Oleg Dal'

Some years ago I was fond of memoirs and read book about famous soviet actor Oleg Dal'. The book amazed me: Dal seemed to be genius not appreciated by contemporaries. There was a story about plate recorded by Dal - "Alone with you, brother..." - where he recited Mikhail Lermontov's poems.
Dal's reciting differs from modern poetic reciting: sadness, melancholy show not only poet's world but actor's.

Duma.mp3, 2,91mb
I skuchno i grustno.mp3, 1,24mb
Vyhozhu odin ya na dorogu.mp3, 1,08mb
Zaveschanie.mp3, 1,24mb
all in russian

Irina Bogushevskaya

Irina Bogushevskaya is unique russian singer working in a unique genre: she sings light, some romantic but very smart songs in cabaret and chanson style. These songs are not similar bard songs or "prison chanson" ones - she managed to create her own original style. Also it should be said she writes texts herself. It's a really good music as it turns to us.

photo by A.Cordovskiy


Terpkiy vecher.mp3 (astringent evening)
Rio-Rita.mp3
39 tramway.mp3

Spring in Moscow

My final exam is over so i have a chance to continue describing my thoughts of soviet and postsoviet music.
I often think about life in USSR... I was born when Yuri Andropov ruled country that means the end of Soviet Union was near. My concept of soviet life differed with great dissonance which concludes in unpleasant things I saw myself and in nice, some nostalgic stories about happy youth I heard from my parents and saw in films like "Ya shagayu po Moskve" (Walking the Streets of Moscow) or "Pokrovskie vorota" (Pokrov Gates).
60th for me - it's time of tender relations, deep love and thaw as well. I imagine young people at the party in district far from Moscow center dancing and smiling and - I don't know why - all the girls I see in my mind clothed in striped roll-necks :) And Joe Dassin as God of Romantic Spring!

Joe-Dassin - Je Viens Comme Un Voleur.mp3, 6,86 МБ
Joe-Dassin - A Toi.MP3, 6,47 МБ

Iya Chantladze

photo by moogdroog

Georgian Sade. But I know nothing about her and only enjoy listening.
Iya Chantladze - Armikhvarkhar.mp3

Zhanna Aguzarova

In 16 years old Zhanna moved to Moscow wishing to enter an institution with hospice for students. So she entered technical school by painter profession. At once she found herself in artistic circle presenting herself s diplomat's daughter or medicine student. And immediately she got to very popular in Soviet Union of 80th BRAVO band.
Pavel Kuzin /drummer/ said he was shocked: Zhanna's voice was so strong and original. There were not in BRAVO ordinary musicians but musical dandys (maybe freaks). As for Aguzarova she is and always was a freak of music and clothes style. If God wouldn't gift her voice she'd become avangard designer.
At one of concerts BRAVO were arrested: "What papers did you mean?" - policemen asked have in mind the line "They spit on different papers".
The reasons of her immigracy to USA are not known. But she returned to Russia in 1996 and lives there in status of marsian girl, ex-star of soviet showbiz.

Vernis ko mne v chem delo.mp3
Sneg idet.mp3
Ty tol'ko ty.mp3
Bud' so mnoy.mp3
Leningradskiy rock'n'roll.mp3
Chudesnaya strana.mp3

Tamara Gverdtsiteli

She began to sing at 9 years old. Her georgian name is Tamriko. She left Georgia in the beginning of 90th because of civil war. She lived and worked in France for 4 years. Her culmination were concerts in Olympia Hall in Paris and in Carnegie Hall in NY.
She was 10 when mother brought her at choir "Mziuri". Tamriko had very beautiful, strong and cognitive voice. With Mziuri she often travelled in Europe. In 19 she won Red Carnation Prize at Sochi Festival and Golden Orpheus in Bulgaria, a lot of prizes in Drezden, San Remo etc.
Margareth Thatcher was present at Tamara's wedding - it happened occasionally: Thatcher was invited to the best wedding registry office in Tbilisi.
She sings in 6 languages.

Viva, King, Viva!.mp3
Youth.mp3 (both in russian)

Pelagea

Pelagea is russian folk and romance singer that is real rarity in modern Russia. Nobody knows why this genre is unpopular despite of songs' beauty and deep traditions. Pelagea is 18-year old girl but she became famous in professional musical sphere in 11 when Dmitry Dibrov invited her to his tv-programm Anthropology.

Ya ehala domoy.mp3
Lyubo, bratzy, luybo.mp3
Ne uhodi.mp3

Emmanuelle

Soviet censorship determined human morality. Usually soviet film ended with passionate kiss of two persons instead of sexual scene holliwood movies shown or alluded to. Some foreign films imported illegally and demonstrated to close friends in the flats with impenetrable curtains were the gulp of sexual liberty soviets needed so much. The main factor wasn't quality of these films but censorship interdiction because - as russian say - "forbidden fruit is always sweet".
One of foreigns films illegally imported to USSR was "Emmanuelle" and the generation of soviet men fell in love with Sylvia Kristel played the main role of simple-hearted temptress.
"Griechische Feigen" by Siggi Gotz (1976) was another film watched by inexperienced soviet erotomaniacs and its heroine Corinne travelled with nude bossom seemed them to be real pornostar.
Music wtitten by Pierre Bachelet and Francis Lai became the main theme of adult parties and considerably favoured to devastation of iron morals.

Emmanuele-song.mp3, 7,90 Mb

Iva Nova

Iva Nova is young russian band which consists of 4 girls: Lena Zhornik (trash-bayan), Katya Fedorova (drums), Inna Leshenkevitch (guitar) and Vera Ogareva (vocal). In february 2005 new vocalist Nastya Postnikova appears in band.
The style can be defined as slaviс ethno-punk.

Byla ne byla.mp3
Rodopskaya.mp3
Korrida v derevne Zaborovye.mp3 (Corrida in village Zaborovye)

Yuri Vizbor

Yuri Vizbor graduated Moscow State Pedagogical Istitute (named V. Lenin). That time it accumulated rebellious spirit of epoch. Many people provided theirself with guitars and began to sing simple and romantic melodies about quiet life full of harmony, love to nature, mountains, travels. Singers and their fans gathered around camp fire and were singing all the night. It was their original answer to pompous soviet music propagandized with all types of media.
For a long time Comsomol Organizations of Kuybyshev conducted Grushin's festival in memoriam of Kuybyshev's student Valery Grushin. First year there came about 600 persons, but 12 years later there were 100 000. That was author's song boom in USSR.
Also Vizbor played several roles in soviet films ("July Rain" by Marlene Hutsiyev for example) but his heroes were persons like Vizbor himself and of course they played guitar and sang.

Milaya moya.mp3

Julia Buzhilova&Renata Litvinova

Julia born in 1983 was a participant of tv-project Fabric of Stars-#1, reality-show directed to find out gifted young people to promote then. Julia wasn't winner of Fabric but she composed some songs one of which was "You're writing to me" where great modern russian director, actress, scenario writer and producer Renata Litvinova took part.
Renata Litvinova (her voice you hear in this song) graduated VGIK (Russian State Institute of Cinematography); she wrote some successful scenarios and directed several films ("No death for me" - scandal documentary film about 5 divas of soviet cinema; "The Goddess"), worked with Kira Muratova. Also Renata was a juror of Berlin Cinema Festival.
It's hard to describe what Renata Litvinova means for russians: she's probably angel, new diva of russian cinema like Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich were in their countries and epochs.


One day I'll go away
and only my words which are unfading would stay
these feelings are striking of walls
and I see sparks
they're not dissolving unlike me
so mortal one
they're like eternal monument
and would never be forgotten
and would be passed from man to man
and they would feel finally
how I loved you
It'll be rather good to live and live
to love and love you
you to be immortal
and not to become first
not to run away
as I call death
death is not fearful
but let her not to get closer to you...

You're writing to me.mp3 (in rus)

Evgene Doga

Evgene Doga was born in 1937 in Moldova. He graduated Kishinev Musical School (violoncello class) and then studied for 9 years in conservatory.
He composed music secretly but once his classmate Maria came to repetition for radio wishing folklore song to present but her teacher Pavel Bachinin (ex-Pablo Baccini) told her another song to try. She said she had no second song and Evgene offered his own song. "Classmate Maria" became favorite moldovian singer Maria Bieshu and Doga became composer.
But soon Doga was crushed with disaster: his left hand was paralysed. He deсided to devote his life to composing and entered conservatory again.
During his life Doga collaborated with many film directors. The most successful were works with Emile Lotyanu ("My tender and affectionate Beast", "Gypsy Camp Leaves for the Sky") and Ion Popescu-Gopo ("Maria Mirabela").
He also composed music for opening ang closing Moscow Olympiade (1980) and his first ballet "Luctafarul" (1982). But russians think if he had composed nothing but his famous Waltz for "My tender and affectionate Beast" his name would become legendary still.

(Vals iz filma Moy Laskoviy i Nezhny zver) Waltz from film My tender and affectionate Beast or try this
(Berezovaya Alleya) Birch Path - from Maria Mirabela