Samara pages of Mstislav Rostropovich's life: about the premiere of S.M. Slonimsky's opera "Videniya Ioanna Groznogo"

Mstislav Rostropovich came to Kuibyshev-Samara many times. Already at the end of his life and career, he, remembering our city, said: "I loved him...". The fifth visit of M. Rostropovich to Samara was the longest: from January 20 to March 3, 1999 the Visit was associated with the preparation for the premiere (it was called "world") of S.M. Slonimsky's "Visions of Ivan the terrible" at the Samara Opera and ballet theatre. Robert Sturua directed the play, the artist was Georgy Alexi-Meskhishvili (See. read more: Experience M newspaper. Culture, №6(114). 2016, March). February 10, 1999 burned down the building of the ATC Samara: a terrible sight, dozens of dead - this witness-we were all workers of the administration: the end of the day, the sky was covered with smoke, the stench came down the streets of the Pioneer and Komsomol to the Volga. Already by the evening rumors spread around the city - some worse than the other. The next day it became known that Mstislav Leopoldovich visits the fire victims, provides financial assistance. 58 families received money directly from his hands. It was terrible to look at him these days - so he experienced the incident. The Maestro has been to every family. This, of course, left a certain emotional imprint on the preparation and premiere of the Opera.