Maria Yermolova: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Maria Nikolaevna Yermolova - the star of the Russian theatrical scene is known for her dramatic talent. Her life was devoted to serving the theater, her whole path is an example of a selfless love for art.

Childhood of the future star

On July 15, 1853, the future stage star Maria Yermolova was born. The biography of the actress began in a family related to the theater: her grandfather was once a serf violinist with the Volkonsky princes, for his merits he received his freedom and worked for the rest of his life in the wardrobe of the Maly Theater, the girl's father served as a prompter there. Therefore, Masha, from an early age, plunged into the life behind the scenes. Looking at the scene from the prompter booth, she was convinced that she was destined to become a better actress. From the age of 4, she played various scenes in front of the mirror, and her parents welcomed this.

Yermolova's father was an enthusiastic and artistic person, he read a lot, drew, wrote poems and plays. But at the same time he had a difficult character, brought up children in extreme severity, was prone to violent outbursts of anger over trifles. This influenced the character of her daughter, who all her life avoided big things.society, was very modest and unpretentious.

Study and dreams

Yermolova's family was from among the poor, so the girl did not have much choice where to go to study. The father believed that children should get used to the hardships of life from childhood, and did not particularly care about their pleasures. The girl did not even have a primer, she learned to read from the plays that lay in abundance on her father's table. At the age of 9, it was decided to send the child to study at the Moscow Theater School, there was a free, “state-owned” place in the ballet department, where Yermolov was enrolled. And the most difficult years of her life began. Maria had no dancing talent, every lesson was a torment for her, but teachers and classmates noticed her artistic abilities.

At the age of 13, her father was able to arrange her daughter's first appearance on the dramatic stage, she was given a role in the vaudeville Ten Brides and Not a Groom at the Maly Theater. The image of Fanchetta was not close to Yermolova, and she was not successful, in addition, the famous actor Samarin pronounced the verdict: “She will never be an actress.”

But this did not stop Maria from dreaming about the dramatic stage, he knew all the plays that were going on at the Maly Theater, she was confident in her vocation, no matter what. And stubbornly continued to master the profession of a ballerina.

Successful debut

The rise of Maria Yermolova was not predictable and expected. By chance, at the age of 16, she had the opportunity to appear on the stage of the Maly Theater in a dramatic role. The prima of the theater N. Medvedev was preparing for a benefit performance and was urgently looking for a replacement for the ill G. Fedotova in the performanceaccording to Lessing "Emilia Galotti", and Maria's classmate advised her candidacy. The success of the debutante exceeded all expectations, the audience was shocked by the sincere and deep feelings of the young actress. She was called to bow 12 times, which was unheard of for a debutante. Yermolova herself will write in her diary: "I am happy today." But the successful debut did not stop her painful ballet classes, she had to finish her studies at the school for another two years and only after graduation did she enter the desired path of a dramatic actress.

Theater is destiny

Immediately after leaving the school, Yermolova was enrolled in the troupe of the Maly Theater. But the theater management was convinced that a comedic role was better suited for the young artist, and at first she was given roles exclusively in vaudeville. She played frivolous young ladies, putting more depth and seriousness into them than the authors intended. However, the roles of Mashenka in The Slavery of Husbands, Martha in The Tsar's Bride, Emma in The Family of a Criminal, Lidochka in Krechinsky's Wedding, Marianne in Tartuffe became a good start for her. Maria Nikolaevna approached the roles very seriously, looking for character traits for a long time, thinking over the image of the image. The first three years in the theater became a time of study for her, she gained skills, realized her abilities.

A successful debut and first roles greatly complicated Yermolova's life in the theater, at first she was surrounded by envy and ill will. It was difficult for her to fit into the troupe also because of her unsociable nature. She was greatly supported by the Shchepkin family,relatives of the famous actor. The intelligentsia of Moscow gathered in their house, and Maria managed to make many useful contacts that will help her in the future.

The talent of a tragic actress

Gradually, the directors discover the power of Yermolova's talent and entrust her with more serious roles. In 1873, she was lucky to work on the image of Katerina in A. I. Ostrovsky's The Thunderstorm, for several years she improved and honed this role, bringing it to perfection. The talent must mature and the actor must gain some experience in order to flourish in full force. Six years passed before a true new star, Maria Yermolova, shone on the stage of the Maly Theater in all its strength. By 1876, the actress was in excellent shape and was ripe for a benefit performance. Specially for her, Sergei Yuryev, a frequenter of the Shchepkins' circle, translated Lope de Vega's play The Sheep Spring, in which the role of Laurencia was ideally suited for such an event. The play was a resounding success, the enthusiastic audience blocked the road and drove her carriage home instead of horses, and then carried the actress into the house in her arms.

Thus began a happy streak in the life of Maria Yermolova. It opens a new era in the Maly Theater - the era of romance. Her lyrical gift was fully realized in such roles as Ophelia, Desdemona, Estrel in Star of Seville, Elizabeth in Don Carlos.

But the greatest glory of Maria Yermolova was tragic and dramatic roles, in which her talent was fully revealed. Phaedra, Sappho, Lady Macbeth performed by an actressdelighted audiences and critics. In them, her individuality was fully manifested.

A touch of contemporary dramaturgy

In the late 80s and 90s of the 19th century, Maria Yermolova turned to the modern repertoire, which did not need the passion and pathos inherent in classical material. Here the emphasis is on everyday topics and the realism of the characters. New facets of Yermolova's talent are revealed in the plays of Russian playwrights: A. N. Ostrovsky, V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, A. I. Sumbatov-Yuzhin, M. I. Tchaikovsky, A. S. Suvorin. She not only tries herself in positive images, but also turns to negative characters.

Final years of career

Since the 1910s, there have been changes in the professional career of the actress, she no longer wanted to play her usual repertoire because of her age. Maria Yermolova was forced to turn to the roles of mothers and old women. But even during this period she had creative successes, which include the roles of Queen Martha in Ostrovsky's play "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky", Mamelfa Dmitrievna in A. K. Tolstoy's "Posadnik", Fru Alving in Ibsen's "Ghost".

In 1920, the 50th anniversary of her creative activity was celebrated magnificently, the Soviet authorities awarded her the title of People's Artist of the Republic, she was the first actress in history to receive such a title. In the 70s of the 20th century, the Soviet government launched the ship "Maria Yermolova", which gave the name to a whole class of passenger watercraft.

In 1923, she officially leaves the stage. But he continues to give concertsas a poetry reciter, meets with the audience.

Best roles

Actress Ermolova Maria Nikolaevna had a powerful tragic talent, during her life she embodied more than 300 images on stage. But critics call her main role Joan of Arc in Schiller's Maid of Orleans. For many years she “beat off” this play from the censors, and only in 1884 permission for the production was received. Further, for 18 years, the performance did not leave the stage, and Yermolova only gained strength in it. The best roles also include: Negina in Ostrovsky's Talents and Admirers, Kruchinina in his play Guilty Without Guilt, Mary Stuart in Schiller's play, Fedra Racine, Hermione in Shakespeare's The Winter Tale.

The Maria Yermolova Theater is a theater of experiences and immersion. She embodied the system of K. S. Stanislavsky.

The fame of the actress is known today only from the reviews of contemporaries, the photos of Maria Yermolova do not convey all her magical charm, and her performances were not filmed on film. However, it is known that she impressed the viewer with the depth and strength of her feelings, was able to express the subtlest spiritual movements and moods.

Private life

All contemporaries claimed that Yermolova was a very modest and unpretentious person in life, she did not strive for luxury, she managed small. So, from the jewelry on her one could see only a string of pearls, from clothes she preferred strict black dresses. Her house had a very ascetic atmosphere, it was decorated only with flowers donated by the audience.

Yermolovashe married Nikolai Shubinsky at a young age for great love, which quickly dissipated, and a significant dissimilarity in the characters and views of the spouses was discovered. But Maria Nikolaevna Yermolova continued to live all her life with an unloved person for the sake of her daughter. Contemporaries said that later she was overtaken by a great love with a scientist living in Europe. But Yermolova did not dare to dissolve the marriage.

In the last years of her life, her grandson Kolya brought her a lot of joy, with whom she spent a lot of time. On March 12, 1928, the great Russian actress Ermolova Maria Nikolaevna died.