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STEPAN GAVRILOVICH MIRZOEV - MERCHANT OF THE FIRST GUILD, PATRON, DIRECTOR OF THE TIFLIS DEPARTMENT OF IRMO (Imperial Russian musical society) Stepan Gavrilovich MIRZOEV (? - 1951) was one of the main owners of the syndicates "Prodmet" and "Produgol" - the largest monopolistic associations in Russia at the end of XIX - beginning of XX century. In addition, he controlled a merchant bank in Tbilisi, trade in wool and wool materials. The Tbilisi tycoon concentrated 32 percent of his own capital in his hands, which brought him millions of rubles of income annually. The name is S. G. Mirzoeva, a prominent Tbilisi rich man, merchant of the I guild, was widely known not only in the Caucasus, but also far beyond it. The philanthropist and the patron S. Mirzoev was not only a large-scale entrepreneur, but also a well-known patron, a great music lover (for a number of years he was the director of the Tbilisi branch of the Russian Musical Society). He initiated the creation of the first Caucasian music school in Tbilisi and established monthly scholarships for his first students. On his own initiative, in 1911, a simultaneous performance of two outstanding musicians - S. took place in the capital of Georgia. Rakhmaninova and I. Hoffmann. It was here that the great Russian composer and pianist performed his Third Piano Concerto dedicated to I. To Hoffmann. Invited by S. Mirzoeva, S. Rakhmaninov visited Tbilisi twice more, in 1913 and 1915. In one of the visits, a famous industrialist and patron offered a prominent Russian musician to sell him a beautiful piano from the factory "Bechstein", which the latter traditionally carried with him during concert trips. S. Rakhmaninov did not sell, but gave the instrument S as a gift. Mirzoev, who, in turn, gave it as a gift to the Tbilisi State Conservatory [1]. Mayor A. Khatisov named S. Mirzoeva is "the main bridge connecting Transcaucasus culture with world culture." Exactly thanks to S. Mirzoev, at his personal invitation, came to Tbilisi with concerts by famous musicians-performers, in particular the Polish violinist B. Guberman, the Austrian pianist G. Galsto, German pianist A. Schweiger and all [1] By the way, there is a curious story connected to Mirzoev. Rakhmaninov came with his piano on one of his visits. There were difficulties with the transportation of the piano from Batumi, Rakhmaninov had to go abroad through Batumi. There are different versions of the future fate of this piano. According to one version recorded in memories, Mirzoev offered Rakhmaninov to buy his piano, as if he was doing a favor to the same composer who could not manage his property. On the other hand, I obtained a wonderful piano myself, a souvenir piano on which a great pianist played. And there is another version: very touched by this approach, by the hospitality of the rich entrepreneur Mirzoev, Rakhmaninov gifted a piano. After the revolution, the piano got into the Tbilisi Conservatory, and is now in the Conservatory Museum. According to other information, Mirzoev did not transfer, but sold the piano to the conservatory. It happened in 1925. The piano was sold for 3 thousand rubles. The document is stored in the conservatory's archive *** "LOVE FOR LOVE. MONUMENTS OF RUSSIAN CULTURE IN GEORGIA". SERGEI RAKHMANINOV The great Russian composer and pianist visited Georgia three times - in 1911, 1913 and 1915. The Tbilisi audience was well acquainted with Rakhmaninov's compositions long before his arrival. In 1904 at the Kazen Theater (now - the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater named after him). S. Paliashvili) became his opera "Aleko", and many of the composer's works were successfully performed in concerts of the local branch of the Imperial Russian Music Society. Rakhmaninov arrived in Tbilisi in November 1911. During that period he made a large tour: Kharkov, Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk), Baku, Tbilisi, Kyiv Odessa, Vilno, Riga, St. Petersburg, Moscow. The "Bechstein" piano was also delivered to the capital of Georgia - the composer went on tour only with his instrument. I have to say that the delivery was not an easy task - first the piano was delivered to the port of Poti and then brought to Tbilisi by railway. According to one version, the concerts of Rakhmaninov and Hofmann in Tbilisi were organized by the pianist and teacher Adolf Schweiger, on the other - Stepan Gavrilovich Mirzoev, merchant of the first guild, patron, director of the Tbilisi branch of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. One way or another, but during his visits to Tbilisi Rakhmaninov always stayed at Mirzoev's, and on November 18, after the concert, it was in Mirzoev’s house that a large reception was held in honor of the famous musicians. According to Nina Andrianova-Ryadnova (1878-1966, a native of Tbilisi, a graduate of the Music and Dramatic School of the Moscow Philharmonic Society, a singer, violinist, educator), who was present at this reception, exactly that day Mirzoev offered Rakhmaninova to sell his piano - all the more so that in the near future the composer planned to tour Tbilisi again. Rakhmaninov agreed not to struggle with transporting the instrument. And again the versions. On one hand, the composer sold the piano to Mirzoev, on the other - touched by the hospitality of the patron, he gave him his piano. In addition, Rakhmaninov knew to whom he was giving the instrument - a great connoisseur and connoisseur of music and, let's repeat, the director of the Tbilisi branch of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. (For the sake of the fullness of the picture, we will add - there is an opinion that the composer handed the instrument to Mirzoev not in 1911, but in 1915). Invited by S. Mirzoeva, Sergey Rakhmaninov visited concerts in Tbilisi twice more, in 1913 and 1915. In 1915, Rakhmaninov performed in Tbilisi for the last time. Shortly after the revolution of 1917 in Russia, he used an invitation to perform at a concert in Stockholm and at the end of 1917, he left Russia forever with his wife and daughters. "And what about the Rachmaninov piano? " - asks the reader. For a long time the piano was in t. n. "Mirzoev's house" on Sergievskaya Street, now Machabeli Street, No. 8. (This house once housed the oil company "Mirzoev and Co", founded by the children of Ivan Mirzoev, who built the first drilling tower in Baku). Today, the most valuable tool is stored in the Museum of the Tbilisi State Conservatory. B. Sarazheva - in 1925 the conservatory bought a relic from Stepan Mirzoev for 25 thousand rubles, who by the way, went bankrupt by the time. Today only outstanding pianists play on Rakhmaninov's piano in the conservatory and only on special occasions. Bibliography: Memories of Rakhmaninov // N. A. Andrianova-Ryadnova https://korsovet.ge/ksorsg/raxmanin/ Mamulov S. S. Armenians in Georgia. The second book. Moscow. 2002