On September 11 the most strong-voiced Russian politician and the most politicized singer, Iosif Kobzon, marks his 75th anniversary. Journalists Lyubov Moiseyeva and Alexander Gamov wrote a biography of the birthday man “How beautiful everything that happened to us was.”
Lyubov Moiseeva, author
Iosif Davidovich is an absolutely terrific interlocutor and we wanted to make the book as warm as possible. I hope we've succeeded and that it not official, but homely, sweet, interesting and surprising just like Iosif Davidovich.
Nelly Kobzon, singer's wife
I think, it is a book which is very nice to look at it, to hold in your hands. Most importantly, it has recordings of the best komsomol songs of Iosif Davidovich. Despite the fact that Iosif Davidovich is 75 years old, it is the first time that a contemporary book with his biography, with very good pictures and most importantly with a tape is published.
Iosif Kobzon, People's Artist of the USSR
In the 1940s the Soviet Union held school Olympiads. At first they were held at the republic's level and later the winners of city, regional and district competitions gathered in the capital of each republic, and then the winners of a national competition came to Moscow. Then there was no Palace of Congresses, there was no Russia Hall, there was the Kremlin theater. If you entered the Kremlin from the Spassky Tower, in the first building on the first floor - to be honest, I do not even know what is there now - there was the Kremlin theater. And there in 1946 as a winner of my first school competition in Ukraine - I am from the Donbass, from Ukraine - I performed at the Kremlin Theater with the song of Matvey Blanter "Migratory birds are flying." In the right side lodge sat the Politburo sat and Iosif Stalin. We, of course, were all trembling. Organizers behind the scenes were also trembling, and we were ordered, God forbid to approach, but not even to look in that direction.
I again won the school competition for the second time in 1948 and came once again, and again went to the Kremlin theater and again sung a Blanter's song – this time the "Golden Wheat": "golden wheat stands like a wall." So I performed twice in front of the leader, and when I looked at him it seemed to me that he kindly smiled from behind his mustaches and that he liked when children performed and sung for him. I retained it in memory. We were then given a treat after the concert – there was still a food rationing system, it was 1946 or 1947, but we were given sweet cakes and tea after the concert. Then we made a tour of Moscow, we were showed the VDNH, the Exhibition of Achievements... Back then, in the Gorky park all the amusement rides were working, and I learned about the "ferris wheel" for the first time in the Gorky park.
My wife is upset that we have not enough children. She always blames me and says, when we are surrounded by a family: "Look! If you toured less, we would have had a lot of children." But in principle, I do not regret anything. I am thankful for my children - Natasha and Andrey, who presented me in our old age, without any coquetry, with such great riches the Lord sent us our granddaughters, all are beauties, and two grandsons. I, unfortunately, always fell sorry for my colleagues, and not only for colleagues, but also for my friend who do not have any grandchildren, who do not have any children – it is terrible, because I, for example, an comforted by the only thought that I have them. Even the fact that I rarely see them, their grandmother, my wife basically sees them, and they of course have much warmer feelings to her than to their grandfather. It's always been like that with the children as well - I spent 8-9 months touring and when I came Nelly always reproached me for giving too little attention to my children, who were at school. I was for them (and I was a strict father) a Dad Yaga, and my grandmother was their very good friend. It always has been like that. But we are happy that we have a family. And after all, it is a sincere family. We rejoice when we meet. Unfortunately for me, my daughter and my son in law Yuri, who is standing here, or rather sitting, live in England. But I jealously watch over them so that God forbid they forget Russian. I've listened to an interview with Naina Yeltsina, who said that she is now learning English in order to be able to communicate with her grandchildren. I have no need in it, I'll never learn English in order to communicate with my grandchildren, because they will always know Russian.
Once I was invited by Robert Rozhdestvensky to his home, and he had a guest, Mikael Tariverdiev. And he said:"Man, we want to show you a couple of songs." And actually showed a me few songs, and then said: "We must try to record them at Mosfilm. There is now a new movie filmed them. Would you try to record it?" I said: "I'll try." I went through these songs with Mikael, Micah, as we called him. And the next day I met at the Mosfilm, at the first studio Tatiana Mikhailovna Lioznova. And my struggle with Tatiana Mikhailovna began. She was a very strong woman. First, remember the "Seventeen Moments of Spring" –what a synod of our most distinguished actors she gathered into a single ensemble cast. And they all played different roles, and, twitching her eyebrow, shed used to say operator's room: "I do not need Kobzon." I said: "As you wish!" I got up and she said, "No, sit down. I need Stierlitz." I said, "Where am I supposed to find him?" "Give him shots." I was given shots of Tikhonov, where he stood thoughtfully. Remember, many remember him, for sure. "Take a good look at this image. And when you sing, think that you are not Kobzon, that it is not your interpretation, and that you sticking to the character." So my name never appeared in the credits. I had so many probes! I said "I cannot, I do not know what you want." And she was telling me: "I want to hear a song sung by Stierlitz, not by Kobzon." I told her, "Take a theatrical actor and let him sing it to you." "I know whom to take myself. Don't try to be a commander here!" She was very strict. Later we became friends and remained friends until her last days. I did not know until the end, the first day the series were shown I accidentally appeared in the "Russia" Hall at the International Film Festival, and I went up to the TV screen and for the first time I heard that, it turns out, my record was chosen. But no one knew that I recorded it. The film had 7 songs, but only two songs were included in the movie, and the melody from a song became a leitmotif. All the other songs were written separately on the lyrics of Rozhdestvensky.
