on her toes. She was applauded, I think, no less than during her legendary performance in London’s Covent Garden, when 64-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya, in a silver embroidered sundress and a pearl kokoshnik, easily and flawlessly performed her legendary “Russian”. Then she was called 18 times, and this was unthinkable for the prim English public.
The future Emperor of Russia and the rising star of the stage met almost by accident and immediately succumbed to passion, although they understood that their romance was doomed. SPB.AIF.RU tells about the love story of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and the last Russian Tsar.
In 1890, 18-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya, a still unknown but promising girl, graduated from the Imperial Theater School. According to custom, after the graduation performance, Matilda and other graduates are presented to the crowned family. Alexander III showed particular favor towards the young talent, enthusiastically watching the dancer’s pirouettes and arabesques. True, Matilda was a visiting student of the school, and such people were not supposed to attend the festive banquet with members royal family. However, Alexander, who noticed the absence of the fragile dark-haired girl, ordered her to be immediately brought into the hall, where he uttered the fateful words: “Mademoiselle! Be the decoration and glory of our ballet!”
At the table, Matilda was seated next to Tsarevich Nicholas, who, despite his position and young age (he was then 22 years old), had not been seen by that time in any amorous story where he could demonstrate his ardor and temperament. Fervor and temperament are not, but devotion and tenderness are very much so.
Dreams of marriage
In January 1889, at the invitation of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, granddaughter, arrived in St. Petersburg Queen of England Victoria. The girl staying at the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace was introduced to Tsarevich Nicholas (Alexander III was the princess godfather). During the six weeks that the future Empress of Russia arrived in St. Petersburg, she managed to conquer the meek heart of the future emperor and awaken in him a frantic desire to tie the knot with her. But when before Alexandra III rumors reached that Nikolai wanted to marry Alice, he ordered his son to forget about this desire. The fact is that Alexander and his wife Maria Fedorovna hoped to marry their son to the daughter of Louis-Philippe, a contender for the throne of France, Louise Henrietta, whom the American newspaper The Washington The Post even called it “the epitome of women's health and beauty, a graceful athlete and a charming polyglot.”
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By the time he met Kshesinskaya, Nikolai already intended to marry Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. Photo: Commons
It was only later, in 1894, when the emperor’s health began to deteriorate sharply, and Nicholas, with unusual vehemence, continued to insist on his own, the attitude changed - fortunately, Alice’s sister Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna contributed not only to the rapprochement of the heir to the throne and the princess, helping in the correspondence of lovers, but also influenced Alexander using hidden methods. As a result of all these reasons, in the spring of 1894, a manifesto appeared in which they announced the engagement of the Tsarevich and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. But that was after.
“Baby” Kshesinskaya and Nikki
And in 1890, when Nikolai could only correspond with his Alice, he was unexpectedly introduced to Matilda Kshesinskaya - according to some historians, the cunning Alexander decided that it was necessary to distract Nikolai from his love and direct his energy in a different direction. The emperor’s project was a success: already in the summer, the Tsarevich wrote in his diary: “Little Kshesinskaya positively fascinates me...” - and regularly attends her performances.
“Little” Kshesinskaya understood perfectly well what game she was entering into, but she could hardly realize how far she would advance in relations with members of the royal family. When there was a shift in communication with Nikolai, Matilda announced to her father, a famous Polish dancer who performed on the Mariinsky stage, that she had become Nikolai’s lover. The father listened to his daughter and asked only one question: does she realize that the affair with the future emperor will not end in anything? To this question, which she asked herself, Matilda replied that she wanted to drink the cup of love to the bottom.
The romance between the temperamental and flamboyant ballerina and the future emperor of Russia, who was not used to demonstrating his feelings, lasted exactly two years. Kshesinskaya truly experienced strong feelings to Nicholas and even considered the relationship with him a sign of fate: both he and she were “marked” with the number two: he was supposed to become Nicholas II, and she was called Kshesinskaya-2 on stage: she also worked in the theater elder sister Matilda Julia. When their relationship had just begun, Kshesinskaya enthusiastically wrote in her diary: “I fell in love with the Heir from our first meeting. After summer season in Krasnoye Selo, when I could meet and talk with him, my feeling filled my entire soul, and I could only think about him ... "
The lovers most often met in the house of the Kshesinsky family and did not particularly hide: at court no secrets were possible, and the emperor himself turned a blind eye to his son’s affair. There was even a case when the mayor came to the house, hastening to inform that the sovereign was urgently demanding his son to come to the Anichkov Palace. However, to maintain decency, a mansion was bought for Kshesinskaya on the Promenade des Anglais, where lovers could see each other without any interference.
End of story
The relationship ended in 1894. Matilda, ready from the very beginning for such an outcome, did not fight in hysterics, did not cry: when saying goodbye to Nicholas with restraint, she behaved with dignity befitting a queen, but not an abandoned mistress.
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The ballerina took the news of the separation calmly. Photo: Commons.
It is impossible to say that this was a deliberate calculation, but Kshesinskaya’s behavior led to positive result: Nikolai always remembered his friend with warmth, and in parting he asked her to always address him as “you,” continue to call him by his home nickname “Nikki,” and in case of trouble, always turn to him. Kshesinskaya would indeed later resort to the help of Nikolai, but exclusively for professional purposes relating to behind-the-scenes theatrical intrigues.
At this point, their relationship was completely broken. Matilda continued to dance and soared above the stage with special inspiration when she saw her husband in the royal box. ex-lover. And Nicholas, who put on the crown, completely immersed himself in the worries of state that fell on him after the death of Alexander III, and in a quiet whirlpool family life with the desired Alix, as he affectionately called Alexandra Feodorovna - the former Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt.
When the engagement first took place, Nikolai honestly spoke about his connection with the ballerina, to which she replied: “What is past is past and will never return. We are all surrounded by temptations in this world, and when we are young, we cannot always fight to resist the temptation... I love you even more since you told me this story. Your trust touches me so deeply... Will I be able to be worthy of it?..”
For several years later Nicholas terrible shocks and a terrible end awaited: Russo-Japanese War, Bloody Sunday, a series of assassinations of high-ranking officials, First World War, popular discontent, which grew into a revolution, humiliating exile of him and his entire family, and finally, execution in the basement of the Ipatiev House.
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Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son. Photo: Commons.
A different fate awaited Kshesinskaya - fame as one of the richest women in the Empire, a love affair with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, from whom she would give birth to a son, emigration to Europe, an affair with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, who would give the child his patronymic, and fame as one of the best ballerinas of her time and one of the most attractive women of the era, who turned the head of Emperor Nicholas himself.
Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872 – 1971) | Who was she: a courtesan or a great talent? Heterosexual or smart device? Probably all together...Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya (Maria-Matilda Adamovna-Feliksovna-Valerievna Krzesinska; August 19, 1872, Ligovo (near St. Petersburg) - December 6, 1971, Paris) - a famous Russian ballerina and teacher, also known for her intimate relationships with the august persons of the Russian Empire.
Her name was "Madame Seventeen". The reason for this was her addiction to playing roulette in the Monte Carlo casino and a constant bet on the number 17. It was at this age, on March 23, 1890, that she first met the heir to the royal throne, Nikolai Alexandrovich or Niki. This meeting determined the entire future fate of Maria-Matilda Adamovna-Feliksovna-Valerievna Krzhezinskaya, or in the version better known to us, Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya. The more I read about this famous ballerina, about her life, love, work, the more often I ask myself the same question: who and what would she be without the support of the Romanovs?
Who is she more - a courtesan or something else? femme fatale? The authors of many stories very diligently avoid this topic, as if “lubricating” this facet of Matilda Kshesinskaya’s “talent”. But in reality, everything is not so simple, and this is confirmed by numerous memories of her contemporaries and the actions of the ballerina herself.
Thomson M.N. Portrait of Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1991
The world of theater is not so simple, if for ordinary spectators it is a holiday, then for the servants of melpomene it is a struggle for life, intrigue, mutual claims and the ability to do everything to be noticed by the superiors of this world. Ballet dancers have always been loved by the upper class: grand dukes and nobles of lower rank did not shy away from patronizing this or that ballerina. Patronage often did not go beyond a love affair, but still some even dared to take these beauties as wives. But such people were in the minority; the majority were destined for the sad fate of “flashing up as a bright star” on the stage and then quietly fading away outside it. Matilda Kshesinskaya escaped this fate...
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya was a hereditary “balletist” - she was born on August 31, 1872 into a theatrical family of a Pole, dancer and opera singer Felix Kshesinsky and ballerina Yulia Dolinskaya (in another transcription Dominskaya) in St. Petersburg.
Felix Kshesinsky and Yulia Dominskaya
Matilda became the last, thirteenth child in this family and had an affectionate name - Malya, Malechka. Felix Kshesinsky's eldest daughter, Yulia, danced with her father and is often confused with Matilda Feliksovna in photographs today.
Sister Yulia - Kshesinskaya 1st
Matilda's brother Joseph also became a ballet dancer. It was in such an atmosphere of the theater world that young Malechka grew up.
Matilda with her father in the Polish act of the opera "A Life for the Tsar" 1890s
At the age of 8 she became a visiting student at the Imperial Theater School, and at the age of 15 she took lessons from Christian Ioganson, who became her teacher for many years, even after she became a recognized ballet dancer.In the spring of 1890, after graduating from college, she was enrolled in the group Mariinsky Theater and in her first season she danced in 22 ballets and 21 operas.
Not a bad start... and it may seem that talent is to blame. But is it? In fact, this is not entirely true - on March 23, 1890, during the final exam, the first meeting of the future Emperor Nicholas II, a phlegmatic and lethargic young man, with a cheerful and cheerful Polish woman took place. Everything happened with the approval of members of the royal family, starting from Emperor Alexander III, who organized this acquaintance, and ending with Empress Maria Fedorovna, who still wanted her son to become... a man.After the exam there was dinner, mutual flirting between two young people and years later an entry in Kshesinskaya’s memoirs: “When I said goodbye to the Heir, a feeling of attraction to each other had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine.”
truly them serious relationship began only two years later, after the heir came home to Matilda Kshesinskaya, under the name of Hussar Volkov. Notes, letters and... gifts, truly royal. The first was a gold bracelet with large sapphires and two diamonds, on which Matilda engraved two dates - 1890 and 1892 - the first meeting and the first visit to her home.
But... Their love was doomed and after April 7, 1894, when the engagement of the Tsarevich to Alice of Hesse was officially announced, Nicholas never came to Matilda again.
However, as you know, he allowed her to contact him in letters on a first name basis and promised to help her in everything if she needed help.
But... as they say, a holy place is never empty: “In my grief and despair, I was not left alone. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, with whom I became friends from the day the heir first brought him to me, stayed with me and supported me.
I never felt a feeling for him that could be compared with my feeling for Niki, but with all his attitude he won my heart, and I sincerely fell in love with him,” Matilda Kshesinskaya later wrote in her memoirs. She fell in love... however quickly and again... Romanova.
And it is not surprising that her career was going uphill. She became the prima of the Mariinsky Theater and virtually the entire repertoire was built around her. Yes, her contemporaries did not refuse to recognize her talent, but latently everyone understood that this talent made its way to the top not through a terrible struggle for existence, but in a slightly different way. But let’s give the floor to the witnesses; Vladimir Arkadyevich Telyakovsky, director of the imperial theaters, wrote about this especially well in his “Memoirs.”
From the memoirs of V.A. Telyakovsky: “M. Kshesinskaya danced beautifully and was also an undeniably outstanding Russian ballerina. For (Kshesinskaya) ... success on stage was a means: her aspirations were more grandiose and extensive, and the role of only a ballerina, although outstanding, did not satisfy her from a young age. M. Kshesinskaya, already in her thirteenth year of service, left at will from the ballet troupe.
She saved her strength for another purpose. M. Kshesinskaya was an undeniably smart woman. She perfectly took into account both the strong and especially the weak sides men, these eternally searching Romeos, who say whatever they like about women, and from whom women make whatever they, women, want."
From the memoirs of V.A. Telyakovsky: “It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but then it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya, and just as out of fifty performances, forty belong to balletomanes, and in the repertoire - from all the ballets more than half of the best belong to the ballerina Kshesinskaya.
with Vera Trefilova in the ballet "Pharaoh's Daughter"(?)
She considered them her property and could give or not let others dance them. There were cases when a ballerina was discharged from abroad. Her contract stipulated ballets for tours. This was the case with the ballerina Grimaldi, invited in 1900.
But when she decided to rehearse one ballet, indicated in the contract (this ballet was “Vain Precaution”), Kshesinskaya declared: “I won’t give it, this is my ballet.” The telephones, conversations, telegrams began. The poor director was rushing here and there. Finally, he sends an encrypted telegram to the minister in Denmark, where he was with the sovereign at that time. The matter was secret, special national importance. And what? She receives the following answer: “Since this ballet is Kshesinskaya’s, it should be left to her.”
Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich loved Matilda Kshesinskaya faithfully for 25 years. He pampered her, protected her, saved her... In Strelna, in the name of Kshesinskaya, he bought a magnificent dacha.
Later she would write: “In order to console and entertain me at least a little, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich pampered me as best he could, did not deny me anything and tried to forestall all my desires.”
And then a word from the historian Shirokorad A.B., a quote from the book “The Fall of Port Arthur”: “...The question arises: how did the poor dancer Matilda Kshesinskaya become one of richest women Russia? Salary of a soloist of the Mariinsky Theater? Yes, she spent more on outfits! Communication in 1890-1894 with the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Nicholas? There were pennies there too.
At the end of the 1890s, Kshesinskaya bought a country palace in Strelna. The ballerina overhauled it and even built her own power plant. “Many envied me, since even in the [Winter Palace. - A. III.] there was no electricity,” Kshesinskaya noted proudly. In Kshesinskaya's Strelna Palace, tables were set for more than a thousand people. On Matilda’s birthday, the railway schedule of trains passing through Strelnya even changed.
In the spring of 1906, Kshesinskaya bought a plot of land on the corner of Kronverksky Prospekt and Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya Street and commissioned the architect Alexander von Gauguin to design a palace. By the end of 1906, the construction of the two-story palace was completed.The famous Kshesinskaya mansion in St. Petersburg Photo of the early twentieth century
salon 1916
Its length was 50 meters and width - 33 meters. They wrote about the palace - everything was built and furnished according to Kshesinskaya’s wishes and tastes: the hall was in the Russian Empire style, the salon was in the style Louis XVI, bedroom and restroom - in English style, etc. The stylish furniture was supplied by the famous French manufacturer Meltzer. Chandeliers, sconces, candelabra and everything else, even the latches, were ordered from Paris. The house with the adjacent garden is a small masterpiece of Matilda Kshesinskaya’s imagination. Well-trained maids, a French cook, a senior janitor - Knight of St. George, a wine cellar, carriages, cars and even a barn with a cow and a cowwoman. Matilda loved to drink milk. There was, of course, a large winter garden. Where does all this come from? It’s not hard to guess that the source of Matilda’s well-being... was Russia’s huge military budget.”
The same budget to which the Grand Dukes and in particular Sergei Mikhailovich had access. In all her roles, she “shone”: she appeared on stage, hung with real jewelry - diamonds, pearls, sapphires... She was served by Faberge himself and made many things commissioned by the Grand Dukes.
THE DOG COLLAR NECLACE (“dog collar”) Matilda is shown wearing a similar necklace in almost all photographs. Despite such an unpoetic name, this type of necklace flourished for almost half a century.
Yes, she dances all this time, but ballet is not work for her, but just entertainment, although, to her credit, she is talented and does everything to stay in shape. And all in order to remove competitors and rivals! There is an interesting entry on this subject in the memoirs of the great ballerina Tamara Karsavina.
From the memoirs of ballerina Tamara Karsavina: “I remember another incident with a fine, which had serious consequences. It occurred during Volkonsky’s directorship. Once Matilda Kshesinskaya wore her own costume to a performance, ignoring Volkonsky’s order to go on stage in a suit specially tailored for the role. The next day she was fined, Kshesinskaya became angry and began to seek cancellation, and a few days later an order from the Minister of the Household to cancel the fine appeared in the Vestnik.
ballet "Camargo"
Prince Volkonsky immediately resigned. He was deservedly much loved, and the community was indignant at the disrespect shown to one of its members. Hostile demonstrations directed against Kshesinskaya began to take place in the theater - she paid dearly for her short-term triumph. At that time she was at the peak of her talent. In terms of virtuosity, she was not inferior to Legnani, and in terms of acting qualities she even surpassed her.
Matilda chose the time for her performances herself and performed only at the height of the season, allowing herself long breaks, during which she stopped regular classes, and uncontrollably indulged in entertainment. Always cheerful and laughing, she loved tricks and cards; sleepless nights did not affect her appearance, did not spoil her mood. She had amazing vitality and exceptional willpower.
During the month preceding her appearance on stage, Kshesinskaya devoted all her time to work - she trained hard for hours, did not go anywhere and did not receive anyone, went to bed at ten in the evening, weighed herself every morning, always ready to limit herself in food, although her diet was without that she was quite strict. Before the performance, she remained in bed for twenty-four hours, only eating a light breakfast at noon. At six o'clock she was already at the theater in order to have two hours at her disposal for exercise and makeup. One evening I was warming up on stage at the same time as Kshesinskaya and noticed how feverishly her eyes sparkled.
From the very beginning she showed me great kindness. One autumn, during my first season at the theater, she sent me an invitation to spend the weekend at her country house in Strelna. "Don't bother taking with you elegant dresses“,” she wrote, “we have a village style here.” I will send for you." The thought of the modesty of my wardrobe worried me greatly. Matilda, apparently, guessed this. She also thought that I did not know the face of her secretary, so she came to the station for me herself. She had A small group of friends was visiting.
As a hostess, Matilda was excellent. She had a large garden near the coast. Several goats lived in the pen, one of them, a favorite who appeared on stage in Esmeralda, followed Matilda like a dog.
caricature by N. and S. Legat "Esmeralda"
All day Matilda did not let me go, showing countless signs of attention... I got the impression that everyone around me fell under the charm of her cheerful and good-natured nature. But even I, with all my naivety, understood that the sycophants surrounding her exuded a lot of flattery. And this is understandable, taking into account the position occupied by the famous dancer, rich and influential. Envy and gossip constantly followed her. All that day I had a feeling of bewilderment - could this charming woman really be the same terrible Kshesinskaya, who was called an unscrupulous intriguer who destroys the careers of her rivals.
If anyone hurts you, come straight to me. “I will stand up for you,” she said later, and subsequently kept her word: she had the opportunity to intervene and stand up for me. I began to get significantly fewer roles, and it turned out that the director was led to believe that I had too much work.
One famous ballerina, who apparently was not one of my well-wishers, unexpectedly showed excessive concern for my health, asking the director not to overwork me, since I was sick with consumption. The director, thus misled by this feigned concern, showing true sympathy, began to gradually reduce my repertoire."
with colleagues (ballerinas, choreographers, dancers) (in the first row, in the center to the left of the man in military uniform)
On February 13, 1900, theatrical Petersburg celebrated its tenth anniversary creative life Kshesinskaya on the Imperial stage. The sons of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich - Kirill, Boris and Andrey - were invited to dinner after the anniversary performance.
With the latter, the ballerina began a whirlwind romance. She was six years older than Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.
At the same time, Matilda officially lived with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. In June 1902, Matilda Feliksovna had a son. The boy was named Vladimir in honor of the father of Grand Duke Andrei. Only, from which Romanov this child was born is still unknown. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich considered him his son until the end of his life. And again the word to V.A. Telyakovsky.
Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son Vladimir. 1916
From the diary of Vladimir Telyakovsky:
“Is this really a theater, and is it really me who is in charge? Everyone is happy, everyone is happy and glorifying an extraordinary, technically strong, morally impudent, cynical, insolent ballerina, living simultaneously with two great princes and not only not hiding this, but, on the contrary, intertwining and This is art in its stinking, cynical wreath of human carrion and depravity. Lappa informed me that Kshesinskaya herself says that she is pregnant; wanting to continue dancing, she remade some parts of the ballet to avoid risky movements. It is still unknown who the child will be assigned to. Some speak to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, and some speak to Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, others speak about the ballet Kozlov."
In 1904, she left the stage, but retained the right to roles in performances and did not allow anyone else to dance them. In 1908, Matilda Kshesinskaya successfully tours the Paris Grand Opera and amazes the audience with her 32 fouettés!And at the same time she immediately starts an affair with her partner Pyotr Vladimirov, who is 21 years younger than her, which ends in a duel in the forest near Paris between the latter and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.
And then there was a revolution and everything went to pieces. Her luxury mansion was plundered, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich died in Alapaevsk: dying in an abandoned mine, he clutched in his hand a small gold medallion with a portrait of Matilda Kshesinskaya and the inscription “Malya”. On February 19, 1920, she sailed to Constantinople on the Italian liner Semiramis. In January 1921, in France, they married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, and Matilda received the title of Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya.
In 1929, Kseshinskaya opened her ballet studio in Paris, where students from as far away as England, the USA, and Spain took lessons from her.
"Russian", Covent Garden, London, 1936
Matilda Kshesinskaya in the last years of her life. 19541969
Son Vladimir
1950s(?)
"In 1958, the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe came to Paris. Although I don’t go anywhere else, dividing my time between home and dance studio, where I earn money to live, I made an exception and went to the Opera to see the Russians. I cried with happiness. It was the same ballet that I saw more than forty years ago, possessing the same spirit and the same traditions...” - this is what she wrote in her memoirs.
She died at the age of 99 in 1971 and was laid to rest in the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in France.
Matilda Kshesinskaya's grave at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery
In 2010, a television program from the series “More than Love” was prepared about the history of the relationship between Matilda Kshesinskaya and Prince Andrei Romanov.
Matilda Kshesinskaya and Prince Andrei Romanov, TV show "More than Love"
Who was she anyway: a courtesan or a great talent? Heterosexual or smart device? Probably all together, but one thing is clear, her role in the art of Russian theater and the “art” of Russian life was far from the last... but such is Russia.
Original post and comments at
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya born on September 1, 1872 in Ligovo, near St. Petersburg, in a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater.
The girl's father was a dancer and opera singer Felix Kshesinsky, and mother is a ballerina Yulia Dolinskaya. Matilda was the last thirteenth child in a creative family and had the affectionate nickname Malechka, Malya. Matilda's older brother and sister were also actors. So the creative atmosphere in the family could not but affect the girl’s development.
At the age of 8, Matilda began attending the Imperial Theater School, and at the age of 15 she took lessons from Christian Johanson, who remained her teacher for long years, even when she became a recognized artist. In 1890, Matilda was enrolled at the Mariinsky Theater, where in her first season she danced in 21 operas and 22 ballets.
Romance of Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II
But was it only thanks to her talent that the young ballerina achieved such success? Of course not!
The Imperial Ballet has always been a part of court life. During the prom, Matilda meets a modest young man and future emperor, Nicholas II.
This acquaintance was approved by Nikolai's parents, who wanted their son to become a man.
Flirting between young people led to mutual attraction. The fire that engulfed Matilda also burned the weak-willed, inert Nikolai. And how it burned! 60 years later, Kseshinskaya will read in the diary of the last Russian Tsar, published abroad, how he felt that summer: “Kseshinskaya... I really really like it,” “Standing at the theater teased memories...”, “I returned... to Krasnoye Selo was at the theater that same evening...” The crown prince's feeling was sincere. After the first date, when the heir arrived at the Kshesinskys’ house under the guise of Hussar Volkov, he wrote to Matilda: “I still walk as if in a daze...”
In 1984, the engagement of the Tsarevich to Alice of Hesse was announced and the love of the young people was doomed. But Nikolai promised to help Matilda in everything and allowed her to contact him in letters on a first name basis. Nikolai did not go to Kshesinskaya again. But, a man of honor, having parted with his beloved, he asked Prince Sergei Mikhailovich to take care of her.
Matilda Kshesinskaya was not considered an impeccable beauty, but, undoubtedly, she was an extraordinary woman. She had enormous energy, amazing willpower and was well versed in life problems. She knew how to do good, but also knew how to take revenge in a sophisticated way. Numerous photographs showed this woman smug, with a defiant look.
Was Kshesinskaya a great ballerina?
Of course not. In any case, she cannot be compared with Anna Pavlova. And yet, it was Kshesinskaya who ruled the St. Petersburg ballet stage. The entire repertoire of the theater was under her jurisdiction. Prima simply informed the management of the Mariinsky Theater that such and such a performance would be danced at that time - and it was done!
Championship on stage was the main thing for her, and she never gave it up without a fight.
Matilda enjoyed her power in the theater. She directed the Mariinsky Theater. Her first victim was Prince Volkonsky. In an effort to somehow hide her short legs, the ballerina refused to wear fake clothes, for which the management imposed some trivial fine on her. But the tsar intervened, the order was immediately canceled, and Prince Volkonsky was forced to resign.
Kshesinskaya’s whims decided everything. Often this ended in injustice to the other ballerina. The favorite kept a vigilant eye on her competitors, performed the main roles in half of the performances herself, and kept the management, as they say, with a tight rein. If Kshesinskaya was not given a role in the next ballet, the emperor immediately found out about it, and she received it. When Matilda Kshesinskaya was deliberately not given a role in the ballet intended for the coronation day (sparing the feelings of the young empress), she, as always, turned to Niki. The composer was asked to complete the ballet especially for Kshesinskaya - as a result, they introduced new batch"yellow pearl"
The Romanovs' mistress - Matilda Kshesinskaya
But Kshesinskaya, we must give her credit, knew how to touch the hearts of balletomanes. Her technique was impeccable, and she constantly polished her skills. One of Ksieshinskaya's signature parties was the party of Esmeralda. The ballerina came out in a white tunic, pink tights and satin shoes, in a lovely hat decorated with gold coins. In a word, it was not Hugo’s Esmeralda, but Petipa’s. But her greatest creative success was Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. The success was stunning. Kshesinskaya received praise from Tchaikovsky himself, who even decided to write a ballet for her. Alas, this was never destined to come true - the composer soon died.
In all games, Matilda's appearance remained unchanged. The newspapers sneered: “It was in vain that Mrs. Kshesinskaya, playing a beggar woman, did not take off her diamond earrings and luxurious pearl necklace. Begging for alms, and suddenly wearing diamonds - it’s absurd.” Her dancing style was also unchanged: technique always prevailed over feelings. While Anna Pavlova put her whole soul into her character, Kshesinskaya remained a brilliant premiere in all her roles.
The art of Matilda Kshesinskaya could flourish only in the conditions of the imperial theater, closely connected with the royal court. It is no coincidence that she was called a monarchist ballerina, a dancer of Russian classical academicism. And this implied royalty, aristocracy, and cold severity of manners. Containing classical completeness, her dance was still distinguished by bravura, flirtatiousness, and piquancy. And although Kshesinskaya’s dancing style became more and more archaic, the virtuosity of the ballerina’s technique delighted the Mariinsky audience.
She wanted to dance everything. But, despite titanic efforts - she studied in St. Petersburg and abroad with the best teachers - the championship slipped away. Kshesinskaya reigned in ballet for several years and left the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, still full of strength; in 1903, the time began for the ballerina to tour Europe.
Matilda Feliksovna was economical and quite prudent - she always kept expense books. Unthinkable wealth gave her the opportunity to buy a plot in the best part of St. Petersburg, on Kronverksky Prospekt, and also to build a palace, which was not inferior in luxury to the royal apartments. In addition, there was a wine cellar where fine wines were stored, a laundry, a cowshed, garages for cars, driveways...
Kshesinskaya’s special passion was jewelry, each of which she kept in a special bag or box. In her diary, she enthusiastically describes the priceless trinkets that she received in abundance from the royal family, including the first gift from Nika - a gold bracelet with precious stones. The gift was indeed “small” - then the offerings became more and more luxurious...
She had a weakness - roulette. In the casino, Matilda Feliksovna was called “Madame 17” because she only bet on 17. A prudent player, Matilda knew how to lose. When she got up from the table after a loss, she always smiled. She did not lose shape, participated in performances, and went on tour. In 1936 she performed at a London charity concert, and she was already 64 years old.
The blows of fate did not break this woman. When the money ran out, she and her husband settled in a small house in a Parisian suburb. No one ever heard any complaints from her. During difficult times for the family, Kshesinskaya opened a ballet studio in Paris. Her students were prominent dancers, our own and foreign stars - Margot Fonteyn herself came from London to take lessons from her.
In 1958, the Bolshoi Theater troupe came on tour to Paris. Could she not go to their performances? “I cried with happiness,” she recalled. “Russia is capable, like no one else, of combining technology and inspiration.” Galina Ulanova delighted her. Matilda Feliksovna asked one of her friends to approach the ballerina and convey her admiration for her skill and talent. She didn’t dare - communication, even short, with an emigrant like her was too dangerous for Ulanova.
Having far outlived her husband, Kshesinskaya retained an excellent memory until the end of her life. She took up her pen and left us living evidence of the past.
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya lived a very long life: as they say, the “methuselah age” is almost a hundred years. She died in Paris in 1971 and is buried in the famous Russian cemetery at Genevieve-du-Bois.
who took part in the show of Ilya Averbukh and Channel One.
BOLERO performed by Natalia Osipova and Roman Kostomarov.
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Prima ballerina of the Imperial Theater Matilda Kshesinskaya was not only one of the brightest stars of Russian ballet, but also one of the most scandalous and controversial figures in the history of the twentieth century. She was the mistress of Emperor Nicholas II and two Grand Dukes, and later became the wife of Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov. Such women are called fatal - she used men to achieve her goals, weaved intrigues, and abused personal connections for career purposes. She is called a courtesan and seductress, although no one disputes her talent and skill.
Maria-Matilda Krzezinska was born in 1872 in St. Petersburg into a family of ballet dancers who came from the family of bankrupt Polish counts Krasinski. Since childhood, the girl, who grew up in an artistic environment, dreamed of ballet.
At the age of 8 she was sent to the Imperial Theater School, from which she graduated with honors. Attended her graduation performance on March 23, 1890 imperial family. That's when I first saw her future emperor Nicholas II. Later, the ballerina admitted in her memoirs: “When I said goodbye to the Heir, a feeling of attraction to each other had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine.”
After graduating from college, Matilda Kshesinskaya was enrolled in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater and in her first season took part in 22 ballets and 21 operas. On a gold bracelet with diamonds and sapphires - a gift from the Tsarevich - she engraved two dates, 1890 and 1892. This was the year they met and the year they began their relationship. However, their romance did not last long - in 1894, the engagement of the heir to the throne to the Princess of Hesse was announced, after which he broke up with Matilda.
Kshesinskaya became a prima ballerina, and the entire repertoire was selected specifically for her. The director of the imperial theaters, Vladimir Telyakovsky, without denying the dancer’s extraordinary abilities, said: “It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but then it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya. She considered the ballets her property and could give or not let others dance them.”
Prima weaved intrigues and did not allow many ballerinas to go on stage. Even when foreign dancers came on tour, she did not allow them to perform in “her” ballets. She chose the time for her performances herself, performed only at the height of the season, and allowed herself long breaks, during which she stopped studying and indulged in entertainment. At the same time, Kshesinskaya was the first Russian dancer to be recognized as a world star. She amazed the foreign audience with her skill and 32 fouettés in a row.
Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich looked after Kshesinskaya and indulged all her whims. She went on stage in insanely expensive jewelry from Faberge. In 1900, on the stage of the Imperial Theater, Kshesinskaya celebrated her 10th anniversary creative activity(although before her ballerinas gave benefit performances only after 20 years on stage). At a dinner after the performance, she met Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, with whom she began a whirlwind romance. At the same time, the ballerina continued to officially live with Sergei Mikhailovich.
In 1902, Kshesinskaya had a son. Paternity was attributed to Andrei Vladimirovich. Telyakovsky did not choose his expressions: “Is this really a theater, and am I really in charge of this? Everyone is happy, everyone is happy and glorifies the extraordinary, technically strong, morally impudent, cynical, arrogant ballerina, who lives simultaneously with two great princes and not only does not hide it, but, on the contrary, weaves this art into her stinking cynical wreath of human carrion and depravity "
After the revolution and the death of Sergei Mikhailovich, Kshesinskaya and her son fled to Constantinople, and from there to France. In 1921, she married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, receiving the title of Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya. In 1929, she opened her own ballet studio in Paris, which was successful thanks to her big name.
She died at 99, having outlived all her eminent patrons. Disputes about her role in the history of ballet continue to this day. And from her entire long life, only one episode is usually mentioned:
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