The secret of Sofia Rotaru's eternal youth: no fries, desserts and meat dishes. Sofia Rotaru: “If the President of Russia gave me a Russian passport, I would not refuse 70th anniversary of Sofia Rotaru

22.06.2019

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Cutugno with his wife. Biography. "I cheated, but I have only one woman of heart!"

“Rotaru hasn't been singing for a long time, because she hasn't been able to do it physically since 1974. Modern technology allows Rotaru to record songs by sheet music. She has her own secret studio in Kiev. Then tapes are played at concerts. There are no problems with television at all - there is always a phonogram. The most terrible deception ... ", - the famous composer Evgeniy Doga told about Sofia Rotaru.

But many years later, the singer herself commented on it like this:

“There have always been many legends about me. Composer Evgeniy Doga tried his best. I was the first to sing his song "My White City". Then he offered me a couple of his songs, but they did not suit me, and I quite delicately refused to take them into my repertoire. Probably, the composer was offended and, in a fit of anger, gave an interview, where he accused me of almost all mortal sins. That, they say, I have an underground studio in Ukraine, where I hum a few notes, and then with the help of powerful equipment they are "pulled" into a whole song! I said nothing, and everyone thought that I had nothing to answer. And I considered it beneath my dignity to refute nonsense ... "

Photo:fortuna- rotaru. com

So who is Sofia Rotaru really - a shameless "veneer" or a brilliant singer and idol of several generations of Soviet viewers?

Songs "I loved him" and "I will name the planet"

Video:youtube. com/ Sofia Rotaru

For many years Sofia Rotaru was considered the number 2 singer in the USSR. The first place was firmly held, and is still being held, by Alla Pugacheva, which, of course, is true. And the prima donna had more hits than Rotaru, and Sofia Mikhailovna always avoided scandalous scandals, which, alas, did not add to her popularity.

Despite the fact that Rotaru appeared on the stage earlier than Pugacheva and was very popular in the early 70s, she failed to keep the “palm”. The voice let Rotaru down. Or rather, his temporary absence.

In the early 70s, Sofia Rotaru and the accompanying ensemble "Chervona Ruta", led by the singer's husband Anatoly Evdokimenko, toured the country like crazy. Sometimes they performed several times a day, seven days a week. Crowds went to listen to the already famous Ukrainian singer. But this did not go unnoticed for Rotaru:

“At one time nodules appeared on my vocal cords from overstrain - like polyps. They are treated by surgery. Almost all of our stars have gone through this, and more than once. After the operation, I was strictly ordered to be silent for two months and in no case should I sing. And I did not obey, and complications began. After the second operation, I did not speak at all for a month. Didn't work for a year. Because of this, probably, there were rumors that Rotaru would no longer be able to sing and was working only with a phonogram ... ”- recalls the People's Artist of the USSR.

It was at that time, in 1973, that Sofia Rotaru brilliantly sang the song of the composer Eugene Doga to the poems of Grigory Voda "My White City", for which the viewers voted and she reached the final of the Song-73 contest. But by December of that year, Sofia Rotaru could no longer sing herself - the doctors forbade her.

At all the first "Songs of the Year" the artists sang "live", without any phonograms, since it was believed that this was the only way to "truly" appreciate the vocalist's talent. He accompanied all the singers on the set with the All-Union Radio and Central Television Orchestra conducted by Yuri Silantyev. And when the Musical Editorial Office of the Central Television decided that Rotaru would be filmed with a phonogram, the conductor Silantyev was indignant for a very long time, until he was told that the final of Song-73 was impossible without Rotaru, since Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev would be the main spectator of the program.

And so they did - all the artists in "Song-73" sang themselves and only Rotaru just opened her mouth to her "plus" phonogram. By the way, as a result, it turned out to be even better, because in those years they could not record a live performance in the Ostankino concert studio - there were disgusting microphones that the singers constantly "spat" on, and Sofia Rotaru appeared on the air on New Year's Eve on December 31, 1973 with good sound.

Song "My city" at the competition "Song-73", Ostankino, 1973

Video:youtube. com/ yangol1

Then, a few years later, the composer Yevgeny Doga again talked about Sofia Rotaru:

“At one time I begged her to keep her voice safe. But the singer's husband Tolik created "Ruta" and began to exploit his wife well. Four concerts a day. The poor woman could not even eat after them. It became a straw. And all the excuses: "Here we want to buy a car, a house, a summer residence ..." Tolik's thirst for money ruined a great singer ... "

Well, who really thirsted for money in this story - let him remain on the conscience of the composer Doga, but the fact that nothing ruined Rotaru is a fact. Yes, there was a period when serious problems happened with the ligaments, but then the singer began to be more attentive to them, take care of them, and this did not happen again.

Video: Channel Five archive

There was everything in the life of the Soviet artist Rotaru - cold nights in blown-out airports, hotels without hot water, but with hordes of cockroaches, long touring journeys in half-wrecked cars, unheated rural clubs, where steam poured out of her mouth in winter ... Only a very persistent and courageous woman could endure all this. And also a loving woman. How Sofia Rotaru loved her husband Tolya - Anatoly Evdokimenko - is still legendary.

Sofia Rotaru on the cover of Ukraine Magazine, 1965

In 1965, while serving in the army in the Urals Nizhny Tagil, a young guy Tolya Evdokimenko from the city of Chernivtsi saw a beautiful girl on the cover of Ukraine magazine, who turned out to be his compatriot. Demobilized, he found Sonya and began to look after her. Another detail came to light - they both could not live without music. For two years Sonya tested the young man for strength, and then agreed to marry him.

Wedding photo of Sofia Rotaru and Anatoly Evdokimenko

Photo: from the personal archive of Sofia Rotaru

By that time, Sofia Rotaru was already not only the pride of Chernivtsi, but of the entire Ukrainian SSR, because the fame of a splendidly singing girl from the village of Marshintsy had long spread across the country. Back in 1966, for the Central Television, a small musical film "Nightingale from the village of Marshintsy" was shot about Rotaru. Then Sofia Rotaru sang mainly only Moldavian and Ukrainian folk songs.

Video: Channel Five archive

The first Soviet pop song in Rotaru's repertoire was the song "Mama",. Having met Evdokimenko, who dreamed of music and was ready for anything for Sonya, Rotaru suggested trying to "modernize" some folk songs by making other arrangements for them in the style of the then popular VIAs.

It turned out great, and this is how the team that Evdokimenko began to gather gradually took shape into a real ensemble, and in 1971 both Rotaru and the team called "Chervona Ruta" received an official invitation to work at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic. Thus began the professional life of Rotaru, her husband and their ensemble on stage.

For 15 years Sofia Rotaru and "Chervona Ruta" shone on the Soviet stage, until in 1986 it was all over in one day. In an interview, Sofia Rotaru, when asked by a journalist if she was ever really scared, answered:

“When I was betrayed. This was due to the team "Chervona Ruta", which Tolik organized in due time. It was the peak of popularity when we were carried in our arms, when cars were lifted at concerts. It seemed to the guys that they could count on success even without me, that I treat them wrong, the repertoire is not the same, that they receive little money ... When Tolik and I left for their homeland, they got together and decided that they did not need us. They left with a scandal and with the name "Chervona Ruta" ... "

Video: Channel Five archive

And this Sofia Rotaru was able to survive. With the support of her husband, she again appeared on the stage, actively worked with popular composers Vladimir Migulya and Vladimir Matetsky, and did not at all imagine that not only the collapse of the USSR, not only new market conditions of life, but also another life in general, where her help was already ahead. will need a spouse.

Video: Channel Five archive

In 1997, Sofia Rotaru's husband fell seriously ill. At first, the doctors said it was brain cancer, but then it turned out - a stroke. For five years Rotaru brought various world luminaries of medicine to her Tolya, but he was getting worse and worse. After several subsequent strokes, Anatoly Evdokimenko stopped talking and moving, and in 2002 he died in Kiev in the arms of his beloved and faithful wife Sofia Rotaru. She later said that her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren helped her to survive this tragedy.

However, the iron character of Sofia Rotaru sometimes spoiled her a lot. This happened in 1985 on the set of "Song-85", when, contrary to the requests of the TV director, she decided to be closer to the viewer and left the stage for the stalls. As a result, the entire first verse of the song "Stork on the Roof" ended up in a marriage - the operators could only shoot Rotaru from the back or a general shot of the whole hall.

Video: Channel Five archive

Even under the USSR, there was a lot of gossip about the difficult relationship between Sofia Rotaru and Alla Pugacheva, but with the collapse of the country, "collisions" of singers happened quite often: in 1999, at a concert in honor of Police Day, at the last second, Sofia Rotaru was struck off the list of participants. The reason is the Pugacheva scandal.

After 5 years, Alla Borisovna herself was overboard of the same holiday. After she learned that the festive program would be completed not by her, but by Sofia Rotaru, Pugacheva slammed the door.

In 2006, Rotaru showed a scandalous character. Sofia Mikhailovna did not want to participate in a concert dedicated to, learning that Alla Pugacheva was offered a fee, but she was not. But in the end, the organizers of the scandal were able to extinguish and both singers performed in different parts of this concert in the center of Kiev.

Video: youtube.com/Sofia Rotaru

But in 2009, at the anniversary concert of Alla Borisovna, two stars portrayed a great reconciliation. Embracing, they performed the hit of the group "t.A.T.u." "Not gonna get us". What was it? Shocking? Just a show? I think no. Indeed, no one will ever be able to catch up with Sofia Rotaru and Alla Pugacheva.

And the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Sofia Rotaru, unlike some other Ukrainian artists, did not burn the bridges.

Video: youtube.com/Sofia Rotaru

Sofia Rotaru often comes to Russia, gives concerts, and when asked by one of the journalists whether she received Russian citizenship as a long-term resident of Crimea, she answered:

“When the residents of Crimea received Russian passports, according to the law, this was not allowed for me, since I had a residence permit in Kiev. But, on the other hand, if the President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin gives me a Russian passport, like Depardieu, I would not refuse. "

Video: Channel Five archive

Ivan Tsybin

an icon of the Soviet stage, which has retained its status at the present time practically unchanged. Gazeta.Ru - about the reasons for its success.

If geographically and politically the Soviet Union has long been dead,

then in pop culture he continues to exist as if nothing

happened - in the person of such figures as Edita Piekha, who recently noted

80th anniversary,

In the biographical information alone about Rotaru, it seems

the whole history of the country - was born in the village of Marshantsy in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine in a Moldovan family; in the early 90s there was a joke

that at the talks in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the leaders of Russia and Ukraine

asked the question "how we will divide Rotaru".

Her career began to develop at a time when Soviet ideologues finally allowed the flowers of national cultures to flourish.

Seventies

for your ensemble.

In fact, for the title of the take-off site of her career,

to argue and the Festival of Youth and Students, held in Bulgaria

three years before that - she won a gold medal there, performing songs in Ukrainian and Romanian.

And the first success came about ten years before and consisted of

many steps - regional, then republican competitions of amateur performances, conductor-choral department of the Chernivtsi music school, for lack of vocal.

Is source: Ekaterina Chesnokova / RIA Novosti

2017 year. Sofia Rotaru performs at the international music festival "ZHARA" in Baku

The key to Rotaru's success was a distinct and even in the best sense of the word, a prudent mixture of national and cosmopolitan

repertoires: so, from the very beginning of her creative activity, she continued her collaboration with composer Vladimir Ivasyuk

from Lviv, however, she sang songs by Arno Babadzhanyan, David Tukhmanov, Yuri Saulsky, Raymond Pauls, Vladimir

Matetsky; texts for them were written by Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrei Voznesensky and other poets who do not need introduction.

And it's not just that cooperation with a higher caste

Soviet pop composing and poetry workshop served

a pass to the big stage.

Such omnivorousness allowed her to organically weave songs of the Soviet outskirts in different languages into her program and skillfully use -

at least declarative - the course of the Soviet authorities to support national cultures.

And thus everyone will like it: the officials of the Mosconcert, and

residents of Russian capitals, and their fellow countrymen on both sides

Ukrainian-Moldavian border.

It is interesting that at the same time, the singer, who seemed to be kind to the authorities, was not without disgrace.

More precisely, nothing happened - in 1975 she had a conflict with the local Chernivtsi regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, in connection with which she and her

the ensemble moved to Yalta.

Nothing definite is known about its reasons so far -

Rotaru herself said that she moved to Crimea in connection with

opened asthma. The possible reason was the increased

share of the repertoire in Ukrainian and cooperation with authors

from Western Ukraine.

It is interesting that the shake-up and stress gave a new impetus to her career: the singer's records (first - long plays) began to be released by the Melodiya company, and she herself was invited to Munich to record a disc

at the firm "Ariola". Then she went on a large-scale tour of Western and Eastern Europe.

Eighties

The decade of transition from stagnation to perestroika became for her

the peak of her career - it was at this moment that she, with the help of radio and television, began to constantly be present in the life of the country,

coming to almost every house and sounding from every window.

And the trigger of this popularity again, as in the case of

"Chervona Ruta" became a movie - more precisely, two films with her songs

and participation. In 1980, "Where are you, love?" Was released, a kind of

transposition of the plot "Come tomorrow" to more modern

realities.

The picture was quite autobiographical - in it a young girl came to an amateur song contest with a composition

Raymond Pauls, of the same name as the title of the film, and left as its main triumphant.

The picture turned out to be mega-popular - "Melody" released

a plate with songs from the film, and songs to the poems of the best Soviet

poets were sung by the whole country.

A year later, another picture came out - "Soul", an autobiographical melodrama about a singer losing her voice and reassessing values.

The participants of the "Time Machine" starred in the role of musicians,

songs were written by Andrey Makarevich and Alexander Zatsepin, and

Rotaru's partner was then at the peak of popularity

Mikhail Boyarsky.

The second picture completed the formation of personal mythology

around her, and a triumphant tour in Canada - status

a real export star, in the language of trade, suitable for both domestic consumption and export.

However, it seems that it was this stardom and this status that became

the reason for the actual second disgrace - she was forbidden by foreign

tours (requests for which became more and more).

It got to the point of ridiculousness - the representatives of the German concert agency were once sent a paper in response to an invitation:

"That doesn't work here."

Nevertheless, Rotaru actively participated in "Songs of the Year",

continued cooperation with both top Russian-speaking

However, it ended - unsuccessful, I must admit - fell into disgrace only with the beginning of perestroika.

A turning point in this sense can be recognized as the beginning of cooperation with Vladimir Matetsky, which entailed (or, on the contrary, was the reason) a change of image - instead of a chansonnier with folklore roots, Rotaru turned into a disco and

rock vocalist. More precisely, she has been the perfect opponent so far.

for rock musicians of the Leningrad rock club and the Moscow rock laboratory, however, starting with the quite romantic Lavender,

over time, she began to perform fast things - the very ones

by which she is still remembered: "Moon, moon", "It was, but passed",

"Only this is not enough."

The latter was a very daring experiment - a complete

Arseny Tarkovsky's poem of nostalgic sadness was turned by Matetsky into a real rock action movie.

They worked together for 15 long years - until the end of those same 90s,

which the honored artists were resolutely handed over to the scrap, and in their place new ones were nominated.

Nineties - our days

Moreover, it is worth noting that Rotaru never became archived

a star - like a generation of pop stars a generation older,

quietly and with dignity retired, into teaching and

"Old songs about the main thing."

She, who began her career with the help of her mother-trader on the collective farm market, had some amazing, as they say

these days, marketing flair: in some amazing way

at the right time, she guessed the conjuncture and the time when it would be necessary to change the image or do something new.

So, for example, it was she who at one time - back in the early 90s -

noticed the trend of new pop stars to perform with dancers

and invited the then not most famous troupe "Todes" to perform

together with her.

The head of the dance theater Alla Dukhova said that these concerts were the first step towards the future fame of the dance group.

At the same time, she is not at all characteristic of a passion for continuous

renewal and oblivion of the old repertoire - she did not shy away from anniversaries, nostalgic re-issues, etc. In 2012-2013, she embarked on a large jubilee tour timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of her creative activity.

Rather, on the contrary - carefully and tightly mixing old hits with new ones, she presented her songs as part of one, never interrupted (and by and large - not influenced by time) process.

Moreover, it seems that in her case it is not a concept, but a philosophy - because both her biography and her statements suggest that for her this is a way of life.

Another feature of her philosophy is her political position. Although it would be more correct to say that the humanitarian one is from Kiev by registration and from Yalta by her actual place of residence, in 2004 she handed out food to representatives of both opposing camps on the Maidan.

And later, in the wake of the great arrival of Ukrainian musicians in politics, she even tried to run for the Rada from the Lytvyn bloc: after the annexation of Crimea, she did not accept Russian citizenship (according to her, because of registration in Kiev) and especially noted that she was a citizen of Ukraine.

At the same time, in fact, she and her songs remain a part of the life of the divided citizens of the once united country.

And that is precisely why there is a risk that many leaders of the countries dividing this singer among themselves will remain minor politicians of the era of Sofia Rotaru.

The legend of the Ukrainian stage, singer Sofia Rotaru celebrates her anniversary today, August 7. The artist turns 70 years old.

The future artist was born in the village of Marshyntsy, Chernivtsi region in 1947.

As a child, Rotaru, in addition to being very fond of singing, was actively involved in sports and athletics, and even became the champion of the school in all-around.

Sofia Mikhailovna studied at the Chernivtsi School of Music at the conductor and choir department.

After graduating from college, Rotaru began to teach and, in the same 1968, she married Anatoly Evdokimenko. In August 1970, the couple had a son, Ruslan.

With Anatoly, who was her only husband, Sofia lived for 35 years. In 2002, the artist's husband died of a stroke.

From the very beginning of her career, Sofia Rotaru predicted a great future on the big stage. She won numerous all-Ukrainian and international competitions.

Real fame and national love for Sofia Rotaru came after the performance of songs by the famous composer Vladimir Ivasyuk. The composition "Chervona Ruta" performed by her is still a hit.

In total, Sofia Rotaru's repertoire includes more than 500 songs in Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Moldovan, Polish, Italian, German, Spanish and English. During her solo career, the singer has released 21 albums.

The legendary singer has many honorary titles and awards. She is the People's Artist of the USSR, the People's Artist of Ukraine, the Honored Artist of the Moldavian RSR, as well as the Hero of Ukraine. In addition, Rotaru's list includes the title of Honorary Citizen of Chernivtsi, Yalta and Chisinau.

It should be noted that exactly 10 years ago, on the singer's 60th birthday, the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko (2005-2010) awarded Sofia Rotaru the Order of Merit II degree for "a significant personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian musical art, high performing skills and many years of fruitful activity. ".

In addition to the fact that Sofia Rotaru is a great artist, she is also the happy mother of the famous music producer Ruslan Evdokimenko, and the grandmother of Anatoly and Sofia.

If geographically and politically, the Soviet Union has long been dead, then in pop culture it continues to exist as if nothing had happened - in the person of such figures as, recently celebrated its 80th birthday, or Sofia, which turns 70 on August 7.

In only one biographical information about Rotaru, it seems, the whole history of the country - was born in the village of Marshantsy in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine in a Moldovan family; in the early 90s, there was a joke that at the negotiations in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the leaders of Russia and Ukraine asked themselves the question “how we will divide Rotaru”.

Her career began to develop at a time when Soviet ideologues finally allowed the flowers of national cultures to flourish.