Mikhail Rafailovich Rauhverger

Raukhverger Mikhail Rafailovich — Soviet pianist, composer, educator.

Born on December 5, 1901, in Odessa. He began music lessons at the age of seven. Soon he started composing music himself.

After graduating from high school in 1919, M. Raukhverger enrolled in the Odessa Polytechnic Institute and simultaneously in the conservatory, where he studied piano under Professor R. Biber.

In 1922, M. Raukhverger moved to Moscow and entered the Moscow Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Institute. At the same time, he sought to continue his professional music education. Dreaming of studying under the outstanding teacher and pianist F.M. Blumenfeld, M. Raukhverger took the entrance exams for the piano faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. His performance of Bach-Busoni's Chaconne impressed the commission members.

A few days later, the young man joyfully saw his name on the list of accepted students.

In 1924, Raukhverger left the institute to fully dedicate himself to music. "I realized that music is my calling, that I could no longer live without it," the composer recounted. During his student years, M. Raukhverger worked hard to improve his performance skills, often performing on stage, playing works by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, and Scriabin.

In 1927, he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the piano class (under K.A. Kipp and F.M. Blumenfeld).

After graduating from the conservatory, M. Raukhverger began an active teaching career: after completing his postgraduate studies, he first became an assistant to F.M. Blumenfeld and then an associate professor at the conservatory.

In 1939, he was awarded the title of professor and from that time (until 1941) led the piano department.

Since the mid-1920s, he composed music. He was the author of works for children (for example, the song "We Are Cheerful Guys," 1926), and published collections "Solnyshko" (1928), "Rabochie Pesenki" (1929).

In the 1920s and 1930s, he wrote music for dramatic performances at the Moscow Children's Theater and the Central Children's Theater (including for "The Minor" by D.I. Fonvizin, 1939), as well as for children's films ("A Single Sail is White" based on V.P. Kataev, 1939) and others.

From the late 1930s, he worked in Kyrgyzstan. He contributed to the establishment of the Kyrgyz musical theater.

He was the author of operas, ballets, academic music, and songs. He paid special attention to compositions for children.

People's Artist of the Kirghiz SSR (1961). Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1974).

He died on October 18, 1989. He was buried at the Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow.

Works

Operas:

The Tale of the Golden Chub, Kokul (1942)
Little Red Riding Hood (1st edition - 1949; 2nd - 1967);
Djamila (1960);
The Snow Queen (opera-ballet, 1967)

Ballets:

Cholpon (ballet, 1943);
Twins (1948)
Timur and His Team (1950)
Janyl (1970)
Kolobok (1974)
The Blue Bird (1980)

Filmography

1936 — The Adventures of the Bear Cub
1937 — A Single Sail is White
1956 — For the Power of the Soviets
1958 — The Man from Planet Earth
1958 — Military Secret
1959 — Cholpon — Morning Star
1969 — The Old House
1970 — A Little Farm in the Steppe