Singer Alexander Martsinkevich biography. Lead singer of the group "Cabriolet": I experienced unbearable pain that I would not wish on my enemy

In a large gypsy family. Alexander has two sisters and five brothers. Since childhood, he showed interest in music and mastered the guitar and percussion instruments.

At the age of 12, he received first prize at the city competition for young talents. It is also known that during the performance, Martsinkevich broke one of his drumsticks, and he finished playing with one. At the age of 13 he began writing songs.

In the early nineties, Alexander Martsinkevich performed in a restaurant with the gypsy group Mirikle. Subsequently, the singer said about this work:

The group has more than 300 songs in its arsenal. She has released more than 15 discs. Alexander writes, records, arranges, and films a lot. His songs are in rotation on radio stations: “Dacha”, “Road Radio”, “Chanson”, “Peter FM”.

In 2014, Alexander decided to change the name of the group. Now his team is called “Chains”.

In 2017, one of its most experienced and talented musicians, violinist Viktor Rapotikhin, left the group. Now Victor plays in the notorious group "

They traveled all over Russia and a good half of Europe. True, not in a wagon, as their ancestors roamed in the old days, but on official tours - like world-famous gypsy pop stars. Alexander Martsinkevich and his “Cabriolet” will give a solo show on April 1 at the largest venue in our city - the Ice Palace.

Alexander, did your creative biography begin with hard work in a restaurant?

– For three years I performed with the gypsy folk group “Miricle”, with whom fate accidentally brought me together. But unlike most of my colleagues, I managed not to stay at this level forever. It's terrible when the restaurant public perceives you as nothing more than an exotic dish. Not everyone will be able, no matter how much money they promise him, to perform any music to order while your “grateful listener” devolves roast lamb on both cheeks. You go out to the audience, pour out your soul, sing about the eternal - about love, about happiness, but he is unable to tear himself away from the plate! All my emotional experiences, the sincerity of my feelings become nothing compared to the dull process of digestion. It was killing me. However, I am not ashamed of my restaurant past and do not renounce it at every opportunity, as some popular artists do. I believe that this work turned out to be a good school and taught me a lot. Namely, enormous endurance and the ability to attract the attention of the audience.

Having received the Grand Prix at the World Festival of Gypsy Music in Poland, you found yourself involved in a legal battle... What happened?

– Then we just recorded our first album under the unassuming name “More”, which means “gypsy”. A video was shot for the title song of the album, which was among the top ten songs in the country for several months. Everything would be fine, but upon returning to Russia we learned that a certain Polish group had released an album under the same name and with the same songs, albeit in a slightly different arrangement. There was, of course, no indication of the songwriter, who was me. So a legal battle ensued. “Cabriolet” completely proved the guilt of the plagiarists. However, not a single recording studio in St. Petersburg took it upon itself to release our album on the Russian music market. The refusal sounded approximately the same: “The disc, of course, is wonderful, but if you guys sang in Russian...”. Well, I had to obey the laws of commerce.

Today, not a single performance of yours is complete without the legendary hit “Chains”. When did you write your first song?

- At the age of 13. And from then on, the choice of future profession became obvious to me. Gypsies are a very musical nation. Actually, I was 7 years old when I first picked up a guitar. I came to school with her for the first time. Of course, I was not allowed to attend lessons. And I learned to play more or less tolerably at the age of nine.

Today I am happy that “Cabriolet” was able to take its rightful place among other gypsy musical groups. It is especially pleasant that this is a St. Petersburg group, and it is hardly inferior to many metropolitan and now foreign ensembles. Although we may not be as famous, we are still ahead. The most important thing is that people listen to our songs, spectators come to our concerts for literally three to a hundred years - and this in itself is an indicator of our popularity and the fact that many are not indifferent to the gypsy culture.

All your songs are about love. Do you dedicate them to any specific lady in your heart?

- Of course, I have a lady of my heart. I’m the kind of person who can’t sit down and just write a song. All this comes from personal experiences: when it’s too bad or too good. I write songs in this state. I met, fell in love and - whoops! I captured the emotions and the song was born.

In fact, I am a very amorous person. Who doesn't love beauty? You need to constantly communicate with beauty, be close... Then you will be inspired!

The group "Cabriolet" was formed in 1994 under the leadership of Alexander Martsinkevich.

The show group successfully toured in the Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Bulgaria.

In 1995, the team won the Grand Prix of the World Festival in Poland.

In 1997 - laureate of the Variety Festival

dreams of Russia in Moscow.

In 1999, the Silver Key award in St. Petersburg.

In 2000, Nominee for the St. Petersburg Prize in the category “Discovery of the Year in the Field of Culture.”

In 2000, at the international Moscow festival of gypsy art, they were awarded a gold medal.

In 2001 Nominated

t Prize of St. Petersburg in the field of “Variety Artist of the Year”.

In 2001 - laureates of the Star Purga festival.

In 2002, the “Chanson of the Year” award was presented at the Kremlin Palace.

The group periodically plays on the radio “Russian Chanson”, “Russian Radio”, “Radio Modern”, and the “Melody” channel. Show groups

and “Cabriolet” performs in the largest concert halls and nightclubs in St. Petersburg: “Oktyabrsky”, “Yubileiny”, “Hollywood Nights”, “Olympia” and others. The group toured many cities in Russia.

Videos were shot for the songs: “Mystery”, “Years”, “Baby”, “Forgive me, goodbye”, “I bite my hands”, “Chains”

Biography, life story of the group "Cabriolet"

Among the St. Petersburg gypsy ensembles, Alexander Martsinkevich and his group “Cabriolet” are unlikely to compete. For almost ten years of existence, they have traveled around a good half of Europe (though not in a wagon, as their ancestors roamed in the old days), toured many cities in Russia, became laureates and prize-winners of many festivals of gypsy music both at home and abroad, and performed on the same stage with such recognized masters as the Buzylev family. Their concerts are always sold out, even in the summer “dead” season, while famous Moscow pop stars cannot attract even half the audience.

As a child, Alexander Martsinkevich was repeatedly told a story that happened to his grandfather during the Patriotic War. Then their family lived in occupied Pskov and Sasha’s grandfather hid Russian partisans in his house from the fascists. The local elder treacherously “pawned” it to the German authorities. He was immediately arrested and immediately sentenced to death. True, the Krauts turned out to be extremely humane, having promised to fulfill the last wish of the suicide bomber. And then everything happened like in a fairy tale: Sasha’s grandfather demanded to bring him an accordion and began to play. The German officer, amazed by the skill of the performer and his composure before death, let the gypsy go home. - Can you imagine what power music can have and what the “gypsy soul” is? - exclaims Martsinkevich, retelling this family legend. -No, to deeply, truly understand this, you need to be born a gypsy!

Roma have an almost innate passion for music, a national character trait, a feature of their mentality. Nature has endowed these people with truly unique musicality: most of them have beautiful voices since childhood, play, often masterfully, many musical instruments, and “learn to dance before they can walk.” So seven-year-old Sasha, still not really able to read and write, was already playing the guitar given by his mother. At an equally early age, he began singing and “drumming” on a homemade drum kit. It consisted of ordinary kitchen pots and sounded terrible. Several times Sasha’s neighbors made desperate attempts to destroy this monstrous structure, but he patiently reassembled it and devoted at least three to four hours to drum science every day.

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Laughter is laughter, but at the age of twelve he received first prize at the city competition of young talents, among the participants of which he was the only “self-taught”. During the performance, his drumstick broke, Sasha, almost like Paganini, played alone and the demanding jury, of course, did not notice anything. And at the age of 13, Alexander Martsinkevich wrote his first song, and from then on the choice of his future profession became obvious to him .

If we conditionally divide all existing professions into “Gypsy” and “non-Gypsy”, then the profession “musician” undoubtedly belongs to the first group. True, in the history of Russian culture, the reputation of gypsy music, frankly speaking, was very dubious. On the one hand, it attracted people with its originality, temperament and melody, but at the same time it was considered something beyond the bounds of decency. Often, if they weren’t banned, they threw mud at them in every possible way. Perhaps it was only in the middle of the last century that gypsy music was finally “recognized.” Today, in the gypsy environment, being an artist or musician is not only honorable, but also quite profitable. However, this money is incorrect and it is often possible to earn it only in a restaurant.

The creative biography of Alexander Martsinkevich also began with hard work in the temple of gluttony. For three years he performed with the gypsy folk group "Miricle", with whom fate accidentally brought him together, but unlike most of his colleagues, he did not remain at this level forever.

It’s terrible when the restaurant public perceives you as just an exotic dish,” recalls Sasha. - Not everyone will be able, no matter how much money they promise him, to perform any music to order while your “grateful listener” devolves roast lamb on both cheeks. You go out to the audience, pour out your soul, sing about the eternal - about love, about happiness, but he is unable to tear himself away from the plate! All my emotional experiences, the sincerity of my feelings become nothing compared to the dull process of digestion. It was killing me. However, Alexander Martsinkevich is not ashamed of his restaurant past and does not disown it at every opportunity, as some popular artists do.

He believes that this work turned out to be a good school and taught him a lot, namely, enormous endurance and the ability to attract the attention of the audience. By 1994, Alexander had gained enough experience and courage to create his own group. During his time working in the Mirikle ensemble, he wrote many songs that had unconditional success in the restaurant scene. The time has come to test their “action” on the big stage. Resorting to the oldest method - the well-known gypsy mail - he selected a team of young and talented musicians.

"Cabriolet"

It would seem, what does a luxury foreign car have in common with gypsy music? Gypsies simply call a caravan with an open top a “convertible”. In the old days they said about people who came to visit in such a “convertible”: “They came to us with an open heart.”

Hence the name of the ensemble, because we really come to you, the audience, with an open heart and sing with all our hearts,” says Alexander Martsinkevich.

In 1996, the already established ensemble "Cabriolet" received the Grand Prix at the World Festival of Gypsy Music in Poland. There they also recorded their first album under the unassuming name “More”, which means “gypsy”. A video was shot for the title song of the album, which for several months was among the top ten songs in the country. Everything would have been fine, but upon returning to Russia the musicians learned that a certain Polish group had released an album under the same name and with the same songs, albeit in a slightly different processing. There was, naturally, no indication of the songwriter, who is Alexander Martsinkevich. The subsequent legal battle between the offended musicians of the "Cabriolet" group and the plagiarists completely proved the guilt of the latter. The offenders were punished, copyrights were restored, and precious songs were returned “to their homeland.”

But here it turned out that the work of Martsinkevich and his colleagues could not yet find a way out to their audience. All the songs on the album “More” were in the Romani language, so not a single recording studio in St. Petersburg took the liberty of releasing it to the Russian music market. The refusal sounded approximately the same: “The album, of course, is wonderful, but if you guys sang in Russian...” Well, as offensive as it may be, I had to obey the laws of commerce. Songs in their native language have been excluded as much as possible from the repertoire, and now they make up a little more than a third of it. In any case, it is not the intention of the musicians to abandon them completely.

In 1997, the group "Cabriolet" became a laureate of the Russian Pop Song Festival in Moscow, and in 1999 - a laureate of the Silver Key in St. Petersburg. But perhaps their main achievement was participation in the International Festival of Gypsy Art "At the Turn of the Century", which took place last year. Then about 300 artists and groups took part in the enchanting concert. The panel of judges, chaired by the artistic director of the world's only Moscow Gypsy Theater "Romen" Nikolai Slichenko, selected thirty of the best. Alexander Martsinkevich and his group were among them and received a gold medal as winners.

Zara shared the news that the singer’s fans were definitely waiting for. Of course, these are the imminent releases of several songs and more: “New songs are already ready for release. And in a few months, expect the release of my new album. We don't know yet what it will be called. Maybe he's "Since Monday." We are really preparing for it."

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