Singer with a beautiful, opera trained voice, live and plastic artist, musician with taste and sense of the composer - all rolled into one!

Starting with amateur vocal and instrumental ensembles, performing ten years ago "this rock" that is zadetsibelenny blissfully and always in English, Gradski gradually grew out of this music, as adolescents grow out of his jeans. The range of his musical interests became much broader. Of course, the song remains the leading genre, but there was a film music (Gradski wrote it in three movies), there was opera ...

Gradsky modern. But this is an artist who was not on about fashion: he won fame, while remaining himself. His songs are characterized by bright, melodic relief, seem simple, but they seem. Just try to sing them - in many revs you stumble. Because they are not banal, habitual hearing intonation, a new, "nezapety" material. And just as amazing - Gradski became one of the most popular among the young artists themselves almost without using "the mechanisms of popularity", in particular the mass media such as radio and television. Much more often (although, in fact, is also very rare), you can hear in the movie (in the "Romance of the Lovers"), as well as in films with music by some of his close creative ways authors such M.Kazhlaeva, Yu Saulsky, E . Artemyev, G. Gladkov.

Studio "Melody" has produced a CD with music "Romance of the Lovers" and a small plate with four other of his songs. Gradskiy occasionally be heard in concert, usually with his band "Buffoons". Well, perhaps that's all. But he knows. Why? The fact that his songs have the exact address: youth. Young people, in turn, feels that these songs speak about very close to her problems. About the beginning of the road - first love, the relationship to the world, this rich, this multi-colored, try to understand their place in a rapidly changing world ... In this complex of sensations, feelings, and yet there can not be the wisdom that will only experience, but there is a freshness of first understanding the world, of joyful surprise, which happens to all of us, only a youth. The world is beautiful. Beautiful animals and birds, beautiful flowers, rocks, streams, mountains, valleys. Long live harmony, wonderful balance of the world!

Gradski starts ...

was born in the Urals, in November 1949, but a child lives in Moscow. In the music school doing the violin, in circle of friends "with the court" was known as a dashing player. In those years was very popular young Robertino Loreti and Gradsky sings songs repertoire Robertino and even playing with these songs in children's programs Union Radio.

Then come the sixties. Dwell on them.

Now, fifteen years later, it was covered in a haze of time, the contours of the event began to blur. But something is a refresher: it was then laid many foundations.
Recall

Soviet song at the time. Citizenship is not lost, it became more lyrical, household and personal. These were songs Soloviev-Gray, Ostrovsky, Frenkel, Andrei Petrov Pahmutova, Felzman, Eshpai. Has blossomed Leningrad "Friendship", is now on the horizon and Kobzon Magomayev, but the leading voices of those years and remained Kristalinskaya Troshin. This was a major, lyrical direction of our civil songs. Nestled in the shadow of his other, less pronounced trend - rhythmic dance songs. He was at that time it was difficult to boast significant achievements ... And yet these genres were "visible part" of the song of the iceberg. And he was still "invisible" side ...

young people were then "forbidden" rock and roll. Many, he was attracted to the dance, but some young people could see in this rather primitive music as well and healthy start associated with the traditions of the blues. In general, young people in rock found what she needed in a conventional dance song - internal looseness, "sport", enthusiasm. Let the melodies of these songs smacks of one another, even if they did not have internal development, given at the beginning of the rhythm "scrolled" no change to the end - no matter how important he was, this rhythm!

And then came the kingdom rhythm melody. This was done by members of "The Beatles." They also came up with a new style and new arrangements of songs sounding voices. They proposed the formula itself: vocal-instrumental ensemble, where all are equal, all singing and all play, all write songs and all write poems. Gone is the division into a solo star and standing behind him faceless accompanying ensemble.

All this happened in late 1963 - early 1964. Raucous rock 'n roll were abandoned. Many, enchanted the Fab Four, then began to copy their style, repertoire, the very composition. Later it turned out that for some of the song "Beatles" were just training period, the other was destined to copy them. Without the "Beatles" there would be no "Pesniary." or "Ariel" or "Singing Guitars" nor "Skomorokhov» ...

In 1965, fifteen Gradsky along with three friends organized a group of "Slavs". Called "Slavs", and sang only in English. Prior to his songs was far away. "The Slavs" imitated "Beatles" in defiance of its main competitor, the Moscow group "Falcons", which mimics the "Rolling Stones».

In 1967 Gradsky goes into a group of "Scythians". Here, too, imitated. But it's been a different ensembles: the U.S. "Ventures" and the English "Shedouz." By this time Gradsky wrote several of the songs. But in order to begin serious work on them, he needed a more creative ensemble.

So inevitably arose (could not be!) "Buffoons". Their composition has changed many times. Let me mention the very first: Gradski (lead guitar), Yuri Shakhnazarov (bass guitar), Bujnov (organ, piano), Vladimir Polonsky (drums). In contrast to the "Slavs" and "Scythians" "Buffoons" is performed mostly songs - Gradsky, Buynova, Shakhnazarov. Each long and carefully rehearsed - thought out party instrumentation. Creativity was collective, offers were accepted or rejected whole ensemble. There were great songs, such as the 15-minute "rock opera" "Fly Tsokotukha" with arias, duets, his short game scenes. There have been attempts theatricalize performance itself, make it a "buffoon", music-bast. So, before beginning to push through the slit curtain three heads, one above the other (the hood standing on a chair). Sounded buffoon intonation:

Ear listen, eyes see!

Started - again ... two ... three! ..

«Pretend" and some of the songs, but in general, solid theatrical spectacle of song and did not work. Merit "Skomorokhov" in another: this ensemble was a kind of creative laboratory, research center to study the properties of musical and poetic tone in contemporary music.

While working with the "buffoons" was formed and performing style Gradskiy. Despite the clear impact vocals of "The Beatles" with its authenticity and the "common", the roots of this behavior rather Italian. Affected and songs Robertino and academic production rates in Gnessin Institute (since 1968 Gradsky was a student of the vocal faculty), and the love of bel canto (Gradski adored Caruso and Gigli). If you look closely, you can feel one more element - Negro blues and "Soul" (Ray Charles and Otis Redding). They must Gradsky improvisation performance. He never connected until musical scores, can always lead the melody "in a roundabout way," change the rhythmic subdivision, decorate a sort of "flourishes».

Such were the origins of vocal mannerisms Gradskiy. Manners are very distinctive.

„Romance for Lovers"

February 1973. Home broadcasting and recording outdoors Katchalov. "Buffoons" recorded song Gradskiy « Fall », the phonogram is ready, and we need to impose three-part vocals. The concerts Gradsky sings along with fellow ensemble, but on the record, he prefers to sing all three voices himself. Work hard, jewelry. While Gradsky rehearsing, I give the studio a few people led by film director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky. They are looking for singers for his paintings, and they always need new and unknown voices. And I slowly, not yet acquainted with Gradsky, brought them into the studio, so they can see a young artist directly "in the».

Konchalovsky listens. I see that he was amazed: "Terrific! As it is expressive! »
And

Gradsky was invited to work in the film. First, as a singer, and in a few days - as the author of the music. It was an unprecedented event: for the time he was a fourth-year student, not a composer and vocal faculty. He wrote six songs and several orchestral numbers were important for "a number of fine" picture. "Starting work - says Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky - I did not think we would be so much music. But in the process of a feeling that many of the episodes to be solved with the help of poetry, singing, dancing, that is, by means of a musical. Gradually, the music began to play an important role so that some of the episodes I shot a pre-recorded music tracks, trying to beat frame coincides exactly with the musical rhythm. Songs in the film - not just a sideshow, stop the action. No, it is his poetic "switching." Heroes simply can not otherwise express their feelings, words (drama!) them little overwhelming emotions require their chest out in music (opera!).

... remember the beginning of "Romance».

thunder storm, a short and a warm summer rain. The Jets whipped the leaves, the grass, the faces. So he stopped, had suddenly flown July rainfall. Sun ... Its rays stitched crown birches, play rainbow diamond face drops. A guy and a girl ... Conversation in which the word, and the truth is nothing. Dialogue between the two hearts. They really do not have the words - and they sing, dance. The song « Love » (in the words of Okudzhava) - a broad, majestic simple melody.

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About the film has been much written and said. Picture praised or criticized. But here's what's interesting: its music all spoke warmly. Special, "youth" mood "Romance" demanded the appropriate music of color, and in this sense the invitation Gradskiy proved very accurate. The leading elements of his music have been spirited rhythms of rock, but it was not the only one rock. Intonation was close bards song (I wonder what words to three songs written Okudzhava!), Was the music lyrically solemn were wild cries chastushechnye - in short, a wide urban intonation and rhythmic range!

Search goal - simplicity

- Song, says Gradsky, special, wonderful genre. Zvukomir length of three minutes. In those three minutes should tell as much as a good writer puts in a thick novel, or an act of the drama. And the song is capable of it. And again, how new, modern nor would the musical language, internally, the stimulus and the ultimate goal is to find simple song. It is required for the song. The fact that sings, for example, Czeslaw Niemen, it is vocal and instrumental symphony ...

But there is simplicity, which is worse than theft. Deliberateness, a fake. "Sing the people or the people sing?" - Asks the author, referring to gramstudiyu song "Melody" or radio program "Good morning." And - cut off anything that might interfere with the "people" play immediately hear the melody. A wide range? Make it narrower. Syncope or grace? Throw them away. Chant long - make it five or six notes. Pace - neither slow nor fast - average! That's all too much Spil, sharp angles otshlifuem - eat! Rather than educate the public, to create something "arithmetic mean" - a jumble of commonplaces of musical revolutions ...

All this does not mean that I am against light songs. No, they are also needed as a "good mood music", music for relaxation, more precisely, the music does not stop to rest. I still prefer to write songs that stop you eating soup or playing chess, the songs that should be listened to.

... A few words in the language of the songs.

What is the basic contradiction between the musical and verbal intonation of modern pop songs (we are talking primarily about the medium and fast pace)? Russian words often polyphonic and multi, but with few stresses. Melodies as contemporary rhythmic pop songs, they often accentuated all four shares chetyrehchetvertnogo tact. For example:

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Try substituting here the long words, such as "wonderful scenery." Will "replace breaker-tion Pei-Ignition," and it is "for" and "HYDRATED" looks deliberate, violation of the linguistic norm. But if you find the words are short, for example, "If you love Me Blow", everything will fall into place.

once seemed that the Russian language is not suitable for this kind of songs - rhythmic. But only at first glance. You can find a lot of beautiful poetry, easily fit into the metro-rhythmic rock music.

were especially rich for me to transfer Marshak (Burns, Shakespeare, etc.), and Pasternak, Aseev, Ascension, Kazakova, Mandelstam, Okudzhava, Garcia Lorca, Kirsanov. I also wrote a song on Pushkin's poems, but "hear" their music ... Just look for. Poetry, especially Russian poetry, wonderfully diverse ...

„Stadium "

Immediately after recording music "Romance of the Lovers", in the spring of 1974, Gradski along with his co-author, a young poet Margarita Pushkina, gets a new job - for "pop-song" opera "Stadium". Read in the "Foreign Literature" collection of documents relating to the early days of the fascist uprising in Chile, the stadium in Santiago, transformed into a giant torture chamber by the junta, and the idea was born of the great musical performance. The difficulty was with the text. He had to be poetic and at the same time not to lose his documentary. Poetry, rich extracts from statements of politicians, eyewitnesses, from newspaper articles and reports - writing was not easy, the selection was very strict. The first version of the text was created more than a year and still went to the basket, was written by the second option and almost a third. Parallel to the work of literary were accumulated musical material - the theme song-arias, keynotes, orchestral backgrounds. The central figure is the image of the opera singer (his prototype was Victor Jara). He gave all Gradsky lyrical, noble-song material. The enemy image characterized by several keynotes. For example, the subject officer, slow and evil is transformed (in speeding up prestissimo) locked Little Man - a coward and a compromiser issuing the Nazis left.

Gradskiy task was to write a work of true and documentary. And Singing opera completed. In her two acts, each sound for an hour. About two dozen characters, chorus, orchestra.

It is hoped that this interesting experience "political rock opera" will see the light rail. Perhaps, in the performance of "Singing Guitars", Leningrad group, has carried out the excellent production of "Orpheus and Eurydice."