What were they - the stars of the nineteenth and early twentieth century? That time seems so far away, but if you wish, as the poet said, you can see the light of a distant star. And learn at least a little about their life and art - at least on the example of the prima donna Vary Panina.
Biography
Varvara Vasilievna Vasilyeva was born in Moscow in 1872, in the gypsy quarter. At about three years old, the parents realized that their daughter surprisingly accurately repeats any tunes, and decided to teach her music.
And there was one case that finally convinced them of this. An old gypsy woman came to them and said that “your Varka will become a famous singer. But her life will be short."
When Varya was fourteen years old, she was assigned to the choir, which sang in the restaurant. I had to say goodbye to childhood and embark on a free voyage. The girl was very fond of singing, so she was not taken aback in the new environment, and soon began to solo at all performances.
Soon her personal life settled here. The director of the restaurant liked Varya, and she introduced her to her nephew. Fedor Panin immediately fell in love with the young singer, and they soon got married. Now Varvara bore the surname Panin and became a philistine.
A little later, the singer began performing at the more prestigious Yard restaurant. This was the place where the representatives of the "elite" of the society came. Not aristocrats, of course, but writers, poets, actors. This place was loved by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gorky, Bryusov and Blok. This restaurant was considered a kind of center of gypsy music, and Panina came to the court there.
Moreover, she attracted even more visitors to this institution, because no one else could sing like she did.
Even the famous Chaliapin recognized her talent. Once he asked a friend - is there someone who sings better than him? And the comrade replied that it was the singer Varya Panina. They immediately went to the Yard to listen to the wondrous gypsy. And the great singer was forced to agree that she sings magnificently, bewitching and magical. Since then, he has repeatedly called his friend to this restaurant only to hear her voice again.
Meanwhile, Varvara Vasilievna was creating her own choir, and soon a group of gypsies began to sing in the restaurant. They say that the years spent by the singer in the first choir were not in vain: she learned to stand up for herself and benefit from any situation. She had a man's grip, she was an organizer from God. Her new choir thundered all over Moscow, earnings grew, but the family grew, which needed to be fed.
Then Panina began to record her gramophone records and recorded six records one after another.
Solo career
Meanwhile, a new century had begun, and a new life had begun for Varya: she decided to leave the Yard and enter the big stage. She had her own impresario, who had long persuaded her to do it, and so she decided.
In 1902, Varvara Panina began her tour of Russia. Her contralto sounded on various stages, and everywhere it was the same: delight, delight, delight. Two years flew by, like one day, Varya's glory was at its zenith. But then the Russo-Japanese war broke out, then the 1905 revolution took place.
Panina was already thirty-five years old, and she often recalled the prediction of the old gypsy woman about her short life. And so she did not pay attention to what was happening in the country: she rushed on tour, recorded records - she was in a hurry to do as much as possible. For three years she recorded her best romances, and thanks to this, they can be heard today.
In 1907 Panina received an invitation to perform in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theater. There were rumors that the tsar himself would come to the concert with his family.
I must say that Varya's songs and romances were loved by representatives of all classes and ranks, from poor artisans to inveterate music lovers. Her low chest contralto was very similar in timbre to a man's voice, but she sang softly and insinuatingly - like a woman. And the contrast was fascinating.
At that time, many were opposed to Nicholas II, and going to the concert was a risky undertaking for him. However, he came with all the members of his family and listened to the gypsy with gusto.
In 1909, Panina performed in Paris, and made a splash there! The newspapers were full of her photographs and rave reviews.
The last big concert Varvara Vasilievna gave in 1910 in the Hall of the Noble Assembly. The audience did not want to let the singer and the show is over about three o'clock in the morning.
Personal life
Varvara Vasilievna was happy with her Fyodor Artemyevich, they had five children. They grew up free, often attended their mother's concerts.
Unfortunately, her husband died early, and the children remained in her care. Then, somehow, a series of deaths immediately followed: mother, brother, son.
She performed with the same energy, but there was no happiness in her soul after these losses. In addition, her heart began to ache, she developed shortness of breath.
And yet, she delighted fans with her singing, not only at concerts. When she rehearsed at home on the loggia, those who wanted to hear this extraordinary voice again and again came here. The poor took the opportunity to hear the celebrity for free, and the students came with flowers. Something like a society of the singer's fans was even organized: they gathered for tea and discussed her work.
In the last year of her life, Varya married a guy who was twenty years younger than her.
A week before her death, she felt that she would soon leave her family, and gathered everyone together. She sang her songs and romances to them in a way she had never sung to anyone - she said goodbye to her loved ones.
After one of the concerts, she went into the dressing room, and immediately her heart stopped. Everyone buried her in Moscow, walked in a huge crowd to the very Vagankovsky cemetery. It was June 10, 1911 in a new style.
