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[Zbyszek]

Now, I would like to draw you attention to some rather old songs who, unexpectedly were performed at times of Soviet Russia, but...

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'Confess your guilt !', composition of Artur Gold, here sung by a Russian singer, Pjotr Leschenko (1898-1954) of Ukrainian and Moldavian roots who in 30's made a great career as a singer in countries of Western Europe, as an emigrant prohibited in USSR until late 80's (long after his death). Recorded in Berlin, London, Paris, Riga, Bucarest and Warsaw. Used to include to his repertoire Polish songs and wrote for them his own Russian lyrics, the present one included.
Rec. for French Columbia, 1934.
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YouTube - Stare polskie tango: 'Przyznaj siд≥ !' - in Russian !

Here comes a description of another sweet piece...
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'Sleep quietly, my poor heart !', tango which was a tremendous succes in Poland and in 'Russian countries', composed by a Russian musician, Oskar Strok, who spent most of his life in Riga, Latvia. Regarded as a King of Russian Tango.
Here the song is sung by another Russian emigrant, Pjotr Leschenko.
Recorded for Columbia, London, 1932.
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YouTube - Starinnoye russkoye tango (1): 'Spij, moye biednoye serdce'

Now the last gem:
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Pyotr Leshchenko - "The King of Russian Tango", owner of a breathtaking, soft baritone voice - was born on June 14, 1898 in a village Isaeva in Ukraine. His father was a clerk, mother - illiterate. During the First World War, his mother and stepfather moved to Kishinev (now part of Moldavia). As a result Leshchenko has been claimed as a national by Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. In his early childhood he sang in a church choir and learned how to play the guitar and the balalaika. After the war Pyotr worked at various restaurants performing small theatrical acts, mostly dancing.

After the revolution, in Paris he took some ballet lessons to perform with his Latvian wife Zinaida, who was a dancer. Their act was a mixture of ballet, folklore dance and European tango, which was so popular it led to tours to Egypt, Persia, Turkey, Germany and Britain. It was at Riga, when he improvised a kind of a gypsy/tango singing to make up for the absence of his pregnant wife, that he discovered he could sing in front of an audience. Skon he started to perform regularily. In 1935 he was at the peak of his success. Though he still included old Russian romances, and even Soviet songs , like „Serdtse" („A Heart" ) - tango from the Stalinist movie production, which was originally sung by Leonid Utyosov - in a different version, as „Kak mnogo devushek horoshih" (How Many Goud Girls Are Around!"). ) In his repertoire, one of his favourites was a Polish composer Jerzy Petersburski, but he also sung certain songs composed specifically for him were (Oscar Strok, Mark Maryankovsky and Yefim Sklyarov).
Leshchenko performed for European nobles and "White" Russian emigres at his own "Leschenko" cabaret in Bucharest (dubbed the "Eastern Maxim"). The first part of every performance would typically be dedicated to gypsy music, but during the second part Leshchenko would dress up in a tuxedo, with a white silk handkerchief and sing and dance Argentine tango. He recorded dozens of sides for „Columbia".

In the Soviet Union his work was banned both because he was believed to be a White emigre (which he was not legally) and because the style (tango and foxtrot) was deemed counter-revolutionary. Nevertheless, secretly he was very popular: people would even listen to Radio Tehran to hear his music, '78 plates were smuggled into the country from the Baltics, and specialists would bootleg his music onto "ribs" (used X-ray plates). When during the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of Odessa by the Romanian army, Leshchenko was finally able to perform in the country he still considered his own, people would queue for hours on end to buy a ticket to one of his Odessa concerts. It was at Odessa that Pyotr met his second wife, Vera Georgievna, for whom he would later, back in Romania, divorce Zinaida.

After Romania switched sides during World War II and the Soviet army came to Romania, Leshchenko was not arrested and became the protege of General Bulganin. Some sources believe this was due to Marshall Zhukov being a secret admirer of his music - Pyotr probably thought so, and after the War, wrote many letters to friends in the Soviet Union asking them to contact high-level officials so that he and Vera may be allowed back to the country of their birth.

In 1951, immediately after receiving an from the Soviet government an official letter granting them permission to settle in the USSR, he and his wife were arrested by the communist Romanian militia. Vera was sent to the Soviet Union (where she was condemned to penal labour for amongst other things, "marrying a foreigner") and Pyotr was imprisoned near Bucharest. Both outlived Stalin, but Pyotr died in a prison hospital on July 16, 1954, without Vera (who had already been released but did not know her husband was still alive) at his side.

Recording: Pyotr Leshchenko - Wino Lubwi (Wine of Love), Columbia 1936
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YouTube - Tango from Russia: Pyotr Leshchenko - Wino Lubwi, 1936

Please pay attention to the comments who reflect deep human need for listening to music. I just love prewar tangos and waltzes.

[Lvivske]

i listen to metal so i doubt any of you guys want to hear my noise (lol)

[Zbyszek]

Originally Posted by Lvivske

i listen to metal so i doubt any of you guys want to hear my noise (lol)

Such pre-metal (ha ha ) songs you could hear in Riga, V ilnius and Lviv before WWII.

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'Mother's Heart' - great success of Zygmunt Karasiński, composer who had special skill for creating melodious and haunting refrains of his tangos. Written in 1933 and dedicated 'to all mothers', remained popular and timely in Poland with this subject theme until present times.
Here, presented in a tender Russian version by Pjotr Leschenko.
Rec. for French Columbia, 1934.
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YouTube - Stare polskie tango: 'Serce matki' - in Russian !

These tangos were admired in Poland but also in the Baltics and even in Soviet Russia.

This particular song (Polish version of course) is still well-remembered in Poland because of beautiful lyrics and nice melody. A good gift for Mother's Day.

[RmD]

Subj released this June (but i had noticed it just now... )


My favorite composition of the moment
"Takes Me Nowhere"

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