Matilda Kshesinskaya - biography, photo, Nicholas II, personal life of the great ballerina. Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya Who is Matilda in life

The famous Russian ballerina did not live up to her centenary for several months - she died on December 6, 1971 in Paris. Her life is like an unstoppable dance, which to this day is surrounded by legends and intriguing details.

Romance with the Tsarevich

Graceful, almost tiny Malechka, it seemed that fate itself was destined to devote herself to the service of Art. Her father was a talented dancer. It was from him that the baby inherited an invaluable gift - not just to play the part, but to live in dance, fill it with unbridled passion, pain, captivating dreams and hope - everything that her own destiny will be rich in the future. She adored the theater and could watch rehearsals with a spellbound gaze for hours. 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 on the fly, captivating the audience with true drama and light 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 festive 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 in the novel of the legendary ballerina and heir to the Russian throne, and what is fiction - they argue a lot and greedily. Some argue that their relationship was immaculate. Others, as if in revenge, immediately recall Nikolai's visits to the house, where the beloved soon moved with her sister. Still others are trying to suggest that if there was love, then it came only from Mrs. Kshesinskaya. The love correspondence has not been preserved, in the diary entries of the emperor there are only fleeting mentions of Malechka, but there are many details in the memoirs of the ballerina herself. But should they be trusted unquestioningly? A charmed woman can easily be "deluded." Be that as it may, there was no vulgarity or routine in these relations, although Petersburg gossips competed, setting out the fantastic details of the Tsarevich's "romance" with the actress.

"Polish Mala"

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 marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse was based only on a sense of duty and determined by the desire of relatives, she, of course, was cunning. As a wise woman, she left the “stage” at the right moment, “letting go” of her lover, barely learning about his engagement. Was this step an accurate calculation? Unlikely. He, most likely, allowed the "Polish Male" to remain a warm memory in the heart of the Russian emperor.

The fate of Matilda Kshesinskaya in general was closely connected with the fate of the imperial family. Her good friend and patron was Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich.

It was him that Nicholas II, allegedly, asked to "look after" Malechka after parting. The Grand Duke will take care of Matilda for twenty years, who, by the way, will then be accused of his death - the prince will stay in St. Petersburg for too long, trying to save the ballerina's property. One of the grandsons of Alexander II, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich will become her husband and father of her son, His Serene Highness Prince Vladimir Andreevich Romanovsky-Krasinsky. It was precisely by the close connection with the imperial family that ill-wishers often explained all the life “successes” of Kshesinskaya

Prima ballerina

A prima ballerina of the Imperial Theatre, who is applauded by the European public, one who knows how to defend her position with the power of charm and the passion of her talent, behind whom, allegedly, there are influential patrons - such a woman, of course, had envious people.

She was accused of "sharpening" the repertoire for herself, going only on profitable foreign tours, and even specially "ordering" parties for herself.

So, 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 order and "under pressure" from Matilda Feliksovna. It is difficult, however, to imagine how this impeccably educated lady, with an innate sense of tact, could disturb the former Beloved with “theatrical trifles”, and even at such an important moment for him. Meanwhile, the part of the Yellow Pearl has become a true decoration of the ballet. Well, after Kshesinskaya persuaded Corrigan, presented at the Paris Opera, to insert a variation from her favorite ballet The 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 selfless work?

bitchy character

Perhaps one of the most scandalously unpleasant episodes in the ballerina's biography can be considered her "unacceptable behavior", which led to the resignation of the Director of the Imperial Theaters by Sergei Volkonsky. "Unacceptable behavior" consisted in the fact that Kshesinskaya replaced the uncomfortable suit provided by the directorate 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 influential patrons of the ballerina and her bitchy character.

It is quite possible that at some stage Matilda simply could not explain to the person she respected her non-involvement in gossip and speculation. Be that as it may, Prince Volkonsky, having met her in Paris, took an ardent part in the arrangement of her ballet school, lectured there, and later wrote a magnificent article about Kshesinskaya the teacher. She always lamented that she could not keep "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 the ballerina, then her 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 villa "Alam", bought before the revolution. "Imperial theaters ceased to exist, and I did not feel like dancing!" - 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 travels to Paris, looking for housing for her family and premises for her ballet studio. She worries that she won't get enough students or "fail" as a teacher, but her first class is going great and she'll have to expand to accommodate everyone very soon. Calling Kshesinskaya a secondary teacher does not turn the tongue, one has only to recall her students, world ballet stars - Margot Fontaine and Alicia Markova.

During her life 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" squanders the "royal jewels". They said that Kshesinskaya decided to open a school because of the desire to improve her financial situation, undermined by the game.

"Actress of Mercy"

The charitable activities that Kshesinskaya was engaged 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 of the most modern model hospitals for that time. She did not bandage the sick personally and did not work as a nurse, apparently believing that everyone should do what they can do well. She organized trips for the wounded to her dacha in Strelna, arranged trips for soldiers and doctors to the theater, wrote letters under dictation, decorated chamber with flowers, or, throwing off her shoes, without pointe shoes, just dancing on her fingers. She was applauded, I think, no less than during the legendary performance in London's Covent Garden, when 64-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya, in a silver-embroidered sundress and pearl kokoshnik, easily and flawlessly performed her legendary "Russian". Then she was called 18 times, and it was unthinkable for the stiff English public.

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, 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 in a family of ballet dancers who came from the family of the ruined Polish counts Krasinski. From 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. The imperial family attended her graduation performance on March 23, 1890. It was then that the future Emperor Nicholas II saw her for the first time. 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. It was the year they met and the year the relationship began. However, their romance did not last long - in 1894, the engagement of the heir to the throne with 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 outstanding abilities of the dancer, said: “It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but here 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 "their" ballets. She herself chose the time for her performances, performed only at the height of the season, allowed herself long breaks, during which she stopped classes and indulged in entertainment. At the same time, Kshesinskaya was the first of the Russian dancers to be recognized as a world star. She impressed foreign audiences with her skill and 32 fouettes in a row.

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich took care of Kshesinskaya and indulged all her whims. She went on stage wearing insanely expensive Faberge jewelry. In 1900, on the stage of the Imperial Theater, Kshesinskaya celebrated the 10th anniversary of her creative activity (although before her ballerinas gave benefit performances only after 20 years on stage). At dinner after the performance, she met Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, with whom she began a stormy romance. At the same time, the ballerina continued to officially live with Sergei Mikhailovich.

In 1902, a son was born to Kshesinskaya. Paternity was attributed to Andrei Vladimirovich. Telyakovsky did not choose 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, impudent ballerina, who lives simultaneously with the two Grand Dukes and not only does not hide this, but, on the contrary, weaves this art into her stinking cynical wreath of human carrion and debauchery ".

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 a success thanks to her big name.

She died at the age of 99, outliving all her eminent patrons. The debate about her role in the history of ballet continues to this day. And out of her entire long life, only one episode is usually mentioned:

In the Soviet era, the name of this ballerina was remembered mainly in connection with her mansion, from the balcony of which V. I. Lenin delivered speeches. But once the name of Matilda Kshesinskaya was well known to the public.

Matilda Kshesinskaya was a hereditary ballerina. Her father, the Polish dancer Felix Kshesinsky, was an unsurpassed performer of the mazurka. Emperor Nicholas I was very fond of this dance, therefore F. Kshesinsky was discharged to St. Petersburg from Warsaw. Already in the capital, he married the ballerina Yulia Dominskaya - they had four children, of whom Matilda was the youngest. She was born in 1872.

As is often the case with children from theatrical families, Matilda met the stage at the age of four - she performed a small role as a little mermaid in the ballet The Humpbacked Horse. But soon the girl developed a serious interest in the art of dance, and her abilities were obvious. From the age of eight, she began attending the Imperial Theater School as an incoming student, where her older sister Julia and brother Joseph studied. In the classroom, Matilda was bored - what was taught there, she had already mastered at home. Maybe the girl would have quit ballet, but everything changed when she saw the performance of an Italian dancer touring Russia in the ballet "Vain Precaution". The art of this ballerina has become for her an ideal to which she wants to strive.

By the time of graduation, Matilda Kshesinskaya was considered one of the best students. According to the established tradition, after the concert, the three best graduates were introduced to the emperor and his family, who certainly attended this event. One of the three was Matilda, who performed that evening Lisa from the ballet "". True, she - because of her status as an incoming student - had to be kept apart, but Emperor Alexander III, amazed by her performance, asked to be presented to him a living, miniature girl. The young ballerina was given an unprecedented honor - at a gala dinner she sat between the emperor and Tsarevich Nicholas, who did not forget this meeting.

After graduation, Matilda became an artist of the Mariinsky Theater "Kshesinskaya - 2" (her sister Yulia was the first). During the first theatrical season, she performed in twenty-two ballets and dance scenes in twenty-one operas. True, her parties were small, but spectacular. For an aspiring ballerina, such a number of roles is incredible luck, and the reason for this was not only her outstanding talent, but also the tender feelings of the heir to the throne for the dancer. This novel was encouraged by the imperial family to a certain extent... Of course, no one took this story seriously. But, if a fleeting passion for a ballerina diverts the attention of the Tsarevich from Alice of Hesse, whom the emperor considered not the best party for the heir, then why not?

Did Matilda Kshesinskaya guess about this? It is unlikely ... She loved the heir, her "Nika", and met with him in the house on English Avenue, which the crown prince bought for her.

Kshesinskaya was not only the favorite of the Romanovs, but also a first-class professional. If there is no skill and talent, even the highest patronage will not help - everything becomes obvious in the light of the ramp. Matilda understood how imperfect her dancing technique was compared to the technique of the then fashionable Italian virtuosos. And the ballerina begins to work hard with the famous Italian teacher Enrico Cecchetti. Soon she was already flaunting the same "steel toe" and sparkling rotations as her rivals - Italians. The first in Russia, Kshesinskaya began to perform 32 fouettes and did it brilliantly.

The first main role of the ballerina was the part of Marietta-Dragoniazza in the ballet Calcabrino. This happened thanks to a happy accident - the Italian prima Carlotta Brianza, who was supposed to play this role, suddenly fell ill. A true star of the ballet scene, she performed tricks previously only available to male dancers, including aerial tours. Entering the stage, Kshesinskaya understood that the audience would compare her with a brilliant Italian, looking for the slightest mistakes ... “The main thing is not to jump into the orchestra,” Marius Petipa jokingly admonished her before the performance.

The performance, with which so many unrest was associated, was a triumph for Kshesinskaya. “Her debut can be regarded as an event in the history of our ballet,” summed up the theatrical newspaper. The French magazine Le Monde Artiste echoes her: “The young prima ballerina has everything: physical charm, impeccable technique, completeness of performance and ideal lightness.”

When Carlotta Brianza left St. Petersburg, her roles were transferred to Matilda Kshesinskaya, including Princess Aurora in the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, created by Marius Petipa for this Italian guest performer. Aurora has become one of the best parties of Russian prima. Once, after a performance, P. I. Tchaikovsky came to her dressing room, expressed his admiration for her and expressed his intention to write a ballet for her ... Alas, it did not come true - the composer died six months later, and the ballerina did not even understand that she was talking with a genius ... She considered Tchaikovsky is a good "composer of ballet scores". Subsequently, when in Paris she was offered to speak with memoirs at the evening in honor of the 100th anniversary of the composer, she refused - she had nothing to tell.

In 1896 Matilda Kshesinskaya became the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre. Her repertoire included such parties as Aspicia ("The Pharaoh's Daughter"), Esmeralda and Paquita in the ballets of the same name, the Pellet Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette-Odile in "", Lisa in "Vain Precaution". For Kshesinskaya, he resumed La Bayadère and other ballets, technically complicating her parts.

Matilda loved to dance the royal daughter of the pharaoh Aspicia, shining on the stage with her technique and ... Romanov diamonds. She found a lot of personal things in the part of the poor street dancer Esmeralda, in love with the brilliant officer Phoebus, betrothed to the proud aristocrat Fleur de Lis ...

Matilda Kshesinskaya occupied a special position in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. She was called the queen of the Petersburg scene. The ballerina considered many parties to be personal property and did not allow anyone to dance without her permission.

Several ballets were staged for her, but there were no masterpieces among them. The viewer loved and loves the charming Fairy of Dolls by J. Bayer staged by the brothers Nikolai and Sergey Legatov. It was their gift to the wonderful Fairy - the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, before whom they bowed, performing the parts of two Pierrots. Kshesinskaya highly appreciated Nikolai Legat, a teacher with whom she had been studying for many years.

Matilda Kshesinskaya could afford what was forbidden to others - for example, a benefit performance in honor of a decade of stage activity (usually ballerinas were entitled to a benefit performance only after twenty years of service). For this benefit performance, Marius Petipa staged two ballets by Alexander Glazunov, The Four Seasons and Harlequinade.

The ballerina retired from the Mariinsky Theater in 1904, signing a contract for one-time performances. She was the first partner of the young Vaslav Nijinsky, danced in some ballets (Evnika, Butterflies, Eros). But, in general, Kshesinskaya was a supporter of the "old" academic imperial ballet, virtuoso technique and the cult of the prima. The "New Ballet" by Mikhail Fokin did not inspire her.

Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia in 1919. In exile, she married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov. Living in France, she turned down offers to perform on stage, despite the fact that she needed money. In 1929, she opened a ballet school and earned her living by giving lessons. Among the students of M. Kshesinskaya are M. Fontaine, I. Shovire, T. Ryabushinsky (one of the famous "baby ballerinas").

The last time Matilda Kshesinskaya performed was in 1936 in London on the stage of the Covent Garden Theatre. She was 64 years old, but this did not prevent her success: she was called eighteen times!

In the future, M. Kshesinskaya was engaged in teaching. She died in 1971, nine months before her centenary. The ballerina wrote "Memoirs", where she told, somewhat embellishing the events, about her stormy personal life and the brilliant career of the St. Petersburg imperial prima.

The name of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Russian ballet. Feature films and documentaries have been made about her.

Music Seasons

Matilda Kshesinskaya is not just an outstanding ballerina, whose technique significantly exceeded the abilities of her domestic contemporaries. She is one of the most influential persons of the late XIX - early XX century. An example of its meaning is the words of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich. During the First World War, when the army of the Russian Empire suffered greatly from a shortage of shells, he claimed that he was powerless to do anything with the artillery department, since the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya influences artillery affairs and participates in the distribution of orders between various organizations.

Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 31, 1872 in a creative family. Father - Russian Pole Felix Kshesinsky, discharged from Poland as the best performer of his favorite mazurka, mother - Yulia Dominskaya, a wealthy widow of ballet dancer Lede. Matilda's sister is a ballerina Yulia Kshesinskaya (called "Kshesinskaya 1st", married Zeddeler), her brother is a dancer and choreographer Joseph Kshesinsky.

The girl entered the Imperial Theater School and graduated from it in 1890. The entire royal family was present at the graduation party, and at the gala dinner Kshesinskaya sat next to the heir to the throne, Nikolai. Then Alexander III, enthusiastically following the movements of Matilda, utters the fateful words:

"Mademoiselle! Be the adornment and glory of our ballet!

Matilda is accepted into the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, on the imperial stage of which Kshesinskaya 2nd (the 1st was officially called her sister Julia) danced for 27 years.

Career at the Mariinsky Theater

Matilda Kshesinskaya danced in the ballets of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov (who was one of her teachers at the school). The first performances of Kshesinskaya were the Dragee fairy in The Nutcracker, Paquita in the ballet of the same name, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Nikiya in La Bayadère.

After leaving for Italy, Carlotta Brianza took over the role of Princess Aurora in the ballet Sleeping Beauty.

After 6 years of work in the theater, Kshesinskaya was awarded the status of "prima ballerina of the imperial theaters", despite the objections of the chief choreographer Petipa. According to some reports, it was the connections at the court that helped to quickly move to the very top of the ballet hierarchy.

For her sake, only a few ballets were staged, which subsequently were not included in the list of ballet heritage. For example, in 1894, on the occasion of the marriage of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, the ballet Awakening the Flora was presented with the main part of Kshesinskaya.

Prima ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya

Despite a stable position in the theater, Matilda Kshesinskaya constantly improved her technique, attending private lessons from the famous teacher Enrico Cecchetti since 1898. She became the first Russian ballerina to perform 32 fouettes in a row on stage.

In 1904, Matilda Kshesinskaya voluntarily resigned from the Mariinsky Theater and, after the benefit performance, switched to performances on a contract basis. She earned 500 rubles for each appearance on the stage, and subsequently the payment increased to 750 rubles.

The ballerina has repeatedly said that academically trained artists can dance anything, it was no coincidence that Mikhail Fokin invited her to his performances: Evnika (1907), Butterflies (1912), Eros (1915).

intrigue

Matilda Kshesinskaya strongly opposed the invitation to the troupe of foreign ballerinas. She tried by all means to prove that Russian ballerinas are worthy of the main roles, while most of them were given to foreign artists.

The subject of intrigue often became the Italian ballerina Pierina Legnani, who, despite the mood of Kshesinskaya, worked at the Mariinsky Theater for eight years. But the director of the Imperial Theaters, Prince Volkonsky, himself could not stand the influence of Matilda, who left the theater after refusing to restore the old ballet Katarina, the Robber's Daughter. The influential ballerina herself called the figs of the costume for the Russian dance from the Camargo ballet the stumbling block.

In 1899, her old dream came true - Marius Petipa gives her the part of Esmeralda, and since then she has been the sole owner of this role, which causes discontent among her colleagues. Before Matilda, this part was performed exclusively by Italians.

In addition to foreign ballerinas, Sergey Diaghilev, the organizer of the Russian Seasons, considered Kshesinskaya his “worst enemy”. He invited her to perform in London, which attracted Matilda much more than Paris. For this, the ballerina had to take advantage of her connections and "punch" for Diaghilev the opportunity to perform with her entreprise in St. Petersburg and receive a deferral of military service for Nijinsky, who became liable for military service. “Swan Lake” was chosen for Kshesinskaya’s performance, and not by chance - in this way Diaghilev got access to the scenery that belonged to her.

The attempt was unsuccessful. Moreover, Diaghilev was so angry because of the futility of the petition that his servant Vasily seriously suggested that he poison the ballerina.

Personal life

The personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya is even more full of intrigue than the professional activities of a ballerina. Her fate is closely intertwined with representatives of the Romanov dynasty.

It is believed that from 1892 to 1894 she was the mistress of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. After meeting, he regularly attends her performances, their relationship develops rapidly, although everyone is aware that the novel does not have a happy ending. In order to maintain decency, a mansion was bought for Kshesinskaya on the English Embankment, where they met without any interference.

“I fell in love with the Heir from our first meeting. After the summer season in Krasnoye Selo, when I could meet and talk with him, my feeling filled my whole soul, and I could only think about him ... ”, writes the enthusiastic Matilda Kshesinskaya in her diary.

The reason for the collapse of relations with the future was his engagement to the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt in April 1894.

The direct participation of the ballerina in the life of the royal family did not end there - Matilda Kshesinskaya was in close relations with the Grand Dukes Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich. On October 15, 1911, by the Highest Decree, the patronymic "Sergeevich" was given to her son Vladimir, who was born on June 18, 1902 in Strelna. In the family he was simply called "Vova", and he received the surname "Krasinsky".

On January 17 (30), 1921, in Cannes, in the Archangel Michael Church, Matilda Kshesinskaya entered into a morganatic marriage with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, who adopted her son and gave his patronymic. In 1925, Matilda Feliksovna converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy with the name Maria.

On November 30, 1926, the cousin of Nicholas II, Kirill Vladimirovich, awarded her and her descendants the title and surname of the princes Krasinsky, and on July 28, 1935, the most serene princes Romanovsky-Krasinsky.

In exile

In February 1917, Kshesinskaya, together with her son, was forced to wander around other people's apartments, having lost luxurious real estate - a mansion that turned into the "headquarters of the Leninists" and a summer house. She decides to go to Kislovodsk to Prince Andrei Vladimirovich in the hope of returning home soon.

“In my soul, a feeling of joy to see Andrei again and a feeling of remorse fought that I was leaving Sergei alone in the capital, where he was in constant danger. In addition, it was hard for me to take Vova away from him, in which he did not have a soul, ”says Kshesinskaya in her memoirs.

At the beginning of 1918, “a wave of Bolshevism came to Kislovodsk”, and Kshesinskaya and Vova went to Anapa as refugees by the decision of Andrei’s mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. The year 1919 was spent in a relatively calm Kislovodsk, from where the refugees left for Novorossiysk in a train of 2 cars. Interestingly, Maria Pavlovna and her entourage traveled first class, while Matilda and Vova were awarded third.

Matilda Kshesinskaya in Paris taught at the ballet studio

Living conditions continued to deteriorate - for 6 weeks, high society lived right in the cars, while typhus was taking people around. Then they sail from Novorossiysk and receive French visas. On March 12 (25), 1920, the family arrived in Cap d'Ail, where the ballerina's villa was located.

In 1929 Matilda Kshesinskaya opened her own ballet studio in Paris. The teacher Kshesinskaya was distinguished by a calm disposition - she never raised her voice to her wards.

Movies and books

The biography of Matilda Kshesinskaya, rich in events and famous people, is a subject often covered in art. So, in the novel "Coronation, or the Last of the Novels" from the series "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin" tells about the preparations for the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II. One of the characters is Isabella Felitsianovna Snezhnevskaya, whose prototype is Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya herself.

In another work, Matilda Kshesinskaya is a key character. On October 26, 2017, a new painting "Matilda" is presented, which caused a public outcry even before its premiere. The plot of the film is in the relationship of Kshesinskaya with Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Nicholas II.

The scandal arose after the release of the first official trailer containing scenes of an erotic nature with the participation of the leading actors and.

The public movement "Royal Cross" accused the creators of the picture of "distortion of historical events" and "anti-Russian and anti-religious provocation in the field of culture." This prompted, known for her veneration of Nicholas II, to contact the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to check the material.

The audit did not reveal violations, but launched a series of mutual appeals and accusations of public figures, politicians and filmmakers.

Death

At the age of 86, 13 years before her death, Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya had a dream - she heard the ringing of bells, church singing and saw the figure of Alexander III in front of her, uttering a fatal phrase about the decoration and glory of Russian ballet. That morning, she decided to write a memoir that lifted the veil of the secrets of the personal life of the legendary Kshesinskaya.

The memoirs of Matilda Kshesinskaya were published in 1960 in Paris in French. The work was published in Russian only in 1992.

The outstanding ballerina lived a long life - she passed away at the age of 99 a few months before her centenary, on December 5, 1971.

Her body was buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in the suburbs of Paris in the same grave with her husband and son. An epitaph was inscribed on the monument: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."

Matilda without embellishment: what kind of ballerina Kshesinskaya was in life

In Russia, after all, Alexei Uchitel's film "Matilda" was released - it would seem that an ordinary drama about the romance of the last Russian emperor and a ballerina, which suddenly and unexpectedly caused an unprecedented seething of passions, scandals and even serious death threats against the director and members of the film crew . Well, while the intrigued Russian public, in a state of some confusion, is preparing to personally assess the source of the all-Russian hype, Vladimir Tikhomirov tells what Matilda Kshesinskaya was like in life.

Blue-blooded ballerina

According to the Kshesinsky family tradition, Kshesinskaya's great-great-great-grandfather was Count Krasinsky, who had enormous wealth. After his death, almost the entire inheritance went to his eldest son, great-great-grandfather Kshesinskaya, but his youngest son received practically nothing. But soon the happy heir died and all the wealth passed to his 12-year-old son Wojciech, who remained in the care of a French educator.

Uncle Wojciech decided to kill the boy in order to take possession of the fortune. He hired two killers, one of whom repented at the very last moment and told Wojciech's mentor about the conspiracy. As a result, he secretly took the boy to France, where he recorded him under the name Kshesinsky.

The only thing that Kshesinskaya has preserved to prove her noble origin is a ring with the coat of arms of the counts Krasinsky.

From childhood - to the machine

Ballet was Matilda's destiny from birth. Father, Pole Felix Kshesinsky, was a dancer and teacher, as well as the creator of a family troupe: the family had eight children, each of whom decided to connect his life with the stage. Matilda was the youngest. Already at the age of three she was sent to a ballet class.

By the way, she is far from the only one of the Kshesinskys who has achieved success. For a long time, her older sister Yulia shone on the stage of the Imperial Theaters. And Matilda herself was called "Kshesinskaya Second" for a long time. Her brother Joseph Kshesinsky, also a famous dancer, also became famous. After the revolution, he remained in Soviet Russia, received the title of Honored Artist of the Republic. His fate was tragic - he died of starvation during the blockade of Leningrad.

Love at first sight

Matilda was noticed already in 1890. At the graduation performance of the ballet school in St. Petersburg, which was attended by Emperor Alexander III with his family (Empress Maria Feodorovna, four brothers of the sovereign with their spouses and still very young Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich), the emperor loudly asked: "Where is Kshesinskaya?" When the embarrassed pupil was brought to him, he held out his hand to her and said:

Be the adornment and glory of our ballet.

After the exam, the school gave a big gala dinner. Alexander III asked Kshesinskaya to sit next to him and introduced the ballerina to his son Nikolai.

Young Tsarevich Nicholas

I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I immediately fell in love with the heir, ”Kshesinskaya later wrote. - As now I see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. I stopped looking at him only as an heir, I forgot about it, everything was like a dream. When I said goodbye to the heir, who spent the whole dinner next to me, we looked at each other not the same as when we met, a feeling of attraction had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine ...

The second meeting with Nikolai happened in Krasnoye Selo. A wooden theater was also built there to entertain the officers.

Kshesinskaya, after talking with the heir, recalled:

It was the only one I could think of. It seemed to me that although he was not in love, he still felt attracted to me, and I involuntarily gave myself up to dreams. We never got to talk in private, and I didn't know how he felt about me. I found out later, when we became close ...

The main thing is to remind yourself

The romance of Matilda and Nikolai Alexandrovich began in 1892, when the heir rented a luxurious mansion for the ballerina on English Avenue. The heir constantly came to her, and the lovers spent many happy hours together there (later he bought and presented this house to her).

However, already in the summer of 1893, Nicky began to visit the ballerina less and less.

And on April 7, 1894, Nicholas's engagement to Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt was announced.

Nicholas II and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt

It seemed to me that my life was over and that there would be no more joys, but there was much, much grief ahead, ”wrote Matilda. - What I experienced when I knew that he was already with his bride, it is difficult to express. The spring of my happy youth was over, a new, difficult life was advancing with a broken heart so early ...

In her numerous letters, Matilda asked Nicky for permission to continue to communicate with him on "you", and also turn to him for help in difficult situations. For all subsequent years, she tried her best to remind herself. For example, patrons in the Winter Palace often informed her about plans to move Nicholas around the city - wherever the emperor went, he invariably met Kshesinskaya there, enthusiastically sending air kisses to "dear Nika". What, probably, brought both the Sovereign himself and his wife to white heat. It is a known fact that the directorate of the Imperial Theater once received an order to ban Kshesinskaya from performing on Sundays - on this day the royal family usually visited theaters.

Lover for three

After the heir, Kshesinskaya had several more lovers from among the representatives of the Romanov dynasty. So, immediately after breaking up with Nicky, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich consoled her - their romance lasted a long time, which did not prevent Matilda Kshesinskaya from making new lovers. Also in 1900, she began dating the 53-year-old Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.

Soon Kshesinskaya began a stormy romance with his son, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, her future husband.

A feeling immediately crept into my heart, which I had not experienced for a long time; it was no longer empty flirting, - wrote Kshesinskaya. - From the day of my first meeting with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, we began to meet more and more often, and our feelings for each other soon turned into a strong mutual attraction.

Andrey Vladimirovich Romanov and Matilda Kshesinskaya with their son

However, she did not break off relations with other Romanovs, using their patronage. For example, with their help, she received a personal benefit dedicated to the tenth anniversary of her work at the Imperial Theatre, although other artists received such honors only after twenty years of service.

In 1901, Kshesinskaya found out that she was pregnant. The father of the child is Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.

On June 18, 1902, she gave birth to a son at her dacha in Strelna. At first she wanted to name him Nikolai, in honor of her beloved Nicky, but in the end the boy was named Vladimir, in honor of the father of her lover Andrei.

Kshesinskaya recalled that after giving birth she had a difficult conversation with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who was ready to recognize the newborn as his son:

He knew perfectly well that he was not the father of my child, but he loved me so much and was so attached to me that he forgave me and decided, in spite of everything, to stay with me and protect me as a good friend. I felt guilty before him, because the previous winter, when he was courting a young and beautiful Grand Duchess and there were rumors about a possible wedding, I, having learned about this, asked him to stop courtship and thereby put an end to unpleasant conversations for me. I adored Andrei so much that I did not realize how guilty I was before Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich ...

As a result, the child was given a patronymic Sergeevich and the surname Krasinsky - for Matilda this was of particular importance. True, after the revolution, when in 1921 the ballerina and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich got married in Nice, their son received the “correct” patronymic.

Gothic in Windsor

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, in honor of the birth of a child, made Kshesinskaya a royal gift - the Borka estate in the Oryol province, where he planned to build a copy of the English Windsor on the site of the old master's house. Matilda admired the estate of the British kings.

Soon, the famous architect Alexander Ivanovich von Gauguin was discharged from St. Petersburg, who built the very famous Kshesinskaya mansion at the corner of Kronverksky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.

The construction went on for ten years, and in 1912 the castle with the park was ready. However, the prima ballerina was not satisfied: what kind of English style is this, if in a five-minute walk through the park you can see a typical Russian village with thatched huts?! As a result, the neighboring village was wiped off the face of the earth, and the peasants were evicted to a new place.

But Matilda still refused to move to rest in the Oryol province. As a result, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich sold the Russian Windsor in Borki to a local horse breeder from the county Sheremetev family, and he bought a ballerina Villa Alam on the Cote d'Azur of France.

Ballet hostess

In 1904, Kshesinskaya decides to leave the Imperial Theatre. But at the beginning of the new season, she receives an offer to return on a "contractual" basis: for each performance, she is obliged to pay 500 rubles. Crazy money in those days! Also, all the parties that she herself liked were assigned to Kshesinskaya.

Soon the entire theatrical world knew that Matilda's word was law. So, the director of the Imperial Theatres, Prince Sergei Volkonsky, once dared to insist that Kshesinskaya go on stage in a costume that she did not like. The ballerina did not obey and was fined. A couple of days later, Prince Volkonsky himself resigned.

The lesson was taken into account, and the new director of the Imperial Theaters, Vladimir Telyakovsky, already preferred to stay away from Matilda.

It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but here it turned out that the repertoire belongs to Kshesinskaya, - Telyakovsky himself wrote. - She considered him her property and could give or not let others dance.

Withering Matilda

In 1909, the main patron of Kshesinskaya, the uncle of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, died. After his death, the attitude towards the ballerina in the Imperial Theater changes in the most radical way. She was increasingly offered episodic roles.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Romanov

Soon Kshesinskaya went to Paris, then to London, again to St. Petersburg. Until 1917, there were no more cardinal changes in the life of a ballerina. The result of boredom was the ballerina's romance with the dancer Peter Vladimirov, who was 21 years younger than Matilda.

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, accustomed to sharing his mistress with his father and uncle, was furious. During Kshesinskaya's tour in Paris, the prince challenged the dancer to a duel. The unfortunate Vladimirov was shot in the nose by an offended representative of the Romanov family. The doctors had to pick it up piece by piece.

On the run

In early February 1917, the police chief of Petrograd advised the ballerina and her son to leave the capital, as unrest was expected in the city. On February 22, the ballerina gave the last reception in her mansion - it was a dinner with a chic serving for twenty-four people.

The very next day, she left the city engulfed by a wave of revolutionary madness. On February 28, the Bolsheviks, led by a Georgian student Agababov, broke into the ballerina's mansion. He began to arrange dinners in a famous house, forced the cook to cook for him and his guests, who drank elite wines and champagne from the cellar. Both cars of Kshesinskaya were requisitioned.

Kshesinskaya's mansion in St. Petersburg

At this time, Matilda herself wandered with her son to different apartments, fearing that her child would be taken away from her. Her servants brought food to her from the house, almost all of them remained faithful to Kshesinskaya.

After some time, Kshesinskaya herself decided to go to her house. She was horrified when she saw what he had become.

I was offered to go up to my bedroom, but it was just terrible what I saw: a wonderful carpet, specially ordered by me in Paris, was all filled with ink, all the furniture was taken to the lower floor, a door with hinges was torn out of a wonderful closet, all the shelves taken out, and there were guns... In my latrine, the tub-basin was filled with cigarette butts. At this time, student Agababov approached me ... He offered me to move back and live with them as if nothing had happened, and said that they would give me my son's rooms. I did not answer, it was already the height of impudence ...

Until mid-summer, Kshesinskaya tried to return the mansion, but then she realized that she just needed to run. And she went to Kislovodsk, where she reunited with Andrei Romanov.

Lenin, Zinoviev, Stalin and others worked in her mansion in different years. From the balcony of this house, Lenin repeatedly spoke to workers, soldiers and sailors. Kalinin lived there for several years, from 1938 to 1956 there was the Kirov Museum, and since 1957 - the Museum of the Revolution. In 1991, the Museum of the Political History of Russia was created in the mansion, which is still located there.

In exile

In 1920, Andrei and Matilda left Kislovodsk with a child and went to Novorossiysk. Then they leave for Venice, from there to France.

In 1929, Matilda and her husband ended up in Paris, but the money in the accounts had almost run out, and they had to live on something. Then Matilda decides to open her own ballet school.

Soon, children of famous parents begin to come to Kshesinskaya for classes. For example, the daughters of Fyodor Chaliapin. In just five years, the school is untwisted so that about 100 people study in it every year. The school also operated during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Of course, at some moments there were no students at all, and the ballerina came to an empty studio. The school became an outlet for Kshesinskaya, thanks to which she suffered the arrest of her son Vladimir. He ended up in the Gestapo literally the very next day after the Nazi invasion of the USSR. Parents raised all possible connections so that Vladimir was released. According to rumors, Kshesinskaya even got a meeting with the head of the German secret state police, Heinrich Muller. As a result, after 119 days of imprisonment, Vladimir was nevertheless released from the concentration camp and returned home. But the Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich really went crazy during the imprisonment of his son. He allegedly dreamed of Germans everywhere: the door opens, they come in and arrest his son.

The final

In 1956, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich died in Paris at the age of 77.

With the death of Andrei, the fairy tale that was my life ended. Our son stayed with me - I adore him and from now on he has the whole meaning of my life. For him, of course, I will always remain a mother, but also the biggest and most faithful friend ...

Interestingly, after leaving Russia, not a single word about the last Russian emperor is found in her diary.

Matilda died on December 5, 1971, a few months short of her centenary. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris. On the monument there is an epitaph: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."

Her son Vladimir Andreevich died single and childless in 1974 and was buried next to his mother's grave.

But the ballet dynasty of Kshesinskaya did not fade away. This year, Eleonora Sevenard, grand-niece of Matilda Kshesinskaya, was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Company.

Matilda Kshesinskaya. Mysteries of life. Documentary

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