Two destinies. Pavel Slobodkin died cause of death

Famous composer and People's Artist of Russia Pavel Slobodkin died in Moscow at the age of 72.

In Moscow, at the age of 73, Pavel Slobodkin, People's Artist of Russia, composer, teacher, founder and director of the vocal and instrumental ensemble “Veselye Rebyaty” and a music center named after him, died.

This was reported by the Moscow Department of Culture.

From the age of three he studied music.

In 1962-1964, Pavel Slobodkin was the musical director of the Moscow State University variety studio “Our House”.

In 1964, he began working at the All-Russian Touring and Concert Association (VGKO), reorganized in January 1965 into the Mosconcert, as a conductor and musical director of an orchestra with outstanding pop artists, People's Artists of the RSFSR - G. Velikanova and M. Bernes.

In March 1966, he created one of the first in the USSR vocal and instrumental ensemble “Jolly Fellows”. In 1968, the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” became the first in the USSR to become a laureate of the All-Union competition “For the best performance of a youth song” and the 1st prize.

In 1969, the ensemble “Merry Fellows” was the winner of the All-Union competition “For the best performance of a Soviet song”, 1st prize.

In December 1969, the ensemble recorded its first solo EP, but censorship did not release it for a long time. Only in July 1970 did it go on sale. Only 4 songs were recorded on the disc: two from the Beatles’ repertoire, and two songs were written by young authors: S. Dyachkov and O. Ivanov. The arrangements of all the songs were made by Pavel Slobodkin, and the lyrics of two songs were written by Onegin Gadzhikasimov. The record sold a huge circulation of 15,795,000 copies (annotation from the Melodiya company for the CD “When we are silent together” - 2007), and the song “Aleshkina Love” became the first mega-hit in the pop music genre in the USSR.

In 1970, “Merry Guys” recorded new songs: “People Meet”, “Portrait of Pablo Picasso”, “You Don’t Care”, “Easy to Fall in Love”, “Holding Hands”, which gained all-Union popularity. In 1972, the ensemble recorded the song “How beautiful this world is.”

In 1973, the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” became a laureate of the international recording competition in Liverpool. This was the first major success of the USSR in the international arena.

In 1974, the first long-playing LP “Love is a Huge Country” was released, which sold 11,685,000 copies and was highly praised by experts.

In 1976, at the international recording competition in Prague, the ensemble was awarded the title of laureate and 1st prize for the songs: “I won’t come to you” D. Tukhmanov-L. Derbenev, I. Shaferan, “When we are silent together” P. Slobodkin-L. Derbenev .

In the fall of 1974, Pavel Slobodkin invites a young singer to the ensemble. The result of this creative collaboration was the victory (Grand Prix) of Alla Pugacheva at the international pop song competition “Golden Orpheus” Bulgaria in 1975 with the song “Harlequin”, which was arranged and arranged by Pavel Slobodkin and brilliantly performed by Alla Pugacheva. This song brought her all-Union popularity.

In 1975, the ensemble “Merry Fellows” recorded Pugacheva’s first solo record (minion).

In 1979, the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” was an honored guest of the international competition “Bratislava Lyre”, toured in Germany, and also recorded a new LP disc “Musical Globe”, which was released by Melodiya in September 1979 (circulation - 10,985,000 copies ).

In 1980, the ensemble took part in the cultural program of the XX Olympic Games in Moscow, and P. Slobodkin was one of the directors of the cultural concert programs of the Olympic Games.

In 1981, the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” performed at the All-Union Festival for the best performance of pop music “Yerevan-81” and was awarded the main prize of the festival.

In 1983, the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” recorded in their studio a magnetic album by the ensemble’s musician Yu. Chernavsky and the young author V. Matetsky - “Banana Islands”. This experimental and innovative album in 1983 was recognized as the best “Sound Track” by the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper and was included in the 100 best albums of Russian rock music, and the song “Hello, Banana Boy!” was included in the film “Assa” directed by S. Solovyov.

In 1984, the ensemble took part in the Moscow Culture Days program in Finland.

In 1985, the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” took part in the international pop song competition “Bratislava Lyre”, becoming a laureate and winner of the “Grand Prix” for the song “Wandering Artists” (L. Vardanyan - I. Shaferan), arranged by P. Slobodkin. In 1985, he took part in the cultural program of the World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow. In 1985, the ensemble toured in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Cuba.

In 1988, for great achievements in the field of musical art, the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR approved the status of a musical theater for the ensemble “Jolly Fellows”, touring in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Together with the ensemble “Merry Fellows”, he was awarded by the management of the Melodiya company the highest award: “Platinum Disc No. I” for the absolute record of the USSR and Russia in record sales - 179,850,000 copies and not only in neighboring countries, but also in Eastern Europe.

In 1991, the ensemble became a laureate of the All-Union Song Festival “Song of the Year” for the sixth time and celebrated its 25th anniversary with a series of concerts in Moscow, Kyiv, and Leningrad.

In 1995 he created the musical play “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.” The premiere took place at the theatre. E. Vakhtangov in November. For this work, composer Pavel Slobodkin was awarded the Moscow Prize in the field of literature and music in 1996.

In 2001, he completed the construction of the Pavel Slobodkin Moscow Theater and Concert Center with a chamber hall for 600 seats. The opening ceremony of the Center took place on February 1, 2002.

In 2003, Pavel Slobodkin created the Moscow Chamber Orchestra of the Center. In 2003, together with the ensemble, he was awarded the “Golden Disc” by the management of the Melodiya company. At the end of 2003, the Center's chamber orchestra performed successfully in Spain and Algeria.

In 2006, he completed work on the musical “Aladdin's Magic Lamp”; the premiere took place in November at the Theatre. R. Simonova.

From 2007 to 2010, he released 9 CDs with recordings of the ensemble “Jolly Fellows” and 9 CDs with recordings of 27 concerts by W. A. ​​Mozart performed by the People’s Artist of Russia - M. Voskresensky and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra of the Pavel Slobodkin Center.

Since 2007, Pavel Slobodkin begins to release archival recordings of the Merry Fellows ensemble. In December he took part in the Song of 2007 program and became a laureate for the seventh time.

In 2011, he successfully performed at the 20th anniversary festival “Slavic Bazaar”, and in December he released a new CD album “Chershe la...”.

In October 2012, Pavel Slobodkin was elected academician of the International Theater Academy. The academician's diploma was presented to Pavel Slobodkin at the Romen Theater by the theater's oldest actor, People's Artist of the USSR Vladimir Zeldin.

In 2013, they released a new album by the ensemble Merry Guys CD “How beautiful this world is.” In December 2013, P. Slobodkin was awarded the Bulgarian award “Samara Cross”.

In 2014 he was awarded the Moscow Government Prize. In April 2015, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was awarded the Order of Honor.

In December 2015, he released the new 14th album of the ensemble CD “Crossroads of Fate”.

Pavel Slobodkin in the program "Born in the USSR"

He gained fame as a teacher.

In 1981-1996, Pavel Slobodkin taught at GITIS as the musical director of acting and directing courses, the creator of the course of lectures “Musical genres on the stage” and “Fundamentals of sound engineering and recording.”

Among the students of Pavel Slobodkin:

People's Artists of Russia - E. Kamburova, K. Novikova, E. Petrosyan, L. Ryumina, A. Buynov, V. Garkalin, V. Mishchevsky, V. Osipov, N. Babkina, V. Nazarov (artistic director of the National Art Theater) , A. Permyakova (artistic director of the M. Pyatnitsky choir, professor);

People's Artist of Moldova, Honored Artist of Russia - M. Codreanu;

Honored Artists of Russia - A. Nerovnaya (artistic director of the Benefit Theater); M. Evdokimov, A. Vasiliev, A. Garnizov, Y. Grigoriev, P. Demeter, E. Golovin, V. Kirsanov, V. Mulerman, S. Rezanova, E. Shebagutdinov, V. Zavorotniy, V. Pasynkov (Honored Worker arts of Russia);

Honored Artists of the Republic of Belarus - soloists of the ensemble "Pesnyary" L. Bortkevich and A. Kasheparov; Artists and directors of pop and cinema - L. Belogurova, A. Gurevich (general director of the Bibigon channel), N. Duksin, L. Vaikule, M. Zivere, I. Vanzovich, N. Kiryushkina, O. Kiryushkin, S. Lazareva , A. Stolyarov, G. Deliev (leader of the “Masks Show” ensemble), B. Barsky, V. Kruglova;

The leaders of the groups are V. Vekshtein (the ensemble “Singing Hearts”), M. Anichkin (the group “Cruise”), M. Plotkin (the ensembles “Leisya, Song” and “Nadezhda”), V. Levushkin (the ensemble “Bim-Bom” ).

And many others.

Valery Kolpakov.

Two destinies.

Characters and performers:

Act 1. "Muscovites".

“And after some time, we were surprised to learn that an ensemble with our name “Muscovites” appeared at the Mosconcert, but under the direction of singer Yuli Slobodkin... That’s how it was possible at that time to calmly appropriate someone else’s, popular name of the group. Yu. Slobodkin was the brother of Pavel Slobodkin, the head of the VIA "Jolly Fellows", and that says it all..."

Article "PARK named after GORKY REST" (http://valerock.narod.ru/)

It was this excerpt from the memoirs of V. Shapovalov that inspired me to start writing this article. Or rather, the following misconception is that any of the Slobodkins had anything to do with the creation of the Muscovites ensemble.

VIA "Moskvichi" was formed in the State Concert and Touring Association of the RSFSR (Rosconcert) in the summer of 1971 with the active participation of ex-guitarist of VIA "Merry Fellows" Valery Bespalov. He left the “guys” when Pavel Slobodkin decided to radically change the composition, relying on amateur musicians from amateur beat groups.

The ensemble was created mainly to accompany the already quite popular singer Oleg Ukhnalev. The core of the new band was, in addition to Bespalov, trumpeter Alexander Sokolovsky, drummer Vladimir Chugreev, vocalists Evgeny Gudkov and Georgy Mamikonov. The latter graduated from the Moscow Music College named after. October Revolution, then in 1971 the Moscow State Correspondence Pedagogical Institute (MGZPI) with a degree in conductor - choir performer. Since 1965, he sang in the jazz orchestra "VIO-66" under the direction of composer Yu. Saulsky. After the orchestra's collapse in 1971, he joined the Moskvichi.
The first director of the new ensemble was a graduate (1965) of the Moscow State Choir School Valery Durandin (bass, vocals). Subsequently, he graduated from the conducting and choral department of the Institute. Gnesins.
The director of their first program was Oleg Nepomniachtchi. Many years later, in his book “One Day Tomorrow Comes,” he recalled it this way:

“... Finding myself “at zero” once again, I was ready to take the tragic pose of an unrecognized genius, but a meeting with my old friend, Misha Plotkin, made me see the current situation in a completely different light.
By that time, Misha had already earned a strong reputation as a talented administrator of creative groups, and had worked with Slichenko, Emil Gorovets, and the popular VIA “Jolly Fellows”.
So Misha arranged a meeting for me with the director of Rosconcert, Dmitry Dmitrievich Tikhomirov.
“Hello, I’m Oleg Nepomniachtchi, Plotkin talked to you about me,” I blurted out in one voice.
- Said. Who do you want to work as?
- Anyone. I can be an artist, I can be an administrator...
- Can you be a director?
- Can.
- We have formed a new vocal and instrumental group - “Muscovites”. They need a director. Something is wrong with their program. The soloist, Oleg Ukhnalev, is a talented guy. So get your repertoire, start directing, and when you’re ready, go to the artistic council of Rosconcert...
The very next day I met the head of the Muscovites, Valery Durandin. Together, we needed to create a concert program that would correspond to the patriotic name of the group and satisfy the tastes of the picky evaluators from the artistic council.
First of all, I ordered two songs about Moscow - they were “Moscow Quadrille” and a song about the Moscow metro. To set the stage, I used a movie screen, on which panoramas of the capital, crowded Moscow streets and monumental metro stations were broadcast before the start of the program. With the last frames of the screensaver film, Ukhnalev began to sing.
Oleg was truly a talented vocalist, he confidently “held” the program, and we passed the test by the artistic council without any comments. We were given the opportunity to tour the concert.
The only circumstance that bothered me was Ukhnalev’s regular drunkenness. I tried by all means to avoid the troubles that inevitably follow alcoholics, but fate dealt mercilessly with us - before the premiere in Saratov, Oleg gained more than usual and was unable to work. The tour was disrupted, we were sent back to Moscow, not having a good meal, where Ukhnalev was fired.”

This situation brought the ensemble to the brink of collapse. But M. Plotkin helped again.

O. Nepomnyashchiy:
“Having learned about our problems, Misha Plotkin called from Prague, where he was on tour with the “Jolly Fellows.” His ability to appear within reach with a ready solution to the most diverse problems has ceased to surprise me, a miracle that is repeated too often ceases to be a miracle He handed the phone to one of the lead singers of the group, Yulik Slobodkin, who had plans to start an independent career and was ready to move to the Muscovites. We agreed on mutual obligations, and I stopped worrying about the fate of the group.
Upon the return of the “Jolly Fellows” from Czechoslovakia, Yulik began to learn musical material and get used to the group...
At first, things went well; Yulik Slobodkin turned out to be a professional vocalist, efficient and punctual. He had all the ingredients to succeed, including an impeccable sense of style and healthy ambition..."

Yu. Slobodkin.

With the arrival of Yuliy Slobodkin in "Muscovites", he became not only the main vocalist, but also the artistic director of the ensemble.
Further, according to Nepomniachtchi, he had the idea “to invite another performer to the team, if possible, a singer.” So in November, Alla Pugacheva appeared in the ensemble, who at that time was sitting at home after the birth of Christina.
Soon she became so involved in the work that she took on directorial duties and completely redesigned the concert program.

O. Nepomnyashchiy:
“The fact that I was the director of the group did not in any way limit her inspiration and ability to reshape the program “for herself” - the whole world! I also didn’t want to be a shoemaker without boots, and I began to actively look for a new place of work.”

The ensemble is going through hard times. The Muscovites had a rehearsal base in the All-Union Creative Workshop of Variety Artists, which was located at VDNKh. Its artistic director was director Maslyukov. The preparation of a new program with Pugacheva was delayed, and this greatly affected the musicians’ earnings, since at such moments Rosconcert paid them only part of their salary (79 rubles per month). Due to lack of money I had to play at dances.
Soon Bespalov received an offer to lead Galina Nenasheva’s ensemble, which he immediately took advantage of. Instead, guitarist and singer Igor Kapitannikov (from VIA Sovremennik) appeared.
At the end of 1971, Pugacheva joined Oleg Lundstrem's orchestra.
It was difficult for the Muscovites to develop their own repertoire. New musicians were also required who understood the specifics of the genre and could implement it in practice. This is how Gennady Makeev appeared in the ensemble.

Encouraged me to start writing this article. Or rather, the former misconception that any of the Slobodkins had anything to do with the creation of the ensemble “Moskvichi”: “And after some time, we were surprised to learn that an ensemble with our name “Muscovites” had appeared in the Mosconcert, but under the direction of the singer Yuli Slobodkin... Here How was it possible at that time to calmly appropriate someone else’s, popular name of the group. Yu. Slobodkin was the brother of Pavel Slobodkin, the head of the VIA “Jolly Fellows”, and that says it all...” ().

And here’s how it all sounds officially: “VIA “Moskvichi” was formed in the State Concert and Touring Association of the RSFSR (Rosconcert) in the summer of 1971 with the active participation of ex-guitarist of VIA “Veselye Rebyaty” Valery Bespalov. He left the “guys” when their leader Pavel Slobodkin decided to radically change the composition, relying on amateur musicians from amateur beat groups. The ensemble was created mainly to accompany the already quite popular singer Oleg Ukhnalev. The core of the new band was, in addition to Bespalov, trumpeter Alexander Sokolovsky, drummer Vladimir Chugreev, vocalists Evgeny Gudkov and Georgy Mamikonov.

Valery Durandin

The first director of the new ensemble was a graduate of the Moscow State Choir School Valery Durandin (bass, vocals). Subsequently, he graduated from the conducting and choral department of the Institute. Gnessin".

The director of their first program was Oleg Nepomniachtchi. Under the patronage of the administrator of the “Jolly Fellows” Mikhail Plotkin, Nepomniachtchi got a job at Rosconcert and was assigned to the VIA “Moskvichi”. They quite easily passed the artistic council and received the right to tour the program. Nothing seemed to foretell trouble, but it happened literally right away.

Before the premiere in Saratov, Ukhnalev drank too much alcohol and was unable to work. The tour was disrupted, the ensemble was sent back to Moscow, where Ukhnalev was fired. This situation brought the ensemble to the brink of collapse, but Plotkin helped again. With his help, Yuli Slobodkin, the ex-soloist of “Merry Fellows”, who at that moment was thinking about a solo career, was transferred to “Muscovites”.

With the arrival of Yuliy Slobodkin in Moskvichi, he became not only the main vocalist, but also the artistic director of the ensemble.

Further, according to Nepomniachtchi, he had the idea “to invite another performer to the team, if possible, a singer.” So in November, Alla Pugacheva appeared in the ensemble, who at that time was sitting at home after the birth of Christina. Soon she became so involved in the work that she took on directorial duties and completely reworked the concert program, regardless of the opinion of the full-time director. As a result, he had to leave the team.

The ensemble is going through hard times. The rehearsal base for the “Muscovites” was in the All-Union Creative Workshop of Variety Artists, which was located at VDNKh. Its artistic director was director Maslyukov. The preparation of a new program with Pugacheva was delayed, and this greatly affected the musicians’ earnings, since at such moments Rosconcert paid them only part of their salary (79 rubles per month). Due to lack of money I had to play at dances.

Soon Bespalov received an offer to lead Galina Nenasheva’s ensemble, which he immediately took advantage of. Instead, guitarist and singer Igor Kapitannikov (from VIA Sovremennik) appeared. It was difficult for the “Muscovites” to develop their own repertoire. New musicians were also required who understood the specifics of the genre and could implement it in practice. This is how Gennady Makeev appeared in the ensemble.

At the beginning of 1972, Pugacheva joined Oleg Lundstrem's orchestra. Quickly assessing the small potential of the current composition of musicians, Makeev set about modernizing it. And since he was an active and ambitious person, he started this business on a grand scale. At first, another drummer, a second guitarist playing solo and a bright soloist were needed. The new drummer, and a singing one at that, was Mikhail Filippov, whom Gennady found in one of the restaurants in Moscow.

Another recruit was Alexander Barykin, who was then working in a cafe at the Oktyabr cinema in the jazz ensemble directed by G. Malyshevsky. Deciding that “Barykin sings too well for a tavern,” Makeev persuaded him to move to “Muscovites.” This is how the first bright soloist appeared in the ensemble. The problem with the lead guitarist was never resolved. And although Gennady brought many people to try out, including I. Degtyaryuk, Yu. Slobodkin rejected them all.

An interesting fact: when a year later, Gennady’s brother Alexey Puzyrev (who worked at VIA “Jolly Fellows”) brought the same Degtyaryuk to another Slobodkin and he immediately accepted him.

The ensemble's first tour took place in the summer of 1972 in a large group program "Concert-Song", in which Soviet artists of various genres and guests from socialist countries took part. They were accompanied by the orchestra of the Moscow Variety Theater conducted by L. Merabov. The orchestra did not have its own pianist, and G. Makeev, after performing with the “Muscovites,” changed clothes and worked as part of the orchestra. There he looked at the trombonist and violinist Igor Oskolkov and dragged him into his ensemble.

Not everyone in the ensemble liked Gennady’s vigorous activity to strengthen the composition. Disagreements arose and grievances simmered.

At the same time, the young composer David Tukhmanov wrote a cycle of youth songs, and someone advised him to pay attention to “Muscovites”. He offered the ensemble three songs: “How beautiful this world is,” “The rains came” and “A day without a shot.” The first two were recorded, the third did not have time to be recorded, but Yu. Slobodkin performed it at the concert. Moreover, in the song “How Beautiful the World” “Muscovites” recorded only vocals, which were then superimposed on an orchestral soundtrack. In the concert program, this song became their signature number, already accompanied by their own string quartet.

At the end of October 1972, saxophonist and violinist Efim Dymov joined the ensemble, who later became its leader, and remained so until the collapse of the group.

Efim Dymov (Pustilnik) was born in Moldova. At the age of 7 he moved with his parents to Riga. The father was a professional musician; he taught his son to play the saxophone at the age of 14 (before that, he had been studying the violin since the age of six). His musical career began in the orchestra of R. Pauls. In Riga, he became the leader of the orchestra at the first jazz cafe “Allegro”. In 1972, after graduating from the Riga Polytechnic Institute (chemistry department), Dymov moved to Moscow (his wife Natasha was a Muscovite). Subsequently, Dymov in Moscow will graduate from Gnesinka as a choral conductor, and then from the Institute of Culture in the saxophone class.

It was Anatoly Mogilevsky, who worked at “Gems” at that time, who introduced Dymov to the members of the VIA “Moskvichi”.

“Muscovites” had a rather unusual composition for that time. It coexisted - a wind section: Igor Oskolkov (trombone) and Alexander Sokolovsky (trumpet) and - a string trio consisting of the same: Oskolkov - first violin, Sokolovsky - second violin and Igor Kapitannikov - cello. With the arrival of Dymov, a wind trio and a string quartet were formed in the ensemble.

At that moment, “Muscovites” were going through difficult times. Without a permanent place of work, the ensemble worked under contracts from various concert organizations. Dymov’s acquaintance Valentin Konstantinovich Leonidov, the head of the concert department of the Mosconcentre, arranged for the team to work for this organization.

And 1973 was the last year in the life of the Muscovites. Most recently, the popular singer Valery Obodzinsky was lifted from a ban on performing in the Russian Federation that lasted about a year. He moved from the Donetsk Philharmonic, where he had worked before, to Rosconcert and was preparing for his first, after a long break, tour in the capital.

By that time, his popularity had reached such a scale that being just a soloist in an even very famous jazz orchestra led by O. Lundstrem was somehow no longer respectable. It was necessary to have our own team, less numerous and more modern.

The problem was solved very simply. From June 18 to 24, a competition for the title of laureate of the All-Union Festival, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the formation of the USSR and the X World Youth Festival, was held in Minsk. Vocalists and vocal-instrumental ensembles took part in it. In addition to other awards, the winners received the right to represent our country at the X World Youth Festival in Berlin.

Moskoncert also sent “Muscovites” to the competition. There the ensemble presented three songs: “How beautiful this world is” (Tukhmanov-Kharitonov), “I look into the blue lakes” (Afanasyev-Shaferan) and an arrangement of the Russian folk song “Oh frost, frost.” Nevertheless, “Pesnyary” (Minsk) won among VIA. Second place was not awarded to anyone, and third place was shared by “Moskvichi” (Moscow), “Dos-Mukasan” (Alma-Ata) and the Ukrainian “Kobza”.

The competition was closely monitored by Obodzinsky’s director, Efim Mikhailovich Zuperman, and after the results were announced, he met with the “Muscovites”. The outcome of the meeting was a proposal to work together. In material terms, this promised the ensemble a fivefold increase in salary from 150 to 700 rubles per month (the engineer’s salary was approximately 120 rubles). To do this, the ensemble had to fulfill four conditions:
1. Refuse to travel to the Tenth World Youth Festival, which was the prize for winning the competition.
2. Go from Mosconcert to Rosconcert.
3. Change the name of the ensemble.
4. Start working with Valery Obodzinsky.

This proposal, made directly to the ensemble members, bypassing both the artistic and musical directors, fueled the internal conflict in the group. After returning to Moscow, most of the ensemble demanded that Slobodkin remove Makeev and those who came with him (except for I. Oskolkov - he joined the majority), threatening otherwise to leave the ensemble. But this was just a formal reason, since most of the group members had already accepted Obodzinsky’s conditions.

The conflict moved into a sluggish stage, and the “Muscovites” still managed to go to the festival of the Baltic republics in Kaliningrad. After this, the entire ensemble went on vacation, from which the conflicting parties went to different places of work: Makeev and his team went to Pitsunda to the Moscow State University sports camp, where he began rehearsing a new program and playing at dances. There he received an invitation from the State Concert to go on tour with Jimi Santi as an accompanying band. The tour lasted two months. During this time, Yu. Slobodkin recruited a new ensemble under the old name, but now it was a purely instrumental group.

While he was on vacation, Barykin agreed to move to VIA “Veselye Rebyaty”. And the second part of “Muscovites” moved to Rosconcert and began to accompany V. Obodzinsky. This is how the fourth vocal-instrumental ensemble of the Mosconcert ended its existence...

For Special Radio.

January 2006

Yuliy Slobodkin
and the ensemble "Muscovites"

Ensemble leaders:
Yuliy Slobodkin
Gennady Makeev
Vitaly Kretyuk
Alexander Zabelin
Sergey Kozlov

Mosconcert Ensemble, formed at the end of 1971

Julius (Juliy) Pavlovich Slobodkin was born on July 7, 1939 in Moscow. Even as a child, Julius became interested in music and fine arts, and became seriously interested in theater. In 1958 he entered the music school at the Moscow Conservatory in the vocal department (class of Professor G.N. Tits). After graduating from college in 1961, he continued his studies at the State Institute of Theater Arts named after Lunacharsky (course of B.A. Pokrovsky, class of P.I. Selivanov).

In 1963, Yuliy had to interrupt his studies because... From the 2nd year of the institute, he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet army for 3 years. During his service, Julius studied music whenever possible, participated in amateur performances, and in 1965 became a laureate of the All-Union All-Army Competition dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Victory. This is how the army press wrote about Yulia Slobodkina’s performance at the competition:

Slobodkin’s talent as an artist also did not go unnoticed, and for the last year Julius served as a graphic designer at the Suvorov School in Moscow.

After the army, Yuli studied for some time with B.N. Verevkin, an expert in Russian musical theater and bel canto, to prepare for and participate in the P.I. Tchaikovsky competition, but was unable to take part in the competition. Since 1967, Yuliy Slobodkin continued his studies at GITIS (from the 3rd year, with G.P. Ansimov). While studying at the institute, Julius began performing on stage. His repertoire includes classical works by Russian and foreign composers, cycles of romances by P.I. Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, Russian folk songs and romances, songs of Soviet composers.

But perhaps the most pleasant impression was left by the performance of the youngest participant in the concert, fifth-year student at the State Institute of Theater Arts Yuliy Slobodkina. The performer of Russian folk songs and romances aroused the admiration of the audience with his strong voice and high skill. The vacationers listened with pleasure to his performance of “The Neapolitan Song”, the gypsy romance “Darling, Hear Me”, the Russian folk song “Peddlers” and T. Khrennikov’s song from the film “The Hussar Ballad”. The scene from the operetta “The Circus Lights Up” was masterfully performed by Yuliy Slobodkin and Alla Gabdalova.

"Luch" (Kazakhstan), 1968

He took part in the graduation musical performance "Bluebeard" not only as an actor, but also as a production designer.

In 1969, after graduating from GITIS, Yuliy Slobodkin received an invitation from his nephew Pavel Slobodkin to the newly created ensemble “Jolly Fellows” as a soloist and was accepted through a competition into the Mosconcert.

That's how I ended up on the stage. He performed in many cities of the country, went on tour to Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, Finland, and the Federal Republic of Germany, where he performed songs by Soviet composers. However, I never forgot about Russian folk song.

Yuliy Slobodkin. 1976

With "Jolly Fellows" Julius toured a lot in our country and abroad. At the same time, he began recording on radio and television as an independent singer. In 1970, at the IV All-Union Competition of Variety Artists, Yuliy Slobodkin won the title of laureate (III prize). It should be noted that he was the only pop singer who performed at the competition to the accompaniment of a piano. In 1971, Yu. Slobodkin became a laureate of the Dresden-71 festival (public prize). In the same year, 1971, Yuliy Slobodkin left the “Jolly Fellows”.

At the end of 1971, a group of young musicians formed around Yuli. Thus, a new vocal and instrumental ensemble “Muscovites” appeared at the Mosconcert, distinguished by the originality of its composition - the presence of a quartet of string instruments. The team was headed by Yuliy Slobodkin as artistic director. Gennady Makeev became the musical director. In 1972, the ensemble began touring the USSR. The first recordings appeared on radio and television.

The real highlight of the ensemble was Yuliy Slobodkin - charming, with excellent free skills (baritone). He literally captivated the audience. The soloist "For that guy" by M. Fradkin to the verses of R. Rozhdestvensky, the Russian folk "Oh, frost", "How to live without them" by S. Dyachkov to the verses of M. Nozhkin were brilliantly performed.

"Dnepropetrovskaya Pravda", 1972.

I would like to note the high quality of the adaptations of Russian folk songs, which were made by V. Durandin in modern language, with ingenuity, without violating or distorting the original sources. Well, in particular, “Burlatskaya” and “Will I go, will I come out” were performed.

"Udmurtskaya Pravda", 1972.

In 1973, “Muscovites” became a laureate of the All-Union Competition of Soviet Song Performers (III Prize), which was held in Minsk, which gave the ensemble the opportunity to take part in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Berlin. At the same time, preparations for the first solo record began. However, soon after the competition, the bulk of the musicians left the ensemble (they soon created the VIA “True Friends” at Rosconcert).

Yuliy Slobodkin invited Vitaly Kretyuk to the position of musical director of “Muscovites”. And soon the young duet Yuli Slobodkin and Alla Pugacheva appeared at the Mosconcert. The ensemble "Muscovites" was assigned the role of an accompanying cast. A new program was made, “You, Me and the Song,” which was based on a kind of dialogue between two solo singers, with some elements of theatricality.

A real event in the current pop season was the appearance of a young vocal duet - Alla Pugacheva and Yuliy Slobodkina. In addition to excellent voices and undoubted dramatic talent (each of their songs is a small performance), they have qualities that have not been seen very often on the stage lately: in the duet of Alla Pugacheva and Yulia Slobodkina, the man is masculine, and the woman is feminine. Their art exudes purity, reverence, and love.

"Musical Life", 1974.

The duo toured the USSR extensively, and their first recordings appeared on radio and television. In 1974, Alla Pugacheva became a laureate of the V All-Union Competition of Variety Artists, where she was accompanied by “Muscovites”. But soon Alla left the program. She was replaced by Dresden Festival laureate Nina Costa. And instead of Vitaly Kretyuk, who left for Gems, Andrei Solomonov became the music director.

We, its participants, put a rather broad meaning into the name of the program “You, Me and the Song”. We are having a conversation with the listener about what worries him: about love, friendship, fidelity. The range of topics is large. There is also a place for jokes in the program, because humor, like the song itself, also helps to live.

In addition, the title should also be understood this way: it is a musical dialogue between two singers who are on stage throughout the entire concert.

The program “You, Me and the Song” was created about two years ago. We first showed it on May 14, 1974, with Alla Pugacheva, now a laureate of the international song festival in Sopot. Now, instead of A. Pugacheva, Nina Costa is participating in the program.

Yuliy Slobodkin. 1975

After leaving Nina Costa's program, Yuliy Slobodkin performed alone for some time, but in 1976 he met the performer of Russian folk songs and romances Zhanna Bichevskaya. Zhanna introduced him to new musical material - an original song. Together they created a new program consisting of Russian folk songs and romances, and art songs.

The Bichevskaya-Slobodkin duet was born relatively recently, but it is already clear that it has an interesting future. Both singers have undoubted acting talent and create songs-sketch with elements of folk “games”, very emotional and spectacular (“Dunya held the transport”). Yuliy Slobodkin also sings a lot of solo songs, happily avoiding copying the style of his partner (for example, he creates his own convincing version of the song “Black Raven”).

"Truth of the North", 1976.

In conclusion, I would like to mention one more feature that attracts people in the performances of Bichevskaya and Slobodkin - the culture of the concert. The phenomenon, to put it mildly, is not universal on the stage. There is a good quality of democracy in the manner of their communication with the audience.

This quality will also be reflected in the appearance of the artists and their manner of behavior on the stage. No "cranberries", no pressure, no flirting with the viewer. And I probably won’t be mistaken if I assume that Zhanna Bichevskaya sets the tone for the concert. Let us add that the instrumental ensemble “Muscovites” (the leader of the ensemble is Sergei Kozlov) is taking part in the concert. Its composition is dominated by string instruments - this imparts additional softness and transparency to the musical accompaniment, enriching its means of expression.

"Soviet Trans-Urals", 1977.

In the early 80s, Yuliy Slobodkin began performing his own song, teaming up with guitarist, composer and arranger Alexander Marchenko. Songs by A. Sukhanov, A. Dolsky, B. Okudzhava, E. Bachurin, and others appeared in the repertoire.

In his new capacity as a performer of an original song, Yu. Slobodkin perfectly managed to convey all the richness of the numerous subtle intonations and moods of these songs, rich in lyricism and humor. He treats them very carefully, affectionately, unobtrusively offering us his style of performance, revealing their sincerity, drama, and unique character.

"Penzenskaya Pravda", 1984.

In 1986, Yuli’s son Alexander Slobodkin joined the team, and a little later dancer and choreographer Dmitry Matyunin. The team toured the USSR extensively and recorded on radio and television.

In the 90s, when state cultural institutions began to collapse, Yuliy Slobodkin was forced to end his performances. Currently, Yuliy Slobodkin does not perform on stage.

"Duet" man. Yuliy Slobodkin

Around the end of the 60s, opposite-sex duets began to appear on the domestic stage like mushrooms after rain. Moreover, these were mostly married couples, which is understandable: what kind of husband (or wife) would let his other half go on long tours with a stranger singing with him (her) in a duet. The most popular duets of the first half of the 70s were: Alla Ioshpe - Stakhan Rakhimov, Veronica Kruglova - Vadim Mulerman, Ekaterina Shavrina - Mikhail Kotlyar. Apparently, paying tribute to fashion, in 1974 Alla Pugacheva decided to take the same path. Her other half was the young singer Yuliy Slobodkin, whom she met in the fall of 1971, when they performed together as part of the VIA Moskvichi. And they got into it under the following circumstances.

The ensemble was created in the summer of 1971 at Rosconcert, and Oleg Nepomnyashchy, a longtime acquaintance of the heroine of our story, was appointed its director. In a short time, a program was prepared with which the new team was to go on its first tour. However, this trip was disrupted as soon as it began. The vocalist of the ensemble turned out to be a big fan of the “green serpent” and practically from the very first days of the tour he did not look away from the bottle. And since there was no one to replace him, the performances eventually had to be cancelled. The ensemble returned to Moscow, where the soloist was immediately fired. To replace him, Nepomniachtchi soon found another person - the soloist of the popular VIA “Jolly Fellows” Yuli Slobodkin (the ensemble was led by his older brother Pavel Slobodkin).

Recently, Julius began to feel burdened by his presence in “Vesely” and harbored plans to start an independent career. And Nepomniachtchi’s proposal came in handy. “Vesely” were touring in Czechoslovakia in those days, but in a telephone conversation Slobodkin promised Nepomnyashchy to write a letter of resignation from the ensemble immediately after arriving in Moscow. And he didn’t deceive. However, when rehearsals began, it suddenly became clear that the program was clearly not working out. With the repertoire that “Muscovites” had, one vocalist was not enough; another one was needed, and Nepomniachtchi wanted it to be a woman. That's when he remembered Alla Pugacheva. Despite the fact that she had a six-month-old daughter in her arms, she agreed to work in the ensemble.

The then tandem of Pugachev - Slobodkin did not last long - only a few months. After which, at the very beginning of 1972, Pugacheva left for another group - the orchestra of Oleg Lundstrem. But another two years passed before Pugacheva and Slobodkin reunited again in the same VIA “Moskvichi” as a vocal duet. It was then that rumors arose in the pop scene that there was a love affair between them. But that was not the case. Pugacheva’s knight at that time was a completely different man - the head of “Muscovites” Vitaly Kretyuk (stage name Kretov). However, the members of the duet themselves even benefited from rumors about their romance. After all, it is difficult to find a response from a listener who knows that both performers, singing heartfelt songs about love for each other, are in fact just colleagues on stage and nothing more.

One of the first appearances of the Pugachev-Slobodkin duet in Moscow took place in the same spring of 1974. To be precise: on April 19–22, the CDKZH hosted concerts called “The Young People Sing,” timed to coincide with the 17th Komsomol Congress. In addition to our heroes, that concert was attended by: Valentina Tolkunova, Ekaterina Shavrina and many other young stars of the capital’s stage. Apparently, for the beginning duo, their debut on the stage of the Railwaymen's Club was quite successful, and after that they came there several more times to perform. And with the onset of summer, other pop-up venues began to be “earthed” - in the capital’s parks Sokolniki, Central Park of Culture and Culture. So, from June 21 to 30, Pugacheva and Slobodkin took part in group concerts held in the Green Theater of Gorky Park, where they were accompanied by Gennady Khazanov, VIA Ariel, and others. At the beginning of July, the duo performed in Sokolniki Park, in the cinema and concert theater hall "Warsaw", etc.

Alla Pugacheva is a soloist in the VIA “Jolly Fellows”

V. Yarushin (former director and member of VIA Ariel) recalls: “In the summer of ’74, we went on tour to Moscow for the first time. There I first saw Alla Pugacheva. A green, floor-length, tight-fitting dress, a slender figure, a shock of long, curly hair, on her head - a chansonnier bowler hat - how different she was from the Soviet singer! There weren’t enough costume workers, and Alla, me and her musicians were given a gym. Alla mainly complained about the constant “bed” hints addressed to her: they say, only in this case will she succeed. And she didn’t want to be a “bed” singer. At that time, she performed in a duet with singer Yuliy Slobodkin, who sang in Kobzon’s style. Their “alliance” was generally nonexistent. And Alla understood this well...”

The first major review dedicated to the work of the duet Pugachev - Slobodkin dates back to this same time. It was written by T. Butkovskaya and was published in issue No. 18 of the “Musical Life” magazine. The author wrote diametrically opposite to what was said by V. Yarushin:

“The real event in the current pop season was the appearance of a young vocal duet - Alla Pugacheva and Yuliy Slobodkina. In addition to excellent voices and undoubted dramatic talent (each of their songs is a small performance), they have qualities that have not been seen very often on the stage lately: in the duet of Alla Pugacheva and Yulia Slobodkina, the man is masculine, and the woman is feminine. Their art exudes purity, reverence, and love. The artists begin their program in Sokolniki with the song “White Birch” by V. Shimansky, which corresponds to the program of the evening and is very characteristic of their lyrical heroes. The dramatic talent of the actors was especially fully revealed in the musical miniature “And I Say” by E. Hank. In this, at first glance, simple song, they managed to create accurate portrait characteristics of the heroes...”

Despite such a commendable review in one of the most eminent magazines writing about music (and there were only one or two of them back then), the duet of Pugachev and Slobodkin was not enough stars from the sky. They didn’t have solo concerts, and very often the Mosconcert simply plugged the holes with them. The tour was also appropriate - to the most remote Russian outback, where hotels rarely have hot water, but are full of cockroaches.

In August 1974, Pugacheva and Slobodkin performed again in Moscow. Their concerts took place at different venues: for example, on August 16–18, the venue was the hall in the Sovetskaya Hotel, and on the 31st, the Oktyabr cinema and concert hall. In each of these concerts, their duet was accompanied by another duet - a humorous one - in the person of Roman Kartsev and Viktor Ilchenko. Moreover, the latter were then in great favor with the public, and Pugacheva and Slobodkin were like “appendages”. This is how one of the eyewitnesses, Moskovsky Komsomolets journalist Lev Nikitin (Gushchin), recalls this:

“Then the star of Kartsev and Ilchenko had just risen, and they gave a solo concert in Moscow. Having fought hard to grab our tickets, my friend and I rushed to the Oktyabr cinema and concert hall, and only then did it become clear that the concert was not entirely a solo concert. The nimble organizers “attached” two young singers to the Odessa residents, who occupied the entire first section. These singers were Yuliy Slobodkin and Alla Pugacheva. They sang separately and together, cheerfully and sadly, loudly and not very loudly. A painful silence reigned in the hall, interrupted by thin applause. We could hardly wait for the end of their performance and in the second part we got what we came for.”

As an “add-on” to the popular humorous duet, Pugacheva and Slobodkin were attached until the fall. For example, on September 3-11, their concerts took place at the CDKZH. The people there were crowding Kartsev - Ilchenko, and they listened to the singing duet, as they say, with half an ear. In general, if Kartsev and Ilchenko had performed in the first part, the audience would have only sat through it, and the singing duet would have had to perform in a half-empty hall. This was the reality of that time, in which the future number one Soviet pop star Alla Pugacheva was forced to exist.

At the end of September, Kartsev and Ilchenko left the capital, and Pugacheva and Slobodkin migrated to other group concerts. So, on September 20–22, they performed at “October,” where they were accompanied by Zhanna Bichevskaya, Maria Codreanu, and others. However, from the next month, Pugacheva and Slobodkin achieved their first “solo performances”: on October 5–6, they performed on the stage of the House of Officers named after Zhukovsky. The spectators who came to these concerts did not know that they were seeing this duet for the last time: by that time, Pugacheva had already made an unequivocal decision to leave her partner, since she did not intend to act as a “makeweight” for the rest of her life to her more eminent colleagues. After all, even despite the fact that they were allowed to give “solo performances,” Pugacheva did not believe that their duet had good prospects.

Subsequently, Pugacheva will repeatedly sing a duet with different artists: Valery Leontyev, Vladimir Kuzmin, Philip Kirkorov, Maxim Galkin and others. However, we should not forget that her first “duet” man was Yuliy Slobodkin, who can safely be called one of the first “steps” along which Pugacheva climbed to the pop Olympus.

My man... My men Love has always eluded me. I could never hold someone I loved in my arms for long. Every time I started to believe that I had found someone who would be everything to me, everything collapsed and I was left alone. Maybe because I never