In human history there is a whole galaxy of magnificent composers who gave immortal works to the world. Of course, no one disputes the fame of Mozart, Beethoven or Wagner, but the Soviet composer George Sviridov is famous far beyond the borders of his homeland. An amazingly talented person, he incredibly subtly felt the music, and, most importantly, knew how to convey this feeling to the audience.
As a child, the future composer seriously became interested in literature, but later the music took first place in his list of priorities. The first musical instrument that Sviridov mastered was the balalaika. Subsequently, he masterly mastered the piano. Already at 22, he was accepted into the USSR Union of Composers. After the start of World War II, George Sviridov was mobilized, but soon he was commissioned for poor health. He was married three times. During his studies, he lived in a hostel with 19 neighbors.
The complete works of George Sviridov, published in 2002, consists of 30 weighty volumes. The composer’s youngest son, Sergey, got his name in honor of the poet Sergei Yesenin. Sviridov loved to read. In his home library there were more than 2.5 thousand books. Among his other hobbies was fishing. At the same time, he hated digging worms.
During the life of George Sviridov never had a lot of money. He lived at the state dacha, and not at his own, and he did not even have his own piano – he rented it from the Union of Composers. In the 60s he wrote the new anthem of the Soviet Union, putting it on the verses of the poet Tvardovsky. This work has never been published. In his youth, he wrote his first plays on the verses of Pushkin. Since the composer was not a member of the Communist Party, he was considered not very reliable, and his apartment was tapped by the secret services. In 1968, he organized a music festival named after himself, where his works were performed.
One of the greatest composers George Sviridov considered Borodin and Mussorgsky. He had two sons, but the composer survived both. He never knew about the death of the second – the tragic event happened a week before Sviridov himself was gone. He did not leave direct descendants after himself, and his wife survived him only for four months. The monument to the great musical genius is installed in its historic homeland, in the city of Kursk.
