Arcady Trebinsky

post-war director

It was not until the venue was taken over in 2020 and work began on the archives that we were finally able to identify the man in this portrait. Arcady Trebinsky, a composer from the former aristocracy, to whom the establishment owes its revival following the hardships of the occupation.

1917

A composer close to General Wrangel

A talented pianist and composer, Arkady Trebinsky comes from a long-established family originally from Serbia. He is the husband of the duchess Elena Georgievna of Leuchtenberg, great-granddaughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, Prince of the French Empire, Viceroy of Italy and adopted son of Napoleon.

After the 1917 revolution, the couple settled for a time in Bavaria, at the Seeon Castle, owned by Duke Georges de Leuchtenberg, Elena’s father. Arkady Trebinsky found himself in the company of an illustrious guest there: the General Wrangel, the last commander of the troops of the’White Army, having only just been evacuated from Crimea.

In 1924, the couple moved to Paris. Arkady Trebinsky gave numerous recitals, performing works by Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and his own compositions. His symphonies enjoyed a degree of success. He joined the Russian Musical Society Abroad (SMRE) when it was founded in 1931, and went on to become its vice-president.

1945

A director caught between tradition and modernity

During the Occupation, Arcady Trebinsky fled to the unoccupied zone. On his return to the Conservatoire after the Liberation, it was he who presided over the ceremony on 11 May 1945, two days after the Victory, the first General Meeting of the reconstituted SMRE.

A staunch advocate of classical and neo-Romantic styles, he is equally keen to promote modern composers. He founded a new organisation, the Centre for Contemporary Music, which organised up to ten concerts a year between 1945 and 1953, enabling young, innovative composers to premiere their new works within these walls.

Moderniser, Arcady Trebinsky introduced far-reaching reforms within the institution. Elected headteacher in 1951, he professionalised teaching methods, enhanced the standing of the school’s qualifications, restructured staff responsibilities and recruited three new staff members, including a librarian, with the aim of establishing a fully-fledged educational library.

1979

Recognition and oblivion

Following a year of restructuring, Arcady Trebinsky is handing over his position as director to his colleague Vladimir Pohl, described by the Russian press as « the last representative of the golden age of our national musical tradition ».

For the next thirty years, Arcady Trebinsky remained an active member of the Russian Conservatoire’s teaching committee. His work as a composer still enjoyed a certain reputation. In 1979, he recorded with the Chamber Orchestra of the National radio, and France Culture is dedicating a whole day to his compositions.

But his fame did not translate into a lasting legacy. When he passed away three years later, his programmes disappeared from the airwaves along with him.