[Russian Literature and Music] Gorky, Maxim. (1868 - 1936) & Siloti, Alexander [Ziloti, Aleksandr Il'yich]. (1863 - 1945) & Koussevitzky, Serge . (1874-1951) & Tartakov, Ioakim Viktorovich. (1860 - 1923) & Alchevsky, Ivan. (1876 - 1. "Russian Society for the Exploration of Jewish Life" - Signed 1916 Program. Vintage program from the March 22, 1916 “Literary and Musical Evening,” held in Petrograd and sponsored by the Russian Society for the Exploration of Jewish Life, 8 x 10.5 inches, 28 pages. Signed inside, in Russian, by Maxim Gorky, with his real name, “A. Peshkov,” under his 4.75 x 6.5 photo affixed to the page. Three others have also signed beneath their respective images: Ivan Alchevsky (tenor); Alexander Siloti (Pianist); S. A. Koussevitzky (conductor); and I. V. Tartakoff (pianist).

In very good condition, with mild toning to inside pages, scattered creases, soiling and a couple of edge tears to covers, with some heavier soiling to front cover. A very early example from Gorky and highly unusual in being signed with his real name. Rare. We found no copies of this program listed in OCLC.

Gorky wrote that "I am inclined to think that anti-Semitism is indisputable, just as leprosy and syphilis are, and that the world will be cured of this shameful disease only by culture, which sets us free, slowly but surely, from ailments and vices." Though his criticism of the Communist government led to a relationship marked by conflict and unease, the important Russian/Soviet author and activist was ultimately embraced (though closely monitored) by the Stalinist regime, and Stalin himself was a pallbearer at Gorky’s funeral. The musical and literary evening described in the present program was organized by Gorky, together with the writers Miliukov, Andreev, and Sologub, three of whom later together published two editions of a literary collection, "Shchit" (The Shield), under the aegis of the Society. The great Russian bass, Feodor Chaliapin, also participated in the present evening of music, though he is not pictured in the program. According to him, Gorky in fact was taken ill and did not actually attend the performance.

One of the most celebrated pianists/pedagogues of the late 19th century, Siloti was a student of Nikolay Rubinstein, Taneyev and Tchaikovsky in Moscow before moving to Weimar to study with Liszt. He returned to teach at the Moscow Conservatory in 1887, where among his students, was his cousin - Sergei Rachmaninoff. He toured frequently, gave important premieres of works by Debussy, Elgar, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin, Sibelius and Stravinsky and was Tchaikovsky's trusted editor, especially for the first and second piano concertos. Later, Siloti settled in New York, where he taught, among others, Marc Blitzstein and Eugene Istomin.

The eminent Russian conductor, composer and double-bassist, Serge Koussevitzky, is best known for his long tenure as Music Director for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1924-1949).

Russian Soviet baritone and operatic stage director, Ioakim Tartakov, was soloist from 1882 to 1884 and from 1894 to 1923 with the Mariinskii Theater in St. Petersburg. Beginning in 1909, he was also principal director of the Mariinskii Theater. Tartakov was noted for his velvety yet powerful voice, his sincere acting, and his stage presence. From 1920 to 1923 he was a professor at the Petrograd Conservatory.