Achilles Alferaki

Achilles Nikolaevich Alferaki (Greek Αχιλλέας Αλφεράκης - Achilleas Alferákis, russ Ахиллес Николаевич Алфераки - Achilles Nikolaevich Alferaki, sometimes also transcribed as Akhilles or Ahilles; born July 3, 1846 in Kharkov, Ukraine, † December 27, 1919 in Petrograd ) was a Russian composer and politician of Greek descent.

Life

Achilles Alferaki (now Ukraine) born in 1846 in Kharkov, his childhood but he spent in the city of Taganrog in the magnificent palace in the Catholic street ( currently the sgn. Alferaki Palace in the Frunze Str. ) Achilles got good house training and was without effort student of historical and philological faculty of Moscow University, where he also studied music theory under the direction of Professor Frog, among other subjects. Music was his favorite hobby, but he could not devote all his time to the music. Family businesses brought him back to Taganrog, where he settled down in late 1870.

1880 Alferaki was elected mayor of Taganrog. During his tenure, was responsible for the cleanliness and beauty of Taganrog and took part in the founding of various charitable institutions. To his mayor of Taganrog time the streets were covered with plaster and planted with trees; the first sidewalks came into use.

The mayor promoted the education system of the city. Some of his proposals were often thought of as fantastic and wasteful by the Taganrog politicians, some of them, however, were realized, such as Alferakis proposals to build a monument in Taganrog for the Tsar Peter the Great or modernize the Taganrog port.

The Mayor was very musical. Taganrog was a real music city in the Russian south. In his house in the Gretscheskaja Street was played and sung, danced and played cards. Alferaki was famous for his ability to quickly and easily draw caricatures. Many of them are still preserved.

1888 Alferaki announced his office and moved to St. Petersburg to. Since 1891 he was administrator of the office of the Interior Ministry, then director of the Telegraph Agency. He devoted his leisure chiefly of music. He wrote more than 100 romances and two operas: " Erlkönig " and " Heath 's daughter ." Alferaki died 1919.