Leshchenko biography personal life children. Lev Leshchenko: biography, personal life, photo. Strong family union

Biography of Lev Leshchenko

Pop singer of the Russian and Soviet space, whose work is known throughout the world. He has come a long and difficult path to his cherished dream: from a locksmith-assembler to a music legend. He has about 700 famous compositions on his account: solo and duet. Today he is a successful and happy person who got everything he wanted from life.

Childhood

Lev Valeryanovich Leshchenko was born on the first day of February 1942 in Moscow.

Father - Valeryan Andreevich (1904 - 2004) was an employee. After the Soviet-Finnish war, he worked in the NKVD. During the Great Patriotic War, he served as deputy chief of staff of the special purpose regiment of escort troops. After the military events and until retirement, he worked in the Main Directorate of the KGB Border Troops.

Mother - Klavdia Petrovna (1915 - 1943) died at the age of 28 from a sore throat, when her son was still very young, and her eldest daughter was growing up. Since dad spent all the time at work, Leo was entrusted with the upbringing of adjutant Valerian Andreevich - foreman Andrei Fisenko. The boy lived by the strict laws of the regiment: he ate in the military canteen, fired at the range, marched with the soldiers in the ranks. Even before school, military clothes were sewn for him, and in the cold season he knew how to ride skis that were much larger than himself.

The boy liked to visit his mother's parents. Grandfather - Andrei Vasilyevich, owned the violin, was fond of choral singing at the church. It was he who instilled in his grandson a craving for music. In 1948, Marina Mikhailovna became the second wife of Valeryan Andreevich. According to the artist, the relationship with his stepmother was good-natured and warm. Nine months later, Leo had a younger sister, Valya.

school time

By decision of the parents, the family moved to the Military District, where the boy went to first grade. School days were busy, as Leo strove for diversified development: he sang in the choir, attended the swimming section, read poetry, and took part in the brass band. At the age of 16, he actively took up basketball. Over time, the head of the choir convinced Lev to take vocals seriously. Hobbies immediately faded into the background, and a talented student devoted his due time to his main hobby. The student's repertoire consisted of many compositions by the famous Leonid Utyosov. Having received a certificate of secondary education, the young man sought to get into the ranks of students of a theater university, but the examiners did not appreciate his talent.

Army

In the late 50s, Lev worked as a simple worker at the Bolshoi Theater, and at the beginning of the next decade he went to work at a factory for the manufacture of precision measuring instruments as an assembly fitter. In 1961 he was drafted into the Soviet army. The service took place in tank troops in Germany. The commanders noticed the young man's musical abilities and on January 27, 1962, he was sent to the folk song and dance ensemble as a soloist. Lev Valeryanovich also recited poetry, spent festive evenings and sang in a quartet. Throughout his service, he stubbornly prepared for admission to the desired institute.

The beginning of the creative path

Having served the Motherland, Leshchenko is enrolled in GITIS. In the second year of study, the director of the Operetta Theater Georgy Anisimov accepted him for training. The debut role was the image of the "sinner" in the play "Orpheus in Hell". Since 1964, he worked at the Mosconcert and did an internship at the operetta theater. In the summer, as part of concert teams, he performed in the expanses of the Soviet Union.

Star Trek

The opera theater in Moscow was conquered by the singer in the mid-60s. In February, at 28, he took the important position of soloist in the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting. Conquered the competition among pop singers, which brought together talents from all over the Soviet Union. A new wave of fame overtook the meter at the age of 30. Kumir became the winner of the "Golden Orpheus" and the Polish festival of musical creativity. The career of an attractive and successful hit performer grew rapidly. In 1973 he was awarded the laureate of the Moscow Komsomol. Four more years of hard work bring the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR. In 1978, they are awarded for high achievements in creativity. Leshchenko often traveled abroad with performances, and for this he was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples. Fans could not get enough of the achievements of the idol, especially when he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1983. Merit to the Fatherland was awarded the "Badge of Honor". A huge wave of recognition in 1975 brought the famous composition "Victory Day" to the figure. In the late 70s, he hosted the TV show “Sing, Friends.” The beginning of the 80s was marked by the birth of the Spektr group, which included a performer and musicians playing various instruments. The artist lectured at the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Institute. The end of the 20th century presented the master of the stage with a nominal star placed on the star square of the Rossiya Concert Hall. For fans and connoisseurs of art, the singer presented the author's book "Apology of Memory", which was published before the celebration of the glorious date of Leshchenko's birthday. On the anniversary of the 60th anniversary, the meter was congratulated with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree.

Personal life

During the period of study at the institute, Leshchenko met his future wife Albina Abdalova. In 1966, the lovers played a wedding, however, they could not carry their feelings through their whole lives. The relationship was unstable. The couple parted, then converged again. The marriage broke up after 10 years of marriage. The second marriage of Lev Valeryanovich turned out to be love at first sight. They met their future wife in the company of friends when the singer was touring in Sochi. Irina looked stylish and elegant, which he really liked. However, at the first meeting, she did not attach great importance to the meeting with the star. The artist was struck by the external and internal beauty of a woman. He sought her for 2 years and in 1978 the couple played a wedding. Leo and Irina have no children. But it repelled them, but on the contrary, rallied them. The married life of Leo and Irina Leshchenko for 30 years is full of harmony and love.

A taut figure, a military bearing, soft features, a kind smile - this is Lev Valeryanovich. If you don’t know for sure, then it’s impossible to guess how old Leshchenko Lev is. But the singer is so famous that almost everyone knows his age.

Year of birth of Lev Leshchenko - 1942, the height of the Great Patriotic War. Childhood fell on the hungry post-war period, but the singer remembers him only with warmth. Today, like half a century ago, Lev Leshchenko is still famous. The biography, personal life of this talented person deserve attention and, of course, are of interest to admirers of his work.

Family and childhood

The year of birth of Lev Leshchenko, as mentioned earlier, is 1942. His parents were happy when on February 1 they had a boy. Father was especially happy. Being already a regular military man, he was looking forward to his son. This event happened in Moscow, so the singer is a native Muscovite, and all his childhood was spent in Sokolniki.

The Leshchenko family is rooted in the village of Nizy, Sumy district, Kharkov province. From there, the singer's grandfather, Andrei Vasilievich Leshchenko, came from, who in 1900 moved to the Kursk province (the village of Lyubimovka). There he worked at a sugar factory as an accountant. It was from him that Leo inherited absolute pitch and a unique voice. Andrei Vasilyevich played the violin in the factory quartet, and in addition, he sang in the church choir. The grandson often visited his grandfather and received his first lessons in music and vocals from him.

The singer's father, Leshchenko Valeryan Andreevich, was born in 1904 and lived a long life, making an excellent military career. After graduating from a gymnasium in Kursk, he got a job at a neighboring state farm, then, in the direction received in 1931, he moved to Moscow. He worked as an accountant, like his father. After being drafted into the Red Army, military labor no longer left. At first he participated in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, then the Great Patriotic War broke out. He went from soldier to officer, retired with the rank of colonel. He was awarded many medals and orders. Despite the trials that fell to his lot, he turned out to be a long-liver, Valeryan Andreevich died at the age of 99. As a child, Leva spent a lot of time with his father, went to the shooting ranges, ate in the soldiers' canteen, he was, as everyone called him, "the son of the regiment." The father could not keep track of the nimble child, so foreman Andrey Fisenko was assigned to him. How old was Leshchenko Lev when he first put on a military uniform? This is a very interesting fact: at the age of only 4 years old, he decided to try on a uniform, in addition, he stood on soldier's skis, which were three times longer than himself!

The singer's mother, Klavdia Petrovna Leshchenko, was born in 1915, but did not live long. In 1943, a year after the birth of her son, she died. She was only 28 years old. The house of Lev Leshchenko was left without female warmth for five whole years. In 1948, his father married Marina Mikhailovna, who gave birth to Leo's sister, Valentina Valerianovna. The relationship between the boy and his stepmother was excellent, until now the artist remembers her with love. The foster mother raised her stepson as her own, without depriving her of attention and affection.

school time

From childhood, Leva dreamed of a career as an artist, listening to Utyosov's songs. The beginning of a creative career was laid in the Palace of Pioneers. Having not yet decided what he likes best, the boy attended two circles: choral and drama. In the first he sang, and in the second he recited poetry with rapture. After some time, not a single district or city amateur performance review could do without a vociferous Leo. Soon the boy gave preference to vocals, the teachers completely agreed with his choice. The voice was wonderful, but the classes in the drama club were not in vain: Leo was not lacking in artistry.

Young Lev Leshchenko

The biography of this period covers the formation of the personality of the artist and the mastery of the profession. School years flew by, and the young Leo went to enter the theater institute. The first attempt was unsuccessful. The young man decided not to move away from the stage and got a job as a simple worker at the Bolshoi Theater. Then he still had to leave there and work for some time as a fitter at the factory.

Having received a summons to the army, Leshchenko sought to get into a sailor, but his father "tried", and his son instead of a ship ended up in a tank. Lev was sent to serve in a group of Soviet troops in Germany. There, the young soldier was noticed thanks to his voice and remained the soloist of the song and dance ensemble, until the end of his service life.

In the army, Leshchenko did not forget about his intention to study at the theater. Returning to the "citizen", the persistent guy for the fourth time appeared before the introductory commission, which was more supportive and accepted him to the department of musical comedy. So Leshchenko became a student of GITIS. In his second year, he played the role of the Sinner in the production of Orpheus in Hell at the Operetta Theater. And it was the first step to worldwide fame.

Pop singer Lev Leshchenko

The biography of this time of the artist's life is gaining fame, combined with incredible diligence. After a successful debut in 1966, the singer became a full member of the Moscow Operetta Theater. But the young artist did not want such fame: he dreamed of a tour, an enthusiastic audience, he was drawn to a big stage. Four years later, in 1970, he was received by the USSR State Radio and Television. Many veteran singers could only dream of such an invitation. From that moment, a pop career began: recording songs, live broadcasts on the radio ... His talent was recognized by the team of the Big Symphony Orchestra, with which the singer performed.

The popularity grew steadily, Leshchenko became the first number on the Soviet stage. The song "For that guy" was the first sign. And the artist truly became famous by performing the immortal song "Victory Day" by David Tukhmanov. It was first performed in 1975 and became the calling card of Lev Leshchenko.

Awards and titles

The work of such a talented singer as Lev Leshchenko has been repeatedly noted by the state. The biography of this artist is worthy of study! The performer has earned a large number of titles and awards, some of which I would like to mention here:

1. Honored Artist of the RSFSR - 1977.
2. People's Artist of the RSFSR - 1983.
3. Order of the Badge of Honor - 1989.
4. Order of Friendship of Peoples - 1980.
5. Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II, III and IV degrees;
6. "Golden Gramophone" - 2009.

When the USSR ceased to exist, the singer did not sit without work for a minute. In 1990, he created the "Music Agency" and began organizing tours, presentations, concerts...

The artist continues to give concerts and go on tour. Lev Leshchenko discovered the talent of a teacher: among his students there are such celebrities as Marina Khlebnikova, Katya Lel, Varvara ... His wonderful duet with his best friend Vladimir Vinokur is known to everyone and is a success both in our country and abroad. Lev Valeryanovich wrote the book "Apology of Memory", in which he told about his life.

Lev Leshchenko: biography, personal life

In his personal life, the singer is happy, he was married twice. The first wife of Lev Leshchenko, Alla Alexandrovna Abdalova, was an actress and singer, he lived with her for 10 years, from 1966 to 1976.

With his second wife, Irina Pavlovna Bagudina, the singer started a family in 1978 and found real family happiness. They have no children, which Lev Valeryanovich regrets.

Interesting facts from the life of the famous singer

Lev Leshchenko has a very eventful life, there have been many different cases over the long years of his creative activity.

Interesting Facts:

1. In 1980, at the closing of the Olympics, Lev Leshchenko and Tatyana Antsiferova sang a song that brought all listeners to tears - "Goodbye, Moscow." Under this song, the Olympic Bear flew into the sky.

2. Leonid Brezhnev was very fond of songs performed by Leshchenko, no one dared turn off the TV during the singer's performance.

3. In 1970, Leshchenko miraculously survived. He was to tour south with his musicians and parodist V. Chistyakov. But he was not released from Moscow, as an important performance in the capital was coming. The plane took off without him, there was a plane crash, people died. Such vicissitudes of fate.

4. In the 80s, the singer gave concerts in Afghanistan. On the way to Jalalabad, the escort fell behind and the car stalled. At this time they were attacked by dushmans. Only the engine that started up again saved the passengers of the gas truck, including Lev Leshchenko, from certain death: the attackers did not have time to reach the frightened travelers.

She did not give birth to children, having abortions, because he did not want them to appear. Now Leshchenko is rich and famous. Abdalova, alas, becomes an inveterate drunkard. And six months ago, she completely stopped answering phone calls.

On June 19, Alla Abdalova turned 69 years old. In the months leading up to that date, I had called her on the phone. But she didn't pick up the phone. On my birthday with a bouquet of field daisies, I stood at her apartment. I pressed the call button for a long time. Nobody came to the door.

I bought chamomile not by chance. These are her favorite flowers. It was them that were given to her by a man whom she still cannot forget, although more than 30 years have passed since the day they parted. She told me about this two years ago, during our last meeting.

Alla studied at GITIS at the operetta department. She had a voice of rare beauty. Leonid Utyosov, a leading figure in the Soviet stage, drew attention to a beautiful talented student. He invited Abdalova to his famous ensemble "Merry Fellows". On the course, Allochka was considered a star.

- I'm in my third year. At the beginning of the school year, my friends told me the news: an interesting guy appeared among the first-year students, ”said Abdalova. - Tall, curly. The girls were delighted with him.

Leva immediately noticed Alla. At first, he came to the dance class, where the senior students were engaged, and watched her from afar. Somehow the girl could not stand it and asked: “Why are you looking at me like that?” “You are an exact copy of my niece,” Leva found.

Once he met her at the door of the auditorium with a bouquet of daisies. She had a birthday.

“Of course, he struck me with this act,” Alla Alexandrovna said.

Best of the day

They, holding hands, went to the front garden of GITIS. They had a student-style feast: they uncorked a bottle of semi-sweet wine and drank without snacks. Since then, every day he accompanied her to the house.

- Although Lyova studied two years younger, I am only a year older than him. He entered GITIS after the army. He was even a little shy. For some reason he was shy of his curls. I wet my hair all the time, trying to straighten it. But he was never embarrassed by his lisp. The teachers told him that he needed to study with a speech therapist. But he is in no way. He joked: “And so good!”

In the evenings they wandered the streets until late. First - to her house, then - to his. One day he brought her to the apartment where he lived with his father, stepmother and sister. Everyone was asleep.

- Before Leva, I had men, and he didn’t get me a virgin. But never - neither before him nor after - did I lose my head like that, - Abdalova recalled.

They dated for seven years before they decided to get married.

- Walked for two days. 40 people were invited to the wedding, ”Lev Leshchenko said in an interview. - From the room where my father and my foster mother lived, they took out all the things and set the tables there. I had a suit, the bride had a dress. Her sister lived abroad and sent white for the occasion, but not the wedding one.

While studying at GITIS, Alla showed great promise. It was for her, and not for Leo, that experts predicted a great future.

- Leo was even offended by this. I felt sorry for him, and I tried in every possible way to support and promote him, - said Abdalova.

Sociable and talented Alla became friends with the composer Mark Fradkin and his wife. She asked Fradkin to help Lyova get on stage.

But even the victories at the prestigious festivals in Sopot in the Soviet years and at the Golden Orpheus did not make it truly popular. Leshchenko was not invited to the radio, was not included in the concert program.

His fate changed radically thanks to the same Fradkin.

- I asked Mark Grigorievich to recommend Lev to the wonderful author of many hits - David Tukhmanov, - Alla Alexandrovna recalled. - And then one day Fradkin calls: "Bring Lyova to me." Tukhmanov composed the song "Victory Day" and was looking for a good singer for her. Of course we were delighted. But for some reason, Lyova did not like the song at first. He even wanted to give it up. I tried my best to convince him. Later he thanked me that I insisted on my own and he still sang. After the "Victory Day" his career rapidly went up.

Once Lev Valerianovich, talking about his first marriage, said that he always wanted to have children, but Alla was in no hurry to give birth.

– I read this interview. Lyovushka is disingenuous, - denied the singer Abdalova. - Yes, from time to time we said that it would be time to have children already. But when the question was concrete - to give birth or not to give birth, he evaded a direct answer.

According to Abdalova, with the growth of her husband's popularity, she was confident that they would stay together forever. Leo increasingly went on tour alone and moved away from her.

Once, having become pregnant, she wanted to give birth to a baby. Alla asked her husband: “Do you love me? If yes, then I will give birth. But Leo remained silent and quickly turned the conversation to another topic.

For Alla, this was a collapse. She is no longer loved, and why then give birth to children from him! Wiping her tears, she went to the midwife.

They continued to live. Sometimes it seemed to her that everything was fine and she was still loved.

– I remember he flew in from Japan on tour. Impressions - a lot, he can not wait to tell everything, - recalled Alla Alexandrovna.

- And I have only one thing spinning in my head: I'm pregnant again. How to be this time? Cautiously started talking. I ask: "Lyovushka, what to do?" And he waved it off, muttered, they say, do as you like ... Since then, I have not asked him. Of course, he was always selfish, he felt like a spoiled child. Now I understand: I didn’t have to ask him, I just had to give birth. He has a soft, pliable character. He would make a good father. But then, unfortunately, I did not understand all this. Well, let her stay with the child. It's better than being alone.

Once the doctor told me after the operation that I could have two twin boys. I experienced shock. I don't remember how I got home. I went into the apartment, and there Leva collapsed in an armchair and arranged by phone with Slava Dobrynin to take a walk through the haunts. He did not even look at me, did not notice or did not want to notice that I felt bad. Packed up and left as if nothing had happened. I realized that I live with a callous, indifferent and narcissistic person. But she still continued to love him.

Although Alla doubted her husband's love, she did not want to divorce him. Moreover, he did not give a reason: he did not go to the side, he preferred to spend time with his family. The trouble came from where Abdalova did not expect.

A friend of Leshchenko, Fima Zuperman, often visited them. In the 70s he was known as a card sharper. Zuperman shamelessly dropped in to visit. It was impossible to get him out. He stayed for several days, treating the hosts with wine.

For Leo, this was a real disaster. The next morning he should go to record on the radio, but he can't move his tongue. After drinking, his already incorrect diction suffered greatly and only one hiss escaped from him.

Of course, I drove Fima. He got angry with me and said: "Since you do not want to communicate with me, then I will make Lyova leave you." I ignored his threats. But in vain. He turned out to be vindictive.

On one of his trips to the south, Zuperman arranged for Loewe to meet a young lady named Irina. There they had a light holiday romance.

- Returning from the south, Lyova began to disappear somewhere often. I felt: he had a woman. But at the same time, he did not try to leave, and we continued to live as if nothing had happened. Everything could be done. Gradually, the romance would fade away. But I, fools, could not stand the nerves, - Abdalova repents. - It was pounding in my brain: I trusted him, but he deceived me. Well, she could not stand it, pointing to the door. She also filed for divorce. Now I really reproach myself for this. After all, Lyova is cowardly, indecisive, he himself would never have dared to take a suitcase and leave. And I, it turns out, helped a rival.

At these words, Alla Alexandrovna began to cry. We were sitting on a bench near the entrance. She held her photograph in her hands. A blooming, beautiful, well-groomed woman looked from her. Next to me was an emaciated, toothless old woman. However, the language did not turn to call her absolutely downcast. Rather, she looked very unhappy and forgotten by everyone. She was wearing worn, but clean and carefully pressed clothes. As she talked, she was doused with fumes. Alla Alexandrovna began frantically looking for a cigarette. Not finding it, she habitually went to shoot. She returned, staggering unsteadily. Feel sorry for this unfortunate woman. Sitting down, she sang softly.

According to her, after the divorce, she never remarried. At first, fans were spinning around, but over the years they disappeared. Shortly before our meeting, TV men managed to raid her apartment. She did not talk to them, but they managed to rent her miserable dwelling.

“I have a terrible mess in my apartment,” Abdalova admitted. - A lot of things have accumulated that it’s a pity to throw it away, but there’s simply no strength to sort out what is needed and what is not.

Alla Alexandrovna said that she had relatives - a sister, a niece, but they had their own worries. And she was tired of being alone. Hoping to be saved from mental suffering, she once went into the church and sang along with the singers. Since then, she began to travel with the choir to the churches of the Moscow region and sing on church holidays. And not only because she was paid for singing. The singers became her only truly close people.

I was about to leave, but Alla Aleksandrovna did not let go, continuing to talk about her Lev.

“I believe that he will come to me no matter what,” she said, and a tear rolled down her cheek. I haven't seen him on TV for 30 years. Not specifically included. He remains young and beautiful for me. I still love him, I wish him only happiness and wait ...

On my birthday, I decided to congratulate the poor woman to dispel her loneliness. Without finding her at home, she continued to call every day. She was worried that something had happened to her. And now, a month later, I managed to get through to her neighbor. It turns out that after the New Year, a fire almost broke out in Alla Alexandrovna's apartment. The smell of smoke was smelled by the residents of the entrance in time. Whether she accidentally put out the cigarette or deliberately set the fire, no one knows for sure.

“This was the second case of fire in a short time,” the neighbor says. - Alla would definitely have burned down the apartment if her relatives had not shown up. They threw the rubbish out of the rooms, washed everything, and Alla was taken to the village, where they have a house. They say she was coded for drunkenness. Thank God, otherwise it's a pity for her. She's still quite a strong woman, despite the booze, and educated. And when sober, it is even interesting to talk with her. But he doesn’t want to understand one thing, that you can’t rewrite life anew and Lyova will never return to it.

After this conversation, I found on the Internet a miraculously preserved recording of one of Abdalova's concerts with Leshchenko. Young and beautiful, they sing "Old Maple" in a duet. This tape preserved not only a recording of a wonderful performance of the song. She is a testament to their mutual love. How much devotion is in Alla's eyes when she looks at her husband! Yes, and he looks at her with tenderness and adoration. And I can’t even believe that in the same 1976, when the concert was recorded, they broke up. It was then that during a tour in Sochi, Leshchenko met Irina, the daughter of a diplomat. And two years later they got married. Only now, the new wife of Lev Valerianovich, unfortunately, did not give birth to children.

leshchenko is not a hero
simpleton 27.02.2017 12:33:46

Leshchenko is not a hero in this story. And not even a very man.
But no one is forcing anyone to sleep. I might as well not drink.

Lev LESHCHENKO

L. Leshchenko was born on February 1, 1942 in Moscow (on 2nd Sokolnicheskaya Street) in the family of a military man. His childhood fell on the first post-war years, which he recalls as follows: “I was raised by a foster mother - a wonderful woman! We lived in an old Moscow courtyard, and lived very friendly. If someone has a bicycle in the yard, all the guys in the yard take turns riding it. If someone buys inertly, all the neighbors come to watch. And the joy of every purchase is shared. Well, if you are hungry, and your parents are still at work, one of the neighbors will definitely feed you. They lived, of course, hard, but openly, generously for each other.

While still a child, Leshchenko decided that he would definitely become an artist. Therefore, he began his ascent to fame from the regional Palace of Pioneers, where he enrolled in two different circles at once: choral and drama. In one he sang with pleasure, in the other he read poetry with the same rapture. Judging by the fact that soon they began to take him to all regional and city amateur art shows, classes in both circles were to his advantage.

Meanwhile, by the end of the decade, Leshchenko finally decided on his choice and decided to devote himself to music. Having bought records of Franco Carelli, Mario Del Monaco and other popular performers in the store, our hero played them on his radio from morning to evening, after which, with the meticulousness of a diligent student, he tried to reproduce what he heard on his own. In his opinion, it worked out well. In the end, full of the most optimistic hopes, Leshchenko, after graduating from school in 1959, went to GITIS - to enter the department of operetta artists.

Unfortunately, that campaign ended in failure - Leshchenko was not accepted to the institute. Apparently, against the background of other applicants, he did not look so convincing, so the examiners failed him with a clear conscience. Leshchenko had to wait a whole year to seek his fortune in a new attempt. The year passed unnoticed, especially since all this time Leshchenko did not beat the buckets, but first worked as a stage worker at the Bolshoi Theater, and then went to the factory of precision instruments as a mechanic.

Oddly enough, but the second attempt of the future People's Artist of Russia to get into GITIS ended in failure. The examiners again did not find anything remarkable in it and wrapped it up from the very first call. After that, anyone else in Leshchenko's place would certainly have come to the sad thought about the inconsistency of his talent with the chosen specialty. That is, I would do something else. But, being a persistent person, he acted in accordance with his character - he came to the next exams at GITIS a year after the second failure.

This time, Leshchenko passed the exams much more successfully than the previous two times. Round after round, he went to the cherished goal - to become a student - and he probably would have become one, if this time the case had not intervened in the course of events. The fact is that by that time it was time for the young man to serve in the army, and the summons that came from the military enlistment office clearly demonstrated this. So instead of sitting at a desk, Leshchenko had to become a gun crew - he ended up in tank troops and served in the GDR as a loading tank.

It is worth noting that the recruit did not interrupt his vocal lessons in the army either. Soon, the army authorities found out about his abilities and attached Leshchenko as a soloist in the song and dance ensemble. In this capacity, he completed his military service. And returning to civilian life, for the fourth (!) Time he came to the exams at GITIS and nevertheless finished off his teachers with his perseverance - despite the huge competition (46 people per place), he was accepted into the department of musical comedy (teacher - Georgy Pavlovich Anisimov) .

While studying at GITIS, several notable events took place in Leshchenko's life at once. Firstly, in 1969, as a 3rd year student, he married his classmate Anna Abdalova, and secondly, he began to enjoy success as a soloist. First, he was invited to the Moscow Operetta Theater as a bass-baritone, with a salary of 110 rubles (other novice singers were paid only 90 rubles), and in 1970 he received an invitation to become a soloist in the vocal group of the USSR State Radio and Television.

So step by step the artist went to his glory. Moreover, this path was by no means as smooth as it might seem at first glance. Many disappointments, insults and even tragic accidents awaited him along the way. For example, in 1970 Leshchenko almost died in a plane crash. He then had to fly with his musicians and the parodist Viktor Chistyakov, popular in those years, on tour to the south, but the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company did not let him go from Moscow, for his participation in the creative evening of the poet Lev Oshanin. And the plane flew away without him, but never reached its destination - it crashed.

Another tragic story - and again with the musicians from the ensemble in which Leshchenko sang - happened two years after this plane crash. The singer himself says: “At that time, I did not have enough trumpeter in the ensemble. And I asked my musician, Misha Vishnevsky, to find me a suitable guy. He agreed with the first trumpeter of the Utesov orchestra, who on May 18, 1972 was to come to Moscow and sign the contract. And on this day, five of my musicians break. Everything. To death. And when we bury them at the Kuzminsky cemetery, I met my first wife there, who says: “I knew you were burying your guys today, I didn’t bother you, but we are burying them today ...” And she names the very trumpeter from the Utesov orchestra where she herself worked. It turns out that they arrived on the 18th, he went to the store for bread, and he was hit by a trolley bus ... And he was buried - on the same day, in the same cemetery, next to five of my guys. That's it - it means, either here or there, in the other world, but he had to join them ... "

Meanwhile, it was in 1972 that all-Union glory came to L. Leshchenko. This happened after he became a laureate at the international competitions "Golden Orpheus" (Bulgaria) and in Sopot (Poland), performing the song of M. Fradkin and R. Rozhdestvensky "For that guy". A year later, Leshchenko added to these awards two prizes - the Moscow and Lenin Komsomol.

In 1975, Leshchenko's fame was multiplied by the song "Victory Day" by composer David Tukhmanov and poet Vladimir Kharitonov. The reader probably knows this song very well, but not everyone knows that her path to success was not so simple. Initially, Tukhmanov's wife, singer Tatyana Sashko, undertook to perform it. However, during the premiere of the song in the Union of Composers, she was almost booed. The composers said that this song had nothing to do with Victory, and the music was generally a foxtrot. And only the director of the Melodiya company, Vladimir Ryzhikov, believed in the song and released a flexible gramophone record. But in the performance of Sashko, the song did not go to the people. Then another performer, Leonid Smetannikov, took the song into his repertoire, but it did not gain popularity in his mouth either. And only after that she ended up with L. Leshchenko. The singer recalls it like this:

“It was in April 1975. The editor-in-chief of the Yunost radio station, Zhenya Shirokov, persuaded Tukhmanov to give this song to me. Tukhmanov gave me a clavier, and with him I went on the next tour. We agreed that I will try, if it works, we will write it down. And when I first started singing it at a concert in Alma-Ata, the audience suddenly stood up. Something incredible happened to people. I have never had a song that would blow up the audience like that.

After the concert, I call Tukhmanov - do not give it to anyone. The record will be. And he answers - Lyova, forgive me, but then Victory Day is on the nose, and the song has already been taken to the festive "Spark". Artist - Smetannikov. Alas, he did not sleep well. The attitude to the song became cool. Six months after the premiere, she was gathering dust on the shelf. Until November 10, when the whole country celebrated Militia Day. I was invited to speak to the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Shchelokov's deputy, another man who was in charge of organizing the police holiday, was at the preliminary audition. And I told them a song. Say, the year of the 30th anniversary of the Victory, the police also did not stand aside. They doubted, but they listened and gave the go-ahead. And at the concert, the song was a monstrous success, especially since the broadcast was live.

Following this hit, others began to appear one after another in Leshchenko's repertoire. The most popular of them, os (conditionally, were the songs: “Nightingale Grove” (people called it: “And from the fields it comes - pour!”), “Farewell”, “Not a moment of peace”, “Parents’ house”, “White birch", "Native land".

A rather unpleasant story happened with the last song, which L. Leshchenko tells about:

“I am going to the international festival in Sopot with the song “Native Land”. Shalashov, editor-in-chief of musical television broadcasting, and his comrades are listening to me. I see you are unhappy. Indeed, Shalashov says - what kind of song, could not find a better one? Then he couldn't. Somehow approved. In Poland, on the other hand, it was well received. After Sopot, he offered her to the final festival "Songs of the Year". The same Shalashov yuper categorically forbade even remembering her. I'm going to the chairman of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Lapin - what kind of arbitrariness? You know, he says, there are undesirable oriental intonations. What other intonations? Jewry gives, Lapin explains, an open call to the promised land is heard, and all in the same spirit. Yes, the tune is annoying. In a word, no matter how I fought, they did not miss.

In those same years, there were changes in the singer's personal life. His marriage to Anna Abdalova lasted about six years and broke up in the mid-70s. At the same time, the fact that Leshchenko met another girl, 24-year-old Irina, who became his wife two years later, played a significant role. The singer himself says:

“Irina and I met in Sochi during my tour. Accidentally collided in the elevator of the Zhemchuzhina Hotel. Irina seemed interesting and mysterious to me. In addition, she did not know me as an artist, because at that time she studied at the diplomatic faculty of the University of Budapest, and even earlier she lived with her father in Germany. No wonder she "passed" by my person. It was the echo that bribed me, because in 1976, when we met, I was already a fairly popular person who performed Victory Day and Nightingale Grove. They looked at me like a star. Naturally, often I could not understand how sincere such an attitude was. And in this sense, Irina's ignorance determined the beginning of our relationship. Moreover, she was independent of me - she was on her free foreign flight, she had the right to choose ... We rarely saw each other, corresponded, and our romance lasted almost two years. We ended up getting married…”

In January of the following year, Irina came from Hungary to Moscow for the holidays. Having learned about this through her friend, Leshchenko came to her house and persuaded her to go on tour with him to Novosibirsk. Irina agreed. And for six days they were together: during the day they skated, and in the evening Leshchenko performed at concerts. Then Irina again flew to Budapest.

Their meetings continued throughout the year. Irina flew to Moscow on her free days, where the artist specially rented an apartment for her. And when the university was successfully completed, Leshchenko finally made Irina a marriage proposal, which she naturally accepted.

In the late 70s, Leshchenko confidently entered the first line of the most popular pop singers in the Soviet Union. They say that L. Brezhnev himself loved to listen to his songs and never turned off the TV when he appeared on the blue screen (he often did this with other performers). In 1977, L. Leshchenko was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

It is worth noting that, despite the external well-being that surrounded the Soviet "stars" of cinema, pop or sports in those years, mentally, many of them did not feel very comfortable. Take the same L. Leshchenko. Here are his own words: “I had no privileges. It was a humiliating time for me. For example, they could call to sing at the dacha of some official. “Behind the scenes” they laid a small table, put a couple of sandwiches and put a shot of vodka.

I received nothing from the state, and I had to pay for everything myself. And I had to ask. He asked for a car, asked for furniture, asked for caviar and smoked sausage. And how much did I walk to build a cooperative apartment?! This is a disgusting state when you have the opportunity and money to arrange your life, but everywhere you have to humiliate yourself ...

The same is true in creativity. Previously, I had 16 norms according to the plan. That is concerts. Less than 16 a month I could not sing. It was called: "I did not fulfill the plan." More than 32, too, could not. It was called: "I chased a long ruble." My earnings in this case would exceed 500 rubles, and this was strictly monitored. Sometimes we went to foundations, that is, we performed not at the main venues, but somewhere else. For this we were then dragged to the prosecutor's office and said: “What right do you have ?!” I remember that I, Vinokur, Pugacheva and Rotaru were shaken for a year and a half because we gave some kind of left-wing concerts. Frightened by prison. To be disrespectful to others.

It was almost impossible to get a song written by a non-member of the Union of Composers on television. I wanted to work with Yura Antonov, Zhenya Martynov, Slava Dobrynin, none of them were this member, and when I brought their song heard: “Who is this? .. Martynov? .. But he is not a member of the Union! .. Dobrynin? .. What are you, Lyova! ..

I myself was never allowed to go beyond the image of a traditional singer. I was supposed to be a role model on stage. And every unheroic move I made was seen as an escape. Why they chose me, I don't know. My appearance probably matched. After all, then what classic heroes were: Solomin, Tikhonov ... The faces had to be kind, but fair. Mine came up. And then, I'm such a person ... not anomalous. I have a self-preservation instinct. I wanted - and want - to live normally, sing, eat ... Until now, I sometimes hear that I am a “Kremlin nightingale”. Well, what kind of nightingale am I?! I never sang: “Our General Secretary”, and I didn’t even have a song about BAM ... And in general, I listened to my stock records here, out of 350 songs - 300 about love ... "

In confirmation of the words of the artist that even he, one of the most popular singers of that time, was sometimes forbidden to do what he wanted to do, we can cite the story of the film "From Heart to Heart", which premiered to coincide with the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow 1980. It was a musical film, the authors of which were Lev Leshchenko and composer V. Dobrynin. In fact, there was nothing seditious in the picture - it was about the process of creating a song. However, there was one flaw in the film that terribly outraged the censors - the lack of costumes among the artists, which replaced jeans and shirts. As a result, the picture was convicted of preaching the Western way of life and was banned from showing.

In the early 80s, Leshchenko went to Afghanistan with concerts. This trip almost cost him his life. One day, when they were driving in a gas truck to Jalalabad, the armored personnel carriers accompanying them suddenly fell behind, and they ran into dushmans. As luck would have it, the "jeep" suddenly stalled, they could not start it for a long time, and the lives of the passengers hung in the balance for several minutes. Fortunately, everything worked out then and the car pulled away before the spooks managed to run to it.

In 1983, L. Leshchenko was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.

In the first years of perestroika, not the best of times came for Leshchenko. As the singer recalls: “Then a peculiar trend appeared in the musical crowd: everything old began to be sharply rejected. It was believed that everything we achieved was undeserved, that everything was fabricated by the life that required such artists. Yes, that's basically how it was. We were shaped by the reality, the dominant ideology in those years. But after all, even the most mediocre ideology chooses the most talented people for its sermons. The worst plays were always taken to a good theatre. Bad roles were given to outstanding actors who, with their skill, would stretch them out.

And now the musical party froze: “What are these mediocre old singers, the “Kremlin nightingales” - Kobzon, Leshchenko and others, others - what will they do now?” And now they still turned out to be the most professional performers. We have survived in this situation. After all, look, now there are no professionals left at all (and not only on the stage).

In the West, no one will invest a single cent in mediocrity! There, the same rich people create “stars” in order to earn money later on them, therefore they act for sure. But our “new Russians”, often having bad taste and lack of education, invest in their girls and protégés not for earning money, but for their own pleasure, courage. It’s a shame that by doing so they bring up bad taste in the public…”

I note that, being a teacher at the Gnessin Institute at the pop faculty, Leshchenko in 1997 selected ... one student as his student. The rest, as future singers, turned out to be insolvent.

Today L. Leshchenko is as creatively active as he was twenty years ago. He records new songs, releases CDs, starred in music videos. He lives with his wife Irina in Moscow and in a dacha outside the city (his mother-in-law also lives there, with 48 (!) varieties of vegetables, fruits and berries growing on her plot). There are two cars in the singer's personal fleet: a Mercedes-300 and an Audi-D-quadro.

From recent interviews with JI. Leshchenko: “I have no children. At first I didn’t want to, there was no time, not before. Now would be - and before, but it's too late. That's the whole story...

Cape Vovka Vinokur in an informal setting is very cheerful guys. We hang out, drink vodka, hooligans, pester girls ...

My wife is not jealous. It’s just that I’m already at that age ... I’m already over 50, and all this is devoid of any meaning ...

There is one quality that I consider one of the biggest vices. It is equally bad for men and women. This is greed. Almost all trouble comes from greed. I never accept greed…”

The material uses fragments of interviews taken from a swarm of publications by journalists: O. Saprykina, Y. Geiko (Komsomolskaya Pravda), A. Sidyachko (Megapolis-Express), and Zubtsova (Arguments and Facts),

This text is an introductory piece.

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Lev LESCHENKO The first time Leshchenko got married at the very end of the 60s, when he was a 3rd year student at GITIS. His wife was a graduate of the same institute, Alla Abdalova. Their first meeting took place in 1964. It was then that freshman Leshchenko saw with his own eyes a student about whom in GITIS

From the book of Peter Leshchenko. All that was ... Last tango the author Leshchenko Vera

Chronicle of the life and work of Peter and Vera Leshchenko 1898, July 3 - in the village of Isaevo, Kherson province (now the Odessa region of Ukraine), Peter Konstantinovich Leshchenko was born. 1899, April - moves to Chisinau with his mother and her parents. And

From the book My Great Old Women author Medvedev Felix Nikolaevich

“I am becoming famous…” (from the diaries of T. I. Leshchenko-Sukhomlina) Of the two volumes of Tatyana Ivanovna’s memoirs, I have chosen only some entries that, it seemed to me, most accurately and subtly, and most importantly, fascinatingly and with humor, show our good friendly

From the book I can not do otherwise. The life she told herself author Tolkunova Valentina Vasilievna

Poems by Tatyana Leshchenko-Sukhomlina from my archive He was tired. Sad. Evil. Not a friend, not a brother, not a lover. But something very expensive. Such that I wanted to glide by without raising my eyes, To be fragrant with an unsteady smile And to sing, keeping in my soul a story About a fisherman with a crafty

From the author's book

People's Artist of Russia. Lev Leshchenko Thinking about Valya Tolkunova, I return to the memories of early youth, to the very beginning of life. I graduated from the institute, worked in parallel at the Moscow Operetta Theater as an intern, a little later - as an artist, and we crossed paths several times in

Lev Leshchenko is a legend of the Soviet and Russian stage. He is always sincere and causes only sympathy and positive emotions. There is probably no person who would have a negative attitude towards Lev Valerianovich. His songs always carry only the good and the eternal, they are light and humane.

Childhood and youth

Lev Valerianovich was born in Moscow, in Sokolniki. It was war time, the beginning of the 42nd year. He was born not in a maternity hospital, but in a small wooden house in which the whole family and two more aunts lived. It was very cold, they were bombing nearby, fierce battles were going on near Moscow at that time, and his mother was terribly afraid of simply not getting to the maternity hospital. Births were taken by neighbor aunts. My father served in a unit nearby, so he had the opportunity to visit his relatives and bring them his rations. So on Leva's birthday, he rushed from the front. The hut was heated, because before that it was only 4 degrees Celsius, and the birth of a son was modestly celebrated. The eldest daughter Yulia was already growing up with the parents of little Leva.

A little less than two years passed, and the mother died at the age of 28. The boy and his sister were first raised by their maternal grandparents, then the family moved to a military unit near Moscow. The religious and pious grandmother could not find a common language with her father, an employee of the NKVD. The foreman Andrey Fisenko, whom his father instructed to be practically a nanny, began to take care of the children.

He came for Leva every day at 7 in the morning, took him with him to the unit and worked on him until the evening. They sewed a tunic for the boy, and he grew up like a "son of a regiment." I did exercises in the morning, ate with everyone in the soldier's canteen. At the age of 5, he went to relatives in Ukraine, but soon returned to Moscow, as his father remarried, and Leva had a new mother, Marina. She loved the boy like her own, so he did not feel like an orphan. Soon a girl, Valya, was born in the family.

Lev Leshchenko in his youth:

The children grew up in a musical family, all its members loved to sing, the father could easily pick up any melody on the guitar or piano. Leva was also instilled with a love of music from childhood, he often visited his grandfather, who knew how to play the violin well.

In his native Sokolniki, the boy visited the House of Pioneers, sang in the choir and went to the artistic word circle, and also played in a brass band. Sports were not alien to him, he was engaged in the pool. But the choir leader saw talent in the boy and convinced him to leave the rest of the sections for the sake of singing. Leva began to perform at school parties, performing songs from the repertoire of Leonid Utesov.

Carier start

Leo did not manage to enter the theater department of musical comedy after school, he failed at the entrance. First he got a job as a stage worker at the Bolshoi Theater, and a year later he retrained as an assembly fitter at a measuring instrument factory. A year later, he was drafted into the army, Lev dreamed of serving as a sailor, but his father petitioned to be sent to the GDR in tank troops. Then he served in the song and dance ensemble as a soloist, led concerts and recited poetry. This was his preparation for the theater university, to which he appeared when the exams had already passed for everyone.

He was given a chance, but he only made the selection committee laugh, and they did not seriously appreciate his vocal abilities, but took pity and accepted him into the university. And a year later, Lev proved to the entire course that he was a real artist, and from the second year he already worked as an intern at the Operetta Theater, and soon at the Mosconcert. In the summer he went on tour around the cities of the country.

After graduating from GITIS, he was already officially enrolled in the troupe of the Operetta Theater, then went to work on the radio, and 5 years later he was honored to become a soloist of the USSR State Radio and Television. By that time, he had already gained all-Union popularity, began to travel abroad, and became a laureate of two foreign competitions.

Lev Leshchenko during the concert:

A few years later he was awarded the title of first Honored, and then People's Artist of the RSFSR. In the 1990s, he headed the Music Agency Theater, which today organizes concerts and collaborates with prominent Russian and foreign pop stars.

Lev Leshchenko in the program "Comedy Club":

In the 90s, the artists of the "old guard" were no longer needed by the youth stage, they began to go to their concerts less often, they were not played so often on radio and TV. The stage was overwhelmed by a wave of pop music, rock and roll and chanson. Many at that time left the stage, Lev Valerianovich also thought about this. He was already going to focus on teaching or start a business.

Alsou and Lev Leshchenko at a concert:

But there was an incident that brought him back to the peak of popularity. Once, on the anniversary of Khazanov, he and Vinokur played a comic scene with Vovchik and Levchik. The audience appreciated the new images, Leshchenko and Vinokur began to be more often invited to perform with this miniature, which helped both of them survive the 90s.

Vladimir Vinokur, Igor Nikolaev, Igor Krutoy and Lev Leshchenko:

Now Leshchenko continues to manage the theater, give 10 solo concerts a month, and also run his own business - he runs a woodworking factory in the city of Vladimir. Hardening, which helps him to cope with all the difficulties, he received in childhood, he had to grow up in the war and hungry, difficult post-war years.

Personal life

For the first time, Lev Valerianovich married at GITIS a girl Albina, who studied three years older. At first everything was fine, the family lived with Lev's parents, then moved out to a cooperative apartment. Leo's career went uphill, while Albina did not see much success. Slowly, a discord began to emerge, besides, the girl was pathologically jealous, angry because of any casual glance of her husband, although he did not give real reasons for jealousy. But for scandals, she didn’t need reasons.

Lev Leshchenko with his wife:

Once, in 1976, Leo went on tour to Sochi, where a friend introduced him to two pretty girls, one of whom was Irina. First he saw her after the beach, all disheveled, and then in the evening, in a restaurant - beautiful and smart. The next day, Irina already had to fly to Moscow. Leo intuitively felt that he had to drop everything and fly after her. The wife quickly understood everything and put Leo out of the house with suitcases.

Irina soon graduated from her studies abroad and young people began to meet. It rarely worked out for them because of Leo's tour schedule. They got married two years after they met and have not parted since then, while they always lived surprisingly peacefully and did not allow themselves to quarrel. Unfortunately, no children appeared in the union, but Irina has been and remains a faithful and loving wife to her husband all her life. She did not begin to build a career, despite the prospects, but devoted her life to her husband and the arrangement of the household.

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