Pianist and Teacher Elena Gnesina, Timed to the 150th Anniversary of her Birth

Obverse

a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, above it along the rim the inscription in a semicircle ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed with paired diamonds on both sides, under the coat of arms are the chemical symbol and fineness of the metal on the left and fine metal content and the mint mark on the right, at the bottom centre in three lines are the inscription ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the coin denomination ‘2 РУБЛЯ’ (2 RUBLES), and the year of issue ‘2024 г.’ (2024).

Reverse

a relief image of Elena Gnesina’s portrait against the background of the silhouette of a grand piano framed with matte elements and a relief contour, images of the building of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music and a musical staff with the pianist’s musical autograph, laser treated for matte finishing, the relief inscription around the lower circumference ‘Е.Ф. ГНЕСИНА’ (ELENA GNESINA), and the years of her birth and death ‘1874’ and ‘1967’ in two lines in the left part.

Authors

Designers: E.V. Kramskaya (obverse), F.S. Andronov (reverse).
Sculptors: A.A. Dolgopolova (obverse), ), F.S. Andronov (reverse).
Mint: Saint Petersburg Mint (СПМД).
Edge: 195 corrugations.

Discover more

Elena Gnesina (1874–1967) – an outstanding musician, teacher, composer and music and social activist. She founded a number of schools named after the Gnesins.

In 1895, Elena Gnesina together with her sisters established a college which over the 72 years of her management became a ‘music training centre’. For almost 130 years the college has been preparing musicians honouring Russian art all over the world.

The name of Gnesina became a symbol of the Russian system of music education. Today, the model ‘school–college–university’ created by Gnesina is acknowledged to be one of the most efficient models in the world practice.

The material was provided by the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.