In Kislovodsk, they remembered the great fellow countryman - Vasily Ilyich Safonov

KISLOVODSK. In the Museum of History and Local Lore “Fortress”, the anniversary of the outstanding conductor and teacher Vasily Safonov was celebrated.

On January 19, an evening devoted to the 165th anniversary of the pianist, conductor, teacher Vasily Ilyich Safonov was held at the Kislovodsk Museum of History and Local Lore.

The distance from the village of Ishcherskaya to Kislovodsk is 241 km. These two places miraculously ringed in the fate of the father and son Safonov. Ischerskaya is the birthplace of both, their earthly path ended in Kislovodsk. The father of the famous musician, Ilya Ivanovich, was a lieutenant general of the Terek Cossack army, participated in the battles of the Caucasian War. Improved them “Berdanka”, which was called Safonov’s rifle, was in service with many Cossack units, including during the Russian-Turkish war. For merits to the fatherland, Ilya Ivanovich was awarded orders of the highest dignity, at the coronation of the last Russian tsar was among the persons closest to him. Thanks to his desire to give children a versatile education and a music teacher hired by him, his son Vasily found his true calling, although he was prophesied a successful diplomatic career.

Safonov’s future success was based on the private lessons of the Polish teacher and composer Theodor Leschetizky and his special technique. He studied the theory of music under the guidance of the famous Nikolai Zaremba. Stunning giftedness allowed Safonov to master the program of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in just 7 months and finish it with a gold medal. And after - a brilliant career, a successful tour in the USA and Europe, a galaxy of excellent students, including Scriabin, Gedike, Metner, Levina, the Gnesina sisters. He collaborated with the best symphony orchestras in the world, his outstanding conductor talent was recognized by Glazunov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky. Responding to the urgent requests of Peter Ilyich, Safonov became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, and then its director.

General Ilya Safonov died of cancer in Kislovodsk in 1896. The last, tragic, year of Vasily Ilyich’s life also passed in Kislovodsk. The novel of one of his daughters, Anna, with Admiral Kolchak, cost Safonov’s life. Timireva’s memoirs published in Paris in 1986 indicate that his sore heart could not stand one of the staged shootings organized by order of the new authorities. He died in February 1918. The 23-year-old grandson of Safonov, a talented artist Vladimir Timiryov, was shot at the Butovo training ground in 1938. Anna herself, like her sister Elena, were repressed. Another sister, Olga, died of starvation during the blockade in Leningrad. The family vault of the Safonov family was destroyed by explosives on the orders of the Bolsheviks in 1932.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru