Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev[a] (
Russian: Валерий Яковлевич Леонтьев; born 19 March 1949) is a Soviet and Russian pop singer, sometimes songwriter and actor whose popularity peaked in the early 1980s. He was titled a
People's Artist of Russia in 1996.[1] He is known as one of the most prominent artists of
Soviet and
Russian music.[2] Over the course of his decades-long career, he has recorded more than 30 albums, many of which sold millions of copies. The media refers to Leontiev as a megastar and a legend of the Russian stage.[3][4][5]
Early life
Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev was born on 19 March 1949, in Ust-Usa, a village in what is now Russia's
Komi Republic. In 1961 the family moved to the city
Yuryevets in
Ivanovo Oblast.
Musical career
Leontiev's first performance on the big stage took place in 1971, during the
Vorkuta regional competition "Song-71". There, Leontiev took second place with the song "Carnaval".
In 1980 Leontiev sang in various concerts, including the
Moscow Variety Theatre,
Oktyabrsky and
Luzhniki. In 1981, the artist won the popularity prize at the prestigious music festival
Yerevan-81. American journalists who attended the event noted the expressive manner of performing of the singer and compared him to Mick Jagger.[6] In 1982, Leontiev underwent a serious operation to remove a tumor from his throat, which jeopardized his further singing career.
In 1983, the singer moves to work in the Voroshilovgrad Philharmonic (now
Luhansk Philharmonic) in the
Ukrainian SSR. A year later, he was given a whole section in the author's evening "Holy love of music" by composer
Raimond Pauls in
Moscow.[7]
The beginning of the 90s was marked for Leontiev splash touring. His concerts were held in Germany, Israel, USA, Canada, India and other countries. In 1991 Leontiev was named the "Best Selling Soviet Artist" at the
World Music Awards ceremony in
Monte Carlo.[8] In 1994 he performed on stage with
Gina Lollobrigida[9] in
Saint-Petersburg concert hall "
Oktyabrskiy", and in 1996 he was awarded the title
People's Artist of Russia. in March 1998 а nominal star of Valery Leontiev was opened on the
Star Square in
Moscow.[10] in 1999 Leontiev was awarded the "Living Legend Award" at the Russian national music award "
Ovation".[11]
1983 – concert program, "I'm just a singer" (18 sold-out concerts in
Leningrad)
1984 – concert program, "I run for life"
1985 – concert program, "Alone with all", which became a cult. Because queues for tickets on a few central streets of
Leningrad stopped traffic. 10 concerts
1986 – concert program "Star story" Tour in
Czechoslovakia.
1987 – concert program "Favorites", Tour in
Bulgaria.
1988 June – 1989 November – rock opera "Giordano", more than 50 concerts in Moscow and Leningrad. Leontiev plays 3 main roles (out of 4!) –
Giordano Bruno, a clown and Satan.
1988–1989 grand tour of cities of the
USSR. For example, only one
Novosibirsk in 1988 Leontiev gives a series of 27 recitals.[13] and in
Almaty 33 solo concerts.
1990 – show "It seems to me that I have not lived" in the
Olympic Stadium. Concerts in USA, India, Germany, Israel
1993 – show "Full Moon" – first super-show in Russia
1994 – show "Beauty and Casanova" – the first concert of pop star with a symphony orchestra in Russia. With the participation of the
sex symbol of the 1960
Gina Lollobrigida.[14] Tour in
Israel.
1996 – show "On the road to Hollywood", touring in the US, Germany, Israel, Canada
1998 – Concert on the
Star Square, a solo concert at the 50 th anniversary of the State of
Israel (
Tel Aviv, 14 May 1998), a tour in Germany, the United States and the
United Arab Emirates
1999 super-show "Photographer of Dreams", a tour to Russia,
Ukraine, Israel, United States, Canada, Germany,
Baltic states
2001 super-show "Unnamed Planet", a tour to Russia, Ukraine, Baltic States, United States, Germany.
2009–2010 an anniversary show of "I love you, miss you, I'm waiting". Tour in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, USA., Israel, Australia, concert in Sydney,
Melbourne.
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3th class (21 February 2022) – for a great contribution to the development of national culture and art, many years of fruitful activity[34]
2003: Three tunes for the film Valery Leontiev (Три мелодии для фильма Валерия Леонтьева)
2009: Valery Leontiev in Komi (Валерий Леонтьев в Коми)
2009: I have not lived. Valery Leontiev (— Я ещё не жил. Валерий Леонтьев) movie channel
ORT
2009: Valery Leontiev: Lost laughter (Валерий Леонтьев: Утерянный смех) movie channel
Inter
2009: Benefit Valery Leontiev "The Book of Fate" (Бенефис Валерия Леонтьева "Книга судьбы") movie channel
NTV
2012: Anniversary concert of Valery Leontiev "The best ever!" (Юбилейный концерт Валерия Леонтьева "Лучший навсегда!") concert channel
ORT
2012: "Hurtling time if a rider" ("Мчится время будто всадник") movie channel
TV Tsentr
Personal life
Valery Leontiev is married to
bass guitarist Lyudmila Isakovich.[46][47] The couple have been together since 1972. However, officially their marriage was registered only in 1998. The artist's wife lives in
Miami.
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
The
Soviet Union never participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest, as no Soviet broadcasters were members of the
EBU. In 2009 Eduard Fomin, a former employee of the
Ministry of Education of the
RSFSR, revealed that in 1987 George Veselov, the Minister of Education for the Soviet Union, brought forward the idea of Soviet participation in the EBU and the Eurovision Song Contest due to the number of political reforms made by the
Soviet General SecretaryMikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s. The idea was mainly a political one, with the thought that a win in the contest for the Soviet Union would impact on the relationships between the Soviet Union and the
capitalist countries of the
west. Valery Leontiev was suggested as a singer for the Soviet Union's first entry into the contest, but Veselov's ideas were not shared by the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union, or by Gorbachev himself, believing it to be too radical a step to take, and so the Soviet Union never entered the contest before dissolving.[48]
Statements about Leontiev
President
Vladimir Putin: "You rightly recognized master of song genre, artist who reached the summits of Pop Olympus thanks to genuine talent, professionalism and hard work"[49][50]
President
Dmitry Medvedev: "Over the years, the bright stage career, you not only have gained a great love of fans, but also sets a high standard of music for the new generations of artists. The songs performed by you, always lead not only in the charts, but also in the hearts of an audience of millions".[51][52]
President
Alexander Lukashenko: "Great talent, unparalleled professional skills and constant creative search brought you a well-deserved fame and recognition around the world"[53]
Politician
Valentina Matviyenko "You have created a stage persona which has never been on the stage and I am sure that nobody will never repeat, and you follow this image"[54]
Singer
Muslim Magomayev: "Name Valery Leontiev enough just to name – and do not have any colorful definitions! Everything is clear! Living Classic of our stage".[55]
Singer
Joseph Kobzon: "Tragically, we have a unit of this magnitude stars –
Pugacheva, Leontiev ... Those people who for many years retain their creative person and love of the public" [56]
On account of Valery Leontiev there is even a duet with
Vladimir Putin: in August 2006 in
Sochi, a concert for the heads of the
CIS, which Leontiev worked for a program of four songs. In the final speech, when the artist was called for an encore, he decided to perform the song "Hope." Suddenly, he was joined by Vladimir Putin, at that time president of Russia – Leontiev handed him a microphone. Star duo snatched the applause, as the leaders of CIS countries, as well as fellow artists.[62]
Nu, pogodi! Episode 16 – Valery Leontiev song Green Light was played by the Wolf when he was caught by
Baba Yaga, on the magical guitar. The Wolf does escape however, but lands on the water.
^"Tired? Nyet! Woodstock, Yerevan style". www.vl-club.ru. Retrieved 16 February 2019. Valeri Leontiev, 32, a booted, bolero-suited dancing rocker whose performance falls somewhere between those of Mick Jagger and Mikhail Baryshnikov