Sinful Matilda. Like a ballerina Kshesinskaya brought to mind the men of the house of Romanov
The love story that it is trying to rewrite descendants.
The people who lived in Russia in the late XIX — early XX century, few thought about what will be their image in the eyes of a distant posterity. Because we lived just loved, betrayed, committed dishonesty and unselfish deeds, not knowing that a hundred years later one of them will put on the head of a halo, and the other will be posthumously denied the right to love.
Mathilde Kschessinska got amazing destiny — glory, recognition, love of the powerful, emigration, life under German occupation, the need.
And decades after her death people who consider themselves highly spiritual persons, will use her name on each corner myself cursing the fact that she ever lived in the world.
“Kschessinska 2nd”
She was born in Ligovo, near Petersburg, August 31, 1872. Ballet was her destiny from birth — the father, the pole Felix Kschessinska, was a dancer and teacher, an outstanding performer of a Mazurka.
Mother, Julia Domanska, was a unique woman in the first marriage she gave birth to five children, and after her husband’s death she married Felix Kschessinska and gave birth to three more. Matilda in this ballet the family was the youngest, and, following the example of parents and older brothers and sisters, decided to devote her life to the stage.
Early in his career, for it fixates the name “Kschessinska 2nd”. The first was her sister Julia, a brilliant artist of the Imperial theatres.
Brother Joseph also celebrated dancer, after the revolution, will remain in Soviet Russia, will receive the title of Honored artist of the Republic will put on plays and teach.
Joseph Kschessinska will avoid repression, but the fate of it, however, it will be tragic — he will be one of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the siege of Leningrad.
Little Matilda dreamed of glory, and worked hard in the classroom. Teachers at the Imperial theatre school saying that the girl has a great future if she can find a wealthy patron.
The fateful dinner
The life of the Russian ballet of the Russian Empire was similar to the life of show business in post-Soviet Russia — one talent was not enough. Career was done through the bed, and it’s not very hidden. Faithful married actress was doomed to be a background for a brilliantly talented courtesans.
In 1890, the 18-year-old graduate of the Imperial theater school, Mathilde Kschessinska was honored on the graduation performance was attended by Emperor Alexander III with the family.
“This test decided my fate,” write the memoirs of Kschessinska.
After the performance the monarch and his retinue appeared in the rehearsal room, where Alexander III showered her with compliments. And then a young ballerina at the gala dinner, the Emperor pointed out the place next to the heir to the throne — Nicholas.
Alexander III, in contrast to other members of the Imperial family, including his father, lived for two families, is considered a loyal husband. Walking around the Emperor preferred another pastime of Russian men — consumption of “white” in the company of friends.
However, nothing wrong with that young man before marriage and learns the basics of love not seen. Order and pushed his phlegmatic 22-year-old son into the arms of 18-year-old beauty Polish blood.
“I don’t remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with an heir. I can still see his blue eyes with such a gentle expression. I stopped to look at him only as the heir, I forgot about it, it was like a dream. When I said goodbye to the heir, who sat through dinner next to me, we looked at each other not like at the meeting, in his soul, as in mine, already contained the sense of desire”, wrote about that night Kshesinskaya.
Passion “hussar Volkova”
Their romance was stormy. Mathilde dreamed of meeting, but the heir, occupied with Affairs of state, time Dating had.
Series
In January, 1892, to Matilda in the house arrived a “hussar wolves.” Surprised the girl went to the door and meet her was Nicholas. That night they first spent together.
Visits “hussar Volkova” became regular, and they knew all Petersburg. It got to the point that one night to the loving couple broke in the mayor of St. Petersburg, who received strict orders to deliver an heir to the father on urgent business.
These relationships had no future.
Nicholas knew the rules of the game: prior to engagement in 1894 to Princess Alice of Hesse, the future Alexandra Fyodorovna, he broke up with her.
In the memoirs of Kschessinska writes, was inconsolable. Believe it or not, a private matter. An affair with the heir to the throne gave her that protection, which could not be her rivals on stage.
We must pay tribute by getting the best party that deserves them. Becoming a prima ballerina, she continued to improve, he took private lessons with the renowned Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti.
32 fouettes in a row, which today are the trademark of Russian ballet, Mathilde Kschessinska was to perform the first of the Russian dancers, adopting this trick for Italians.
Read takharestan of the Romanovs in Russia came to the defense of “Matilda”
Grand love triangle
Her heart was briefly free. New lover once again became the representative of the Romanov dynasty, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, grandson of Nicholas I and first cousin of Nicholas II. Unmarried Sergei Mikhailovich, is reputed to be man closed, he felt for Mathilde incredible affection. He took care of her for many years, making her career in the theater was absolutely cloudless.
The feelings of Sergei Mikhailovich passed severe tests. In 1901, for Kransinski was to look after the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, uncle of Nicholas II. But it was only the episode before the appearance of the opponent. Opponent was his son — Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich, cousin of Nicholas II. He was ten years younger than his cousin, and seven years younger than Matilda.
It was not empty flirt… Since my first meeting with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, we increasingly began to meet, our feelings for each other soon turned into a strong mutual fluctiating Kschessinska
Men of the Romanov family flew to Mathilde, like butterflies on fire. Why? Now none of them can explain. A ballerina skillfully manipulate them — tying relationship with Andrew, she broke up with Sergei.
Having gone in the autumn of 1901 in journey, in Paris, Mathilde felt bad, and when I went to the doctor, I learned that the “situation”. But whose baby is she didn’t know. And both lovers were ready to accept the child as his own.
Son born June 18, 1902.
Matilda wanted to call him Nicholas, but did not dare such a move would be a violation of the rules they once set with the now Emperor Nicholas II.
In the end, the boy was named Vladimir in honor of his father Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.
The son of Matilda Kshesinskaya it will be an interesting life — before the revolution, he will be “S.” because it recognizes the “senior lover”, and in exile will be “A.” because “younger lover” marries the mother and acknowledges him as his son.
Kschessinska, in the end, to be conceived son was still Andrew. Let it be so.
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Mistress Russian ballet
In the theater she was a little afraid. After retiring in 1904 from the troupe, she went on a single performance, receiving mind-boggling fees. For her and only for her it was fixed by all the parties that she liked the most. To go against Kschessinska in the early XX century in the Russian ballet meant to end his career and ruin his life.
Director of the Imperial theatres, Prince Sergei Mikhaylovich Volkonsky, once dared to insist that Kshesinskaia took the stage in a suit that she didn’t like. Dancer disobeyed and was fined. After a couple of days Volkonsky resigned, so to him it was wrong explained to Emperor Nicholas II.
The new Director of the Imperial theatres Vladimir telyakovsky Matilda didn’t argue the word “all”.
“It would seem, the ballerina, serving in the Directorate, should belong to the repertoire, and here it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya, and as out of fifty submissions forty belong to the balletomanes, and in the repertoire of all ballets, more than half of the best belong to the ballerina Kshesinskaya — telyakovsky wrote in the memoirs.
— She considered them his property, and could give or not give them the dance to others. There were cases that were discharged from abroad ballerina. In the contract she was due to touring ballets. So it was with a ballerina Grimaldi, invited in 1900. But when she heads to a ballet one designated in the contract, to rehearse (this was the ballet “vain precaution”), Kschessinska said: “I will Not give, that’s my ballet.” Started, phones, conversations, telegrams. Poor Director tossed to and fro. Finally sends the encrypted telegram Minister to Denmark, where he was Emperor. It was a secret, special importance. And what? Gets the answer: “because this Kshesinskaya ballet, for her it and leave”.
Shot off the nose
In 1906 Kschessinska became the owner of a luxurious mansion in St. Petersburg, where everything from beginning to end, was done according to her own ideas. The house was the wine cellar for a visiting ballet dancer men in the yard of the hostess were waiting for horse-drawn carriages and cars. There was even a barn, as the ballerina loved the fresh milk.
Where did all this magnificence? Contemporaries said that even the space fees that Matilda would not be enough for all this luxury. Argued that Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, member of the Council of national defense, “pinch off” for his beloved little from the military budget of the country.
Kschessinska had all dreamed about, and like many women in her position, bored.
The result of boredom, was a novel 44-year-old ballerina with a new partner for the stage by Peter Vladimirov, who was younger than Matilda on 21.
Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, willing to share his mistress with equal, was furious. During a tour of Kschessinska in Paris, the Prince summoned the dancer to a duel. The unfortunate Vladimirov insulted the representative of the Romanov family was shot in the nose. Physicians had to pick up the pieces.
But, strange to say, the Grand Duke and this time forgave windy beloved.
The end of the story
The fairy tale ended in 1917. With the fall of the Empire collapsed and the old life Kshesinskaya. She still tried to sue the Bolsheviks mansion from the balcony of which Lenin spoke. Understanding how serious it is, it’s too late.
Together with his son, Kschessinska lived on the South of Russia, where the power changed like a kaleidoscope. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks in Pyatigorsk, but those unable to decide what he is guilty, let him go on all four sides. Son Vladimir has been ill with Spanish flu, wiped out in Europe by millions of people. Escaping typhus, in February 1920, Mathilde Kschessinska on the ship “Semiramis” left Russia.
By this time two of her lovers of the Romanov dynasty was no longer alive. The life of Nicholas ended in the Ipatiev house, Sergei was shot in Alapaevsk. When his body was raised from the mine where it was dropped in the hand of the Grand Duke found a small gold locket with a portrait of Mathilde Kschessinska and the words “Malle”.
Lightness Princess at a reception at the Mueller
In 1921 in Cannes, 49-year-old Mathilde Kschessinska for the first time became the legal wife. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, despite the sidelong glances of the relatives, arrange marriage and adopted a child who had always considered his.
In 1929 in Paris Kschessinska opened his ballet school. This step was rather forced to continue a comfortable life behind, you had to earn a living. Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich, declared himself in 1924 the head of the house of Romanov in exile in 1926 appropriated Kshesinskaya and her progeny the title and surname of princes of Warsaw, and in 1935 the title was to sound like “their Highnesses Romanov-Krasinski”.
During the Second world war, when the Germans occupied France, the son of Matilda was arrested by the Gestapo. According to legend, the dancer, to secure the release, has achieved a personal audience with the Gestapo chief Muller. Kshesinskaia herself never confirmed. Vladimir spent in a concentration camp 144 days, in contrast to many other immigrants to cooperate with the Germans refused, and still was released.
In the genus Kshesinskaya had a lot of centenarians. Matilda’s grandfather lived 106 years, sister Julia died at the age of 103 years, and the “Kschessinska 2nd” passed away just months before the 100th anniversary.
“I was crying from happiness”
In the 1950s, she wrote a memoir about his life, which was first published in French in 1960.
“In 1958, the ballet troupe of the Bolshoi theatre came to Paris. Although I don’t go anywhere else, dividing her time between home and the dance Studio where earn to live, I made an exception and went to the Opera to watch the Russian. I was crying from happiness. It was the same ballet, which I saw over forty years ago, the owner of the same spirit and the same traditions… “, — wrote Matilda. Probably the main love of her life and left the ballet.
The resting place of Feliksovna Mathilde Kschessinska was the cemetery of Sainte-geneviève-des-Bois. She is buried together with her husband, who survived for 15 years, and a son who died three years after mother.
The inscription on the monument reads: “her Highness the Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovsky-Krasinsky, honored artist of the Imperial theatres Kschessinska”.
Take Mathilde Kschessinska lived a life no one can as no one can alter the history of the last decades of the Russian Empire according to your taste, turning living people into bodiless entities. And those who are trying to do this, I don’t know a tenth of those colors of life, who know little Matilda.