Sergei Vasilievich Rakhmaninov, a hereditary Russian nobleman, a brilliant pianist and composer, has become a symbol of Russian music all over the world, his works are listened to not only by music lovers, but also by ordinary people of the most different professions, ages and nationalities. Most of us know from school that after October revolution Rachmaninoff emigrated to the United States and lived there for the last third of his life. But not everyone knows that every summer, from 1924 to 1939, he came to Europe and only returned to New York in the fall. Why?

S. Rachmaninoff at the piano. Source: www.senar.ru

With lake and mountain view

A change of scenery is always good for creativity. Rachmaninoff lived in America, but liked to spend the summer months in Europe. The composer was weary of the annual search for a place to rest and spoke of the desire to settle in a certain place, not wandering around dachas and resorts in his old age. The music critic Oskar Rizeman helped with the choice of the country. He spoke with such enthusiasm about life in Switzerland and persuaded Rachmaninov to buy some piece of land there that Sergei Vasilievich decided to go there. It should be noted that Rachmaninov's first acquaintance with Switzerland took place in 1902, it was to this country that the musician and his wife went immediately after the wedding. Rachmaninov was captivated by the landscapes of Switzerland, which he repeatedly admitted: “The height of perfection. I've never seen anything more beautiful than this." In 1930, the composer acquired not far from Lucerne land plot overlooking Lake Vierwaldstet and Mount Pilatus. Sergei Vasilievich called this estate Senar, combining the first two letters of his name and the name of his wife Natalia, adding the letter “R” to them - the Rachmaninoffs.

House in the Senar estate. Source: www.senar.ru

Just like in Ivanovka

Nostalgia for his homeland prompted Rachmaninov to make the layout of the villa fully consistent with the estate he left in Russia in Ivanovka (Tambov province), which the composer loved very much. Before emigration, sparing no effort and means, Rachmaninov took care of his Tambov estate, delved into economic issues, and acquired the latest equipment for agricultural work. With the same zeal, the composer began the arrangement of his home in Switzerland. A similar garden was laid out with the same trees as in Russia - apple trees, maples, chestnuts, birches. Sergei Vasilyevich was pleased with his new home and was in a good mood. Relatives who came to visit Rachmaninov recalled: “He showed us with great enthusiasm all the views, all corners, obviously pleased that he finally had his own corner, and also safe. He felt the insecurity of the world situation and firmly believed that Switzerland is the safest place in Europe. At this time, the composer often toured the Old World, gave concerts at the festival in Lucerne.

Wthe Swiss estate of the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff may become the property of Russia.On the this moment the estate, which consists of two houses, 10 hectares of land with a garden, an embankment and a pier, is estimated at more than 18 million Swiss francs (639 million rubles).For the first time in many years, Rachmaninov's relatives intend to sell him, moreover, they want to see Russia as a buyer.

The Ministry of Culture received an order from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the acquisition of the Swiss estate of Sergei Rachmaninov "Senar" in Russian ownership. According to Minister Vladimir Medinsky, this is the right idea, but expensive. “We think how to solve this problem”,- the minister said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.

At the moment, the estate is valued at more than 18 million Swiss francs (639 million rubles). These are two houses, 10 hectares of land with a garden, an embankment and a pier.

The moment for the purchase of "Senar" is now more than suitable - for the first time in many years, Rachmaninov's relatives intend to sell it, moreover, they want to see Russia as a buyer. The last owner of the estate was the composer's grandson, founder and president of the Rachmaninov Foundation, Alexander Rachmaninov, who died on November 1, 2012.

In an interview with Izvestia, the minister stressed that the patriotic aspect is important in the possible acquisition of a small Russian enclave near Lucerne: he is concerned that in the West Rachmaninov is often called American composer, which is "offensive and unfair", since "Rakhmaninov has always been and remained a deeply Russian person."

Medinsky also noted the special value of Senar as a museum:

“The object is unique, not only from the point of view of the place, but primarily because a huge number of things that belonged to Rachmaninoff are actually museumified there. Diaries, notes, correspondence, clothes, furniture, the piano on which he composed music and played. Not to mention the fact that the house was built according to the project of Rachmaninoff. This is a piece of his life, preserved in its original form.

Villa "Senar" is located in the village of Gertenstein on the shores of Lake Vierwaldstet (Canton of Lucerne). Sergei Rachmaninov bought a plot of land near the place where he and his wife once spent their honeymoon in 1930. The next year, the composer began the construction of a two-story house, laying out a garden and arranging a pier. He made up the name of the villa from the first letters of his name and the name of his wife Natalya Alexandrovna, and the surname that became common to them: Sergei + NAtalya Rachmaninoff - SENAR. The Rachmaninoff family moved to Senar by 1934 and remained there until the outbreak of World War II, when they moved to the United States.

Sergei Rachmaninov in his Swiss estate Senar

The idea to buy a villa in Switzerland was suggested to Rachmaninoff by Oskar von Riesemann, 1880-1934), the composer's biographer German descent, who studied, in particular, at Moscow University and just then lived in the Confederation.
Fortunately for this country, the great pianist and composer managed to bring this idea to life. What is happening with Villa Senar now? Journalists are practically not allowed to see it, but an exception was made for the representative of our portal.
S. Rachmaninov has already been to Switzerland, for example, he rested in the resort of Arosa after tiresome concerts in the winter of 1912/13. After leaving Russia, the composer at one time thought about settling in Germany, but his wife, who did not like the Germans, begged him not to buy real estate in this country.
In August 1930, the Rachmaninoffs finally ended up in Switzerland again. For some time they drove around the neighborhood and carefully examined the proposed sites. Finally found a good place. Sergei Vasilievich liked it very much, and he immediately bought it.

According to recollections,
“It seemed to both the wife and daughters that it was too far from all friends in France. Wife Natalia Alexandrovna, who grew up in the steppe zone of Russia, loved freedom, an open place; the thought that she would have to live in the mountains weighed heavily on her. However, I had to come to terms with the fait accompli.
The new estate of the Rachmaninovs was named Senar, taking the first syllables from their names (Sergei and Natalia) and adding the initial letter of the surname (Rakhmaninov).
The purchased plot was, in fact, a solid rock with an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout two and a half hectares. Rachmaninov knew that a lot of money would have to be invested in order to put it in order. But the composer really wanted to move to Switzerland. Realizing that the construction work would last at least two or three years, the composer decided to build an outbuilding at the garage and temporarily settle in it, controlling the progress of the work.

Rachmaninoff in Senar with his family, 1931

By the beginning of August 1931, the wing was ready, and Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov and his wife arrived in Switzerland, where they lived for about two weeks before the next concert season in America, after which they immediately returned to the shores of Lake Firwaldstet.
As he writes in his memoirs cousin composer Sofia Aleksandrovna Satina (1879-1975),
“the steamboats on which excursions from Lucerne were made on the lake made a special detour to show the sightseers from the lake the view of Senar with its trees, roses and an extraordinary house, and pedestrians constantly stopped in front of the huge gates of the estate to admire the roses in the garden.”
In May 1932, Rachmaninoff wrote to close friends Alfred and Ekaterina Svanam:
“When are you coming to visit us? We have no deceit: there is a lake, there is fish, there are walks and more than enough rain. There is also a magnificent little hotel, not far from us, where the conditions are the same as yours and where you will also live alone, because there is no one else. Do you have rheumatism? And then in this hotel there are wonderful baths - four days ago I started a course of treatment there. Don't be shy and come."
In August, the Svans went to the Rachmaninoffs:
“The corner he chose on the lake was very beautiful, but, like most places on Swiss lakes, a little crowded and slick. Rachmaninov was very happy. He showed us with great enthusiasm all the views, all the corners, obviously pleased that he finally had his own corner, and besides, it was safe. He felt the insecurity of the world situation and firmly believed that Switzerland is the safest place in Europe.
The new house was beautiful and comfortable, built in the Art Nouveau style and was the last word in technology and comfort of that time. Automatic oil heating, elevator, bathroom for each bedroom, excellent kitchen, laundry, room to dry clothes, etc. Three large terraces, on which you could sunbathe, overlooked the lake, Mount Pilatus on one side , and Mount Riga - on the other.
But the best room was the studio of Sergei Vasilievich, located on the western side of the house. This is a fairly large room with huge windows for those times, giving generous access to the sun, from which you could see the lake, Mount Pilatus and the snowy peaks of the Alps.
From the windows one could also see the new pier for a motorboat. The Rachmaninovs were great flower lovers. They perfectly planned the garden, planting more than a thousand varieties of roses, many other flowers and flowering shrubs, various trees.
Flowers, by agreement with a gardener from Lucerne, were constantly replaced by new ones. The favorite trees that Sergey Vasilyevich planted near the house were three birches. They didn't take very well and caused him a lot of trouble. A relatively small area was set aside at the end of the garden for fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries and currants.
Establishing life in Senar took about four years, but at the end of this preparatory work Rachmaninov really felt for the first time since his departure from Russia that he had a home, that he could, as he dreamed, settle down on the spot.

View of the Villa Senar, mid-30s

Rachmaninov willingly invited his friends to Senar, opening the doors to such outstanding people as the Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg (1871 - 1951), the Italian musician and conductor Arturo Toscanini (Arturo Toscanini; 1867 - 1957), the American cellist Russian origin Grigory Pavlovich Pyatigorsky (Gregor Piatigorsky; 1903 - 1976) and others.
“What happy hours we spent in the hospitable house of the Rachmaninovs in their wonderful home in Switzerland! ... Whoever did not know Rachmaninov in this intimate setting did not know him at all. (from the memoirs of A.V. Greiner).

Arranging everything according to his desire, feeling that he had a real haven, Rachmaninov immediately began to compose.
It seemed to many that by this time the talent of the composer had already died out in him. In reality, he was hindered by a rich concert activity, lack of time, a wandering life, but the desire to write never cooled down.
Having started work on July 3, 1934, on August 18 he finished one of his best creations - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra op. 43. And in the spring of 1935, he begins to write his Third Symphony.
In the spring of 1939, his stay at the Senar estate was overshadowed by an accident. Rachmaninoff slipped in the dining room and fell. From the memoirs of Sergei Vasilyevich's wife, Natalia Rakhmaninova:
“Sergey Vasilyevich ... was put to bed. A doctor was called from Lucerne, who told him to lie down; he said that apparently there was no fracture. Arriving the next day, the doctor was convinced that there was nothing but a severe bruise and shock from the fall. He said that Sergei Vasilyevich could get up and soon he would be able to start playing.
The general political situation also worsened. The air smelled of a new war. Rachmaninov was very afraid of getting stuck in Europe because of the war, he was worried and wanted to return to America as soon as possible. But he was haunted by the thought that his daughter Tanya and her grandson would be left alone in France, and her husband, being a French citizen, could be drafted into the army in case of war.

In addition, he was prevented from leaving Europe by the promise to speak at music festival in Switzerland, which was moved from Salzburg to Lucerne after the Anschluss of Austria.
The concert took place on August 11, 1939 with the participation of Sergei Rachmaninoff and the Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet (1883 - 1969). Rachmaninoff played Beethoven's First Concerto and his Rhapsody.
Then nothing else kept him in Europe, the Rachmaninovs went to Paris, and from there on August 23 to New York. When the impossibility of returning to the Swiss estate became clear, the Rachmaninovs moved to the Long Island estate, where they spent the summers of 1940 and 1941.
Has Senar become a “second home” for Rachmaninov? The construction of the Villa Senar, which took so much of Rachmaninov's strength, was undoubtedly caused by his desire to find his "native corner". But the house in Switzerland turned out to be only a temporary "oasis". The Second World War deprived Rachmaninov of this refuge as well.

But what about today?

What are the prospects for Villa Senar? In order to find out, we took advantage of the kind invitation of Ettore F. Volontieri, Director General of the Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation.
In modern Switzerland, the villa is located in the municipality of Weggis, on the opposite shore of Lake Vierwaldstet from Lucerne. Mr. Volontieri cordially opens the gate for the swissinfo reporter to the property surrounding the villa.

This is how Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov's office looks like today. The piano is in place. Chair too. Nothing sold

Until recently, the grandson of the composer Alexander Borisovich Rachmaninov, a lawyer, founder and president of the Rachmaninov Foundation, managed everything here. In 2012 he died. Now all the current affairs of the Senar estate are in the hands of the Foundation. Mr. Volontieri gives a short tour of the house, from which, it seems, Rachmaninov himself came out a few minutes ago.
Looking around the memorial, we recall the latest events related to Senar, in particular, that in 2013, after the death of A.B. the possibility of acquiring the Sergei Rachmaninov archive and the Senar estate in Switzerland into the ownership of Russia.
This question Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, who is also the art director of the Foundation. S. Rachmaninov, and raised it at a meeting of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art, held in October 2013.
But time passed, and, apparently, this issue was not resolved on the Russian side. As reported, Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky explained in mid-2014 that
“The villa turned out to have many heirs who are guided by material considerations and want to separately sell the composer’s piano, his notes, and his chair at auction. With this approach, Russia has no interest in buying a villa.”
Ettore Volontieri, however, argues that the question of selling some relics from the heritage of Senar separately in this form was not raised.

Now everyone proceeds from the fact that the villa should be preserved as it was, and that it should remain an authentic cultural monument in which the spirit of the great composer will continue to live.
“The problem, or, let's say, the peculiarity of the situation at the moment is that the one who buys this object will not have the right to redo anything here. We would not want anyone to start building, say, a swimming pool on the site in front of the house or make any changes in the house itself, especially since the entire villa, in addition, is officially under the protection of the authorities of the canton of Lucerne,”
- Emphasizes E. Volontieri. On the other hand, he says,
“We want to make Villa Senar open to outside world place. Creative people could come here to work in silence, which, despite all the urban development around, has remained almost the same as in the time of Sergei Vasilyevich. At the same time, we are pragmatic, and therefore the Fund could imagine the possibility of holding significant public events or receptions at the highest level by large banks or concerns here.
Specialized tourist groups consisting of connoisseurs and amateurs could also come here. classical music in general and Rachmaninoff's work in particular.
However, as E. Volontieri once again emphasizes, it is impossible to change anything in the estate, and this, of course, makes such an object not very attractive for the real estate market. What is the way out? Most likely he says CEO Rachmaninoff Foundation, the future of Senar will be decided very soon, and this decision will be “triune”.
It will be attended by the Foundation and relatives (children) of the composer, on the one hand, the authorities of the canton and the city of Lucerne, on the other, and some of the leading industrial companies operating in the canton, on the third.
How realistic is such a decision? Mr. Volontieri answers this question almost confidently in the sense that now this is the most “realistic option”. And this means that the spirit and music of the great Rachmaninoff will continue to live in Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Firwaldstet.
And of course, says E. Volontieri, we have always hoped, and continue to hope and believe that in some form Russian Federation may also be part of this solution.
In the meantime, this weekend, Villa Senar will open its doors to everyone who wants to look into where the history of world music was created. And this is a common practice in Switzerland - the people of the canton should know where their money can go. It seems that the composer himself would have treated such an approach with understanding. He knew better than anyone what hard, hard-earned money is worth.
The Senar website was used as a source for writing the material. The author thanks the Rachmaninov Foundation and E. Volontieri for their support.

Igor Petrov, swissinfo.ch

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Senar- the estate of the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in Switzerland. Located in Hertenstein , Weggis , in the canton of Lucerne on the shores of Lake Vierwaldstet overlooking Mount Pilatus .

The villa consists of two houses, 10 hectares of land with a garden, a promenade and a pier.

The name of the villa "Senar" is made up of the first letters of the names of the Rakhmaninov spouses - Sergei and Natalya, as well as the first letter of the surname.

In the estate, Rachmaninov created one of his most famous and frequently performed works -.

The layout of the villa and the two-storey house-estate, for the nostalgic reasons of the emigrant, fully corresponded to the estate he left in Russia in Ivanovka (Tambov Region), a similar garden was laid out with the same trees - apple trees, maples and chestnuts.

Rachmaninov expressed a desire to be buried in the Senar estate, however, with the outbreak of World War II, the composer moved to the United States, his death found him in California, and was buried near New York.

After the composer's death in 1943, the estate passed to his heirs, first to his second daughter Tatyana, and then to his grandson Alexander Rachmaninov (1933-2012), the founder of the S. V. Rachmaninov Foundation.

By 2013, the original furnishings, furniture, musical instruments, Steinway piano donated to the composer by V. Steinway, unique items cultural heritage SV Rakhmaninov - diaries, notes, correspondence, archive.

Estate in the 21st century

After the death in early November 2012 of Alexander Rachmaninov, the grandson and sole heir of the composer, the relatives planned to put the Senar estate up for auction, followed by a sale in parts of the property and unique items of cultural heritage of S. V. Rachmaninov. According to A. Rachmaninoff's will, the rights to the estate and all interior items, as well as the archive, the piano and the composer's personal belongings, should go to the S. V. Rachmaninov Foundation, it was headed by the widow of the last owner, Natalia. At the same time, according to Swiss law, regardless of the will of the testator, 50% of the property of the deceased should be received by his children, whom Rachmaninov's grandson has four from previous marriages.

In these circumstances, the art director of the S. V. Rachmaninov Foundation, pianist Denis Matsuev raised the issue of buying out the estate in favor of Russia for the organization of the International cultural center - memorial museum composer, holding musical master classes, festivals and competitions there. The price of the issue, according to expert estimates, is approximately 18 million Swiss francs (630-650 million rubles in 2013 conversion). President Putin agreed to make efforts to implement this idea at the expense of extrabudgetary funds. Soon the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation found a buyer who was ready to spend his personal savings in favor of the state and in the future bear the costs of maintaining the villa. Having learned about the ambitious intentions of the Russian side, the relatives of the last owner of the estate conduct a new, fourth in a row, valuation of the property with the London experts of the Sotheby's auction in order to clarify the real value of the object, choose a sales scheme - wholesale or retail. The experts proved that in a holistic form "Senar" is of indisputable historical and museum value not only for Russia, but for the whole world.

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing Senar

– What is he “talking about”, my joy?.. And why are these runes not familiar to me? They are a little different than those that the Magi taught us. And where did you get it from?
“It was once brought to Earth by our wise Ancestors, our Gods, in order to create the Temple of Eternal Knowledge here,” Radomir began, looking thoughtfully at the crystal. - So that he would help to acquire Light and Truth to the worthy Children of the Earth. It was HE who gave birth on earth to the caste of Magi, Veduns, Vedunias, Darin and other enlightened ones. And it was from him that they drew their KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING, and from it they once created Meteora. Later, leaving forever, the Gods left this Temple to people, bequeathing to keep and protect it, as they would protect the Earth itself. And the Key to the Temple was given to the Magi, so that it would not accidentally fall into the "dark-thinking" and the Earth would not die from their evil hand. So since then, this miracle has been kept for centuries by the Magi, and they pass it on from time to time to a worthy one, so that an accidental “keeper” does not betray the mandate and faith left by our Gods.

“Is this really the Grail, Sever?” – not holding back, I asked.
No, Isidora. The Grail was never what this amazing Smart Crystal is. It's just that people "attributed" their wish to Radomir... like everything else, "foreign". Radomir, all his conscious life, was the Keeper of the Key of the Gods. But people, of course, could not know this, and therefore did not calm down. First, they were looking for the Chasha allegedly "belonging" to Radomir. And sometimes the Grail was called his children or Magdalene herself. And all this happened only because the "true believers" really wanted to have some kind of proof of the veracity of what they believe in ... Something material, something "holy" that could be touched ... (what, Unfortunately, it is happening even now, after many hundreds of years). So the “dark ones” came up with a beautiful story for them at that time in order to kindle sensitive “believing” hearts with it ... Unfortunately, people have always needed relics, Isidora, and if they were not there, someone simply invented them. Radomir, on the other hand, never had such a cup, because he didn’t even have the “Last Supper” itself ... at which he supposedly drank from it. The bowl of the “Last Supper” was with the prophet Joshua, but not with Radomir.
And Joseph of Arimathea really once collected a few drops of the prophet's blood there. But this famous "Grail Cup" was really just the simplest earthenware cup, from which all Jews used to drink at that time, and which was not so easy to find after. The golden or silver bowl, completely studded with precious stones (as the priests like to depict it) never really existed, neither in the time of the Jewish prophet Joshua, nor even more so in the time of Radomir.
But that's another, albeit interesting, story.

You don't have much time, Isidora. And I think you want to know something completely different, what is close to your heart, and what, perhaps, will help you find more strength in yourself to endure. Well, this tangle of two lives alien to each other (Radomir and Joshua), too closely tangled by "dark" forces, in any case, cannot be unraveled so soon. Like I said, you just don't have the time, my friend. Forgive me...
I just nodded back at him, trying not to show how much I was interested in all this real true story! And how I longed to know, even when I was dying, all the incredible amount of lies that the church had brought down on our trusting earthly heads... But I left the North to decide what exactly he wanted to tell me. It was his free will to say or not to tell me this or that. I was already incredibly grateful to him for his precious time, and for his sincere desire to brighten up our sad remaining days.
We again found ourselves in the dark night garden, "eavesdropping" on the last hours of Radomir and Magdalena...
– Where is this Great Temple, Radomir? Magdalena asked in surprise.
- In a marvelous distant country ... At the very "top" of the world ... (meaning North Pole, former country Hyperborea - Daaria), - quietly, as if having gone into the infinitely distant past, whispered Radomir. “There stands a holy man-made mountain, which neither nature, nor time, nor people can destroy. For this mountain is eternal... This is the Temple of Eternal Knowledge. Temple of our old Gods, Maria...
Once, a long time ago, their Key sparkled on the top of the holy mountain - this green crystal that gave the Earth protection, opened souls, and taught the worthy. Only now our Gods are gone. And since then, the Earth has plunged into darkness, which man himself has not yet been able to destroy. There is still too much envy and malice in him. And also lazy...

“People need to see clearly, Maria. - After a short pause, Radomir said. And it is YOU who will help them! - And as if not noticing her protesting gesture, he calmly continued. – YOU will teach them KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING. And give them real FAITH. You will be their Guiding Star, no matter what happens to me. Promise me! .. I have no one else to entrust what I had to do myself. Promise me, my light.
Radomir carefully took her face in his hands, carefully peering into her radiant blue eyes and... unexpectedly smiled... endless love shone in those wondrous, familiar eyes!.. And how much deepest pain was in them... He knew how frightened and lonely she was. He knew how much she wanted to save him! And despite all this, Radomir could not help but smile - even at such a terrible time for her, Magdalena somehow remained just as amazingly bright and even more beautiful! .. Like a pure spring with life-giving clear water...

So, today we have Saturday, April 22, 2017 and we traditionally offer you answers to " Topical issues". The questions we meet are both the most simple and quite complex. The quiz is very interesting and quite popular, but we just help you test your knowledge and make sure that you have chosen the correct answer out of the four proposed. And we have another question in the quiz - Who gave his estate in Switzerland the name "Senar"?

• Writer Nabokov
• Composer Rachmaninov
• Jeweler Faberge
• Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna

The correct answer is B - composer Sergei Rachmaninov

After the death in early November 2012 of Alexander Rachmaninov (1933-2012), the grandson and sole heir of the composer, the relatives planned to put the Senar estate in Switzerland up for auction, followed by a sale in parts of the property and unique items of cultural heritage of S. V. Rachmaninov. Under these circumstances, the Russian pianist Denis Matsuev raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin about buying out the estate in favor of Russia for the construction of a composer's memorial, holding musical master classes, festivals and competitions there. The price of the issue, according to expert estimates, is approximately 630-650 million rubles. President Putin agreed to make efforts to implement this idea