Lev Leshchenko: biography, personal life, family, children (photos and videos). Lev Leshchenko lost his twin sons Year of birth of Lev Leshchenko

Lev Valeryanovich Leshchenko - operetta artist, pop singer, teacher, producer, People's Artist of the RSFSR

Date of Birth: February 1, 1942
Place of Birth: Moscow, RSFSR, USSR
Zodiac sign: Aquarius

“I sometimes go to the mirror early in the morning, look at myself and say: “Man, you look normal!” Let's not give up! "

Biography of Lev Leshchenko

The future singer was born in Moscow, in the capital's Sokolniki district. His mother, Klavdia Petrovna, had to give birth to him at home, since all maternity hospitals were closed. After all, it was the war year of 1942 - the height of the battle for Moscow, the enemy approached the city. Dad - Valeryan Andreevich - was rarely at home, worked in the NKVD, fought. Lev and his sister Yulia had a poor and hungry childhood.

And in 1943, a tragedy happened: my mother died from an unknown throat disease. The father was left alone. He was kind, honest, modest and correct, was a self-taught musician and could play various musical instruments.

In 1949, Valeryan Andreevich remarried Marina Mikhailovna Sizova, whom Lev Valeryanovich called mother. Another girl was born - Valya.

In 1953, the family moved to Voykovskaya and Lev went to play basketball at the Dynamo club.

Music and Leshchenko

When little Leva was in second grade, the adults heard him sing beautifully and sent him to the choir. And in the tenth grade, a baritone appeared. Already at the institute, his voice turned into a bass-baritone.

However, Lev twice failed the entrance exams at GITIS for the operetta department. Between admissions, he worked for a year as a prop maker at the Bolshoi Theater. After failing to get into university for the second time, he got a job at a factory as an assembly mechanic. And then for the third time I decided to try my luck at GITIS.

And, it seems, I did, but since the institute did not have a military department, I had to do army service in Germany - in a tank company, in 1961. Then one day they heard him singing at a concert and invited him to become a soloist in the song and dance ensemble named after him. Alexandrova. Thanks to this, Leshchenko’s service amounted to three whole years.

And so it turned out that only after finishing his service, Lev Leshchenko began to study at GITIS, and from the 2nd year he already worked at the Moscow Operetta Theater. But teacher and singer Anna Kuzminichna Matyushina took him to the radio, where he became a soloist and worked for ten years from 1970 to 1980.

In addition, Lev Valeryanovich began to tour with Mosconcert and Soyuzconcert throughout the country, even visiting Kamchatka and Sakhalin. Lev made so much money at concerts that he was able to save up for a cooperative apartment in Moscow.

Of course, Lev Valeryanovich’s first iconic songs were “White Birch” and “Don’t Cry, Girl.” And after he sang “For that guy” at the international song festival in Sopot, Poland in 1972, he became famous throughout the Soviet Union.

And only then came “Victory Day” (which, by the way, was banned), and “Goodbye, Moscow”, and “Gravity of the Earth”, “Parental House”, “Farewell!” and others.

In the perestroika and post-perestroika years, Leshchenko was no longer shown on television, and was not filmed at all for three years, but the singer continued to give concerts, went on tour throughout the country - the audience still loved him.

During this period, Lev Valeryanovich taught at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in the department of pop-jazz singing, which somehow kept him afloat socially; this work did not give money as such.

In the early 1990s, the singer opened his own furniture manufacturing business, however, it developed poorly and the company did not turn into a profit. Now Leshchenko’s nephew is running this business well.

The singer’s second round of popularity came in 1992, when Leshchenko gave an anniversary concert at the Rossiya State Central Concert Hall (where the singer’s star was laid in 1999). Then television was invited, and the TV ratings for the concert turned out to be crazy.

In 2017, he celebrated his 75th birthday at the State Kremlin Palace and sang his hits to the audience.

Now Lev Valeryanovich continues to work, give concerts and record several songs a year.

Lev Leshchenko and TV

The singer did not let himself be forgotten in the 2000s: in 2011 he decided to take part in the show “The Phantom of the Opera” on Channel One. And today he often stars in various programs of Channel One, Russia 1 and TNT.

In 2018, he made his debut as a mentor in the “Voice” project. 60+".

Personal life

Lev Valeryanovich Leshchenko himself considers his first marriage with opera singer Alla Abdalova to be a failure, mainly due to the constant tours of both spouses and creative ambitions. They met while studying at GITIS: Lev was in his third year, and Alla was in his fifth year. A beautiful student, a student of Maria Petrovna Maksakova. Their marriage was preceded by several years of dating. But family life did not work out.

Leshchenko met his second wife Irina Bagudina in Sochi:

“Ira and I met in 1976. We were introduced by Efim Zuperman, director of Valery Obodzinsky. He was dating Irina's friend. We get into the elevator, and there are two beautiful girls standing there, and that’s where Efim introduced us.”

Lev Valeryanovich considers Irina a strict but fair critic. She is the very first listener of his songs.
They have been together for more than 40 years. The only thing that violates the harmony of their marriage is the absence of common children.

1. Lev Valeryanovich has been friends with his friend Vladimir Natanovich Vinokur for about 50 years and has never quarreled during this time. They met while studying at GITIS.
2. Leshchenko decided to make a film called “Overcoming”; he even wrote the script. But the idea has not yet materialized.
3. The singer wrote two autobiographical books: “Apology for Memory” and “Songs Chose Me.”

Discography

1971 - “Don’t Cry, Girl”
1974 - “Melt Water”
1975 - “Lev Leshchenko”
1975 - “Songs of Yuri Saulsky”
1976 - “Songs of Soviet composers”
1976 - “Lev Leshchenko”
1979 - “Lev Leshchenko”
1980 - “Gravity of the Earth”
1981 - “Parental House”
1983 - “In the Circle of Friends”
1987 - “Something for the soul”
1989 - “Favorite. Songs of Vyacheslav Rovny"
1992 - “The white color of bird cherry”
1994 - “Lev Leshchenko sings for you”
1996 - “Scent of Love”
1996 - “Memories”
1999 - “Dream World”
2001 - “Simple motive”
2002 - “Best”
2004 - “In the Mood for Love”
2004 - “Song for Two”
2004 - “Territory of Love”
2006 - “Be Happy”
2007 - “Names for all times. Nightingale Grove"
2009 - “Songs of Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov”
2014 - “Anniversary edition. Unknown songs"
2015 - “I’ll give it to you”
2017 - “I was waiting for the meeting...”
2018 - “My Last Love”

Awards

1977 - honorary title “Honored Artist of the RSFSR”
1983 - honorary title "People's Artist of the RSFSR"
1980 - Order of Friendship of Peoples
2002 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree
2007 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree
2012 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree
2017 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st degree
2015 - honorary title “People’s Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania”

Lev LESCHENKO

L. Leshchenko was born on February 1, 1942 in Moscow (on 2nd Sokolnicheskaya Street) in the family of a military man. His childhood fell in the first post-war years, which he recalls as follows: “I was raised by my adoptive mother - a wonderful woman! We lived in an old Moscow courtyard, and lived very friendly. If someone has a bicycle in their yard, all the kids in the yard take turns riding it. If someone buys something raw, all the neighbors come to look. And the joy of every purchase is shared. Well, if you are hungry and your parents are still at work, one of the neighbors will definitely feed you. We lived, of course, hard, but openly and generously for each other.”

While still a child, Leshchenko decided that he would definitely become an artist. Therefore, he began his ascent to fame from the regional Palace of Pioneers, where he enrolled in two different circles at once: choral and dramatic. In one he sang with pleasure, in the other he read poetry with the same rapture. Judging by the fact that he soon began to be taken to all district and city amateur art shows, classes in both circles were to his benefit.

Meanwhile, by the end of his tenth year, Leshchenko had finally decided on his choice and decided to devote himself to music. Having bought records from Franco Carelli, Mario Del Monaco and other popular performers in the store, our hero played them on his radio from morning to evening, after which, with the meticulousness of a diligent student, he tried to independently reproduce what he heard. In his opinion, it worked out well. In the end, filled with the brightest hopes, Leshchenko, after graduating from school in 1959, went to GITIS to enroll in the operetta department.

Unfortunately, that campaign ended in failure - Leshchenko was not accepted into the institute. Apparently, compared to other applicants, he did not look so convincing, so the examiners failed him with a clear conscience. Leshchenko had to wait a whole year to seek his fortune in a new attempt. The year passed unnoticed, especially since all this time Leshchenko did not do anything, but first worked as a stagehand at the Bolshoi Theater, and then went to work at a precision instrument factory as a mechanic.

Oddly enough, the second attempt of the future People's Artist of Russia to get into GITIS ended in failure. The examiners again did not find anything remarkable in him and turned him away on the first try. After this, anyone else in Leshchenko’s place would probably have come to the sad thought about the discrepancy between his talent and his chosen specialty. That is, I would do something else. But, being a persistent person, he acted in accordance with his character - he came to the next exams at GITIS a year after the second failure.

This time Leshchenko passed the exams much more successfully than the two previous times. Tour after tour, he walked towards his cherished goal - to become a student - and he probably would have become one if, this time too, chance had not intervened in the course of events. The fact is that by that time the time had come for the young man to serve in the army, and the summons that came from the military registration and enlistment office clearly demonstrated this. So Leshchenko, instead of sitting at his desk, had to join the gun crew - he ended up in the tank forces and served in the GDR as a loading tank.

It is worth noting that the recruit did not interrupt his vocal training in the army. Soon the army authorities found out about his abilities and assigned Leshchenko as a soloist in a song and dance ensemble. In this capacity he completed his military service. And having returned to civilian life, he came to the exams at GITIS for the fourth (!) time and still finished off the teachers with his persistence - despite the huge competition (46 people per place), he was accepted into the department of musical comedy (teacher - Georgy Pavlovich Anisimov) .

While studying at GITIS, several notable events occurred in Leshchenko’s life. Firstly, in 1969, as a 3rd year student, he married his classmate Anna Abdalova, and secondly, he began to enjoy success as a soloist. First, he was invited to the Moscow Operetta Theater as a bass-baritone, giving him a salary of 110 rubles (other aspiring singers were paid only 90 rubles), and in 1970 he received an invitation to become a soloist in the vocal group of the USSR State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.

So step by step the artist walked towards his fame. Moreover, this path was by no means as smooth as it might seem at first glance. Many disappointments, grievances and even tragic accidents awaited him along this path. For example, in 1970 Leshchenko almost died in a plane crash. He was then supposed to fly with his musicians and the then popular parodist Viktor Chistyakov on a tour to the south, but the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company did not let him leave Moscow, preventing him from participating in the creative evening of the poet Lev Oshanin. And the plane took off without him, but never reached its destination - it crashed.

Another tragic story - and again with musicians from the ensemble in which Leshchenko sang - occurred two years after this plane crash. The singer himself says: “I didn’t have a trumpeter in my ensemble then. And I asked my musician, Misha Vishnevsky, to find me a suitable guy. He agreed with the first trumpeter of the Utesov orchestra, who was to come to Moscow on May 18, 1972 and sign the agreement. And on this day, five of my musicians break up. All. To death. And when we were burying them at the Kuzminskoye cemetery, I met my first wife there, who said: “I knew you were burying your guys today, I didn’t bother you, but today we are burying them...” And she names the name of that very trumpeter from the Utesov orchestra , where she herself worked. It turns out that they arrived on the 18th, he went to the store to buy bread, and he was hit by a trolleybus... And he was buried - on the same day, in the same cemetery, next to five of my children. That’s it, it means either here or there, in the next world, but he had to join them...”

Meanwhile, it was in 1972 that all-Union fame came to L. Leshchenko. This happened after he became a laureate at the international competitions “Golden Orpheus” (Bulgaria) and in Sopot (Poland), performing the song “For that guy” by M. Fradkin and R. Rozhdestvensky. A year after this, Leshchenko added two prizes to these awards - the Moscow and Lenin Komsomol.

In 1975, Leshchenko’s fame was increased by the song “Victory Day” by composer David Tukhmanov and poet Vladimir Kharitonov. The reader probably knows this song very well, but not everyone knows that her path to success was not so simple. Initially, Tukhmanov’s wife, singer Tatyana Sashko, took it upon herself to perform it. However, during the premiere of the song at the Union of Composers, it was almost booed. The composers said that this song had nothing to do with the Victory, and that the music was basically a foxtrot. And only the director of the Melodiya company, Vladimir Ryzhikov, believed in the song and released a flexible gramophone record. But Sashko’s performance of the song never reached the people. Then another performer, Leonid Smetannikov, took the song into his repertoire, but even in his mouth it did not gain popularity. And only after that she ended up with L. Leshchenko. The singer recalls it this way:

“It was in April ’75. The editor-in-chief of the Yunost radio station, Zhenya Shirokov, persuaded Tukhmanov to give this song to me. Tukhmanov gave me the clavier, and with it I went on another tour. We agreed that I’ll try, and if it works, we’ll record it. And when I first started singing it at a concert in Almaty, the audience suddenly stood up. Something incredible was happening to people. I have never had a song that exploded the audience like this.

After the concert I call Tukhmanov - don’t give it to anyone. There will be a recording. And he answers - Leva, forgive me, but Victory Day is just around the corner, and the song has already been taken to the festive “Ogonyok”. Performer: Smetannikov. Alas, he sang poorly. The attitude towards the song became cool. For six months after the premiere, it collected dust on a shelf. Until November 10, when the whole country celebrated Police Day. I was invited to speak to employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At the preliminary audition there was Shchelokov’s deputy, another guy who was responsible for organizing the police holiday. And I told them the song. They say, this is the year of the 30th anniversary of the Victory, the police also did not stand aside. We had our doubts, but listened and gave the go-ahead. And at the concert the song was a monstrous success, especially since the broadcast was live.”

Following this hit, others began to appear in Leshchenko’s repertoire one after another. The most popular of them, os (conditionally, were the songs: “Nightingale Grove” (popularly called: “And from the fields it’s heard - pour!”), “Farewell”, “Not a minute of peace”, “Parental home”, “White Birch", "Native Land".

A rather unpleasant story happened with the last song, which L. Leshchenko talks about:

“I’m going to the international festival in Sopot with the song “Native Land”. Editor-in-Chief of music television broadcasting Shalashov and his comrades are listening to me. I see they are unhappy. Indeed, Shalashov says - what is this song, couldn’t they find a better one? I couldn't then. Somehow they approved it. In Poland, on the contrary, it was well received. After Sopot, he offered her to the final festival “Songs of the Year”. The same Shalashov now categorically forbade even thinking about her. I’m going to the Chairman of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Lapin - what kind of outrage? You know, he says, there are undesirable oriental intonations there. What other intonations? Judaism gives, explains Lapin, an open call to the Promised Land is heard and everything in the same spirit. And the melody is annoying. In a word, no matter how hard I fought, they didn’t let me through.”

In those same years, changes occurred in the singer’s personal life. His marriage to Anna Abdalova lasted about six years and broke up in the mid-70s. Of considerable importance in this case was the fact that Leshchenko met another girl - 24-year-old Irina, who two years later became his wife. The singer himself says:

“Irina and I met in Sochi, during my tour. We accidentally collided in the elevator of the Zhemchuzhina Hotel. Irina seemed interesting and mysterious to me. In addition, she did not know me as an artist, since at that time she was studying at the diplomatic faculty of the University of Budapest, and even earlier she lived with her father in Germany. It is not surprising that she “passed” by my person. It was the echo that captivated me, because in ’76, when we met, I was already a fairly popular person, having performed “Victory Day” and “Nightingale Grove.” They looked at me like I was a star. Naturally, I often could not understand how sincere such an attitude was. And in this sense, Irina’s ignorance determined the beginning of our relationship. Moreover, she was independent of me - she was on her free foreign flight, had the right to choose... We rarely saw each other, corresponded, and our romance lasted almost two years. In the end we got married..."

In January of the following year, Irina came from Hungary to Moscow for the holidays. Having learned about this through her friend, Leshchenko came to her home and persuaded her to go on tour with him to Novosibirsk. Irina agreed. And for six days they were together: during the day they skated, and in the evening Leshchenko performed at concerts. Then Irina flew to Budapest again.

Their meetings continued throughout the year. Irina flew to Moscow on her free days, where the artist specially rented an apartment for her. And when the university was successfully completed, Leshchenko finally proposed marriage to Irina, which she naturally accepted.

At the end of the 70s, Leshchenko confidently entered the first rank of the most popular pop singers of the Soviet Union. They say that L. Brezhnev himself loved listening to his songs and never turned off the TV when he appeared on the blue screen (he did this often with other performers). In 1977, L. Leshchenko was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

It is worth noting that, despite the outward prosperity that surrounded the Soviet “stars” of cinema, pop or sports in those years, many of them did not feel very comfortable mentally. Take the same L. Leshchenko. Here are his own words: “I had no privileges. It was a humiliating time for me. For example, they could have been invited to sing at some official’s dacha. “Behind the scenes” a small table was set, a couple of sandwiches were laid out and a shot of vodka was placed.

I received nothing from the state, and I had to pay for everything myself. And I had to beg. He asked for a car, he asked for furniture, he asked for caviar and raw smoked sausage. How long did I go to build a cooperative apartment?! This is a disgusting state when you have the opportunity and money to arrange your life, but everywhere you have to humiliate yourself...

It's the same in creativity. Previously, my plan was 16 norms. That is, concerts. I couldn’t sing less than 16 a month. It was called: “Did not fulfill the plan.” I couldn't go over 32 either. It was called: “Chasing a long ruble.” In this case, my earnings would exceed 500 rubles, and this was strictly monitored. Sometimes we went to foundations, that is, we performed not at the main venues, but somewhere else. For this they later dragged us to the prosecutor’s office and said: “What right do you have?!” I remember that me, Vinokur, Pugacheva and Rotaru were shaken for a year and a half because we gave some kind of left-wing concerts. They threatened me with prison. So that it would be distasteful to others.

It was almost impossible to put on television a song that was not written by a member of the Union of Composers. I wanted to work with Yura Antonov, Zhenya Martynov, Slava Dobrynin, none of them were this member, and when I brought their song, I would definitely I heard: “Who is this?.. Martynov?.. But he’s not a member of the Union!.. Dobrynin?.. Well, what are you talking about, Leva!..

I myself was never allowed to go beyond the image of a traditional singer. I was supposed to be a role model on stage. And any unheroic step I took was considered an escape. Why they chose me, I don’t know. My appearance probably matched. After all, what classical heroes were there then: Solomin, Tikhonov... The faces had to be kind, but fair. Mine came up. And then, I am such a person... not abnormal. My instinct of self-preservation prevails. I wanted - and still want - to live normally, sing, eat... I still sometimes hear that I am the “Kremlin nightingale.” Well, what kind of nightingale am I?! I never sang: “Our General Secretary,” and I didn’t even have a song about BAM... And in general, I listened to my stock recordings here, out of 350 songs, 300 are about love...”

To confirm the artist’s words that even he, one of the most popular singers of that time, was sometimes forbidden to do what he wanted to do, one can cite the story of the film “From Heart to Heart,” the premiere of which was timed to coincide with the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow 1980. It was a musical film, the authors of which were Lev Leshchenko and composer V. Dobrynin. In fact, there was nothing seditious in the film - it was about the process of creating a song. However, there was one flaw in the film that terribly outraged the censorship - the lack of costumes for the artists, which were replaced by jeans and shirts. As a result, the film was convicted of preaching the Western way of life and was banned from being shown.

In the early 80s, Leshchenko went to Afghanistan for concerts. This trip almost cost him his life. One day, when they were driving a GAZ car to Jalalabad, the armored personnel carriers accompanying them suddenly fell behind, and they ran into dushmans. As luck would have it, the gas car suddenly stalled, they could not start it for a long time and the lives of the passengers hung in the balance for several minutes. Fortunately, everything worked out well then and the car took off before the dushmans had time to reach it.

In 1983, L. Leshchenko was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.

In the first years of perestroika, Leshchenko did not have the best of times. As the singer recalls: “Then a peculiar trend appeared in the musical community: everything old began to be sharply rejected. It was believed that everything we achieved was undeserved, that everything was fabricated by the life that required such artists. Yes, in principle it was so. We were shaped by reality and the dominant ideology in those years. But even the most mediocre ideology chooses the most talented people for its sermons. The worst plays were always brought to the good theatre. Bad roles were given to outstanding actors who would pull them out with their skill.

And then the musical crowd froze: “What are these mediocre old singers, the “Kremlin nightingales” - Kobzon, Leshchenko and others, others - what will they do now? And now they still turned out to be the most professional performers. We survived this situation too. After all, look, now there are no professionals left at all (and not only on the stage).

In the West, simply no one will invest a cent in mediocrity! There, the same rich people create “stars” in order to later make money from them, so they act for sure. Our “new Russians,” often having bad taste and a lack of education, invest money in their girls and protégés not to earn money, but for their own pleasure and courage. It’s a shame that by doing so they are instilling bad taste in the public too...”

I note that, as a teacher at the Gnessin Institute in the pop department, Leshchenko in 1997 selected... one student as his student. The rest turned out to be untenable as future singers.

Today L. Leshchenko is creatively as active as he was twenty years ago. He records new songs, releases CDs, and appears in videos. He lives with his wife Irina in Moscow and in a dacha outside the city (his mother-in-law also lives there, who grows 48 (!) varieties of vegetables, fruits and berries on her plot). The singer’s personal fleet includes two cars: a Mercedes 300 and an Audi D-quadro.

From recent interviews with JI. Leshchenko: “I don’t have children. At first I didn’t want to, there was no time, there was no time for that. Now I wish I could, but it’s too late. That's the whole story...

Cape Vovka Vinokur in an informal setting are very cheerful guys. We dance, we drink vodka, we bully, we pester girls...

My wife is not jealous of me. It’s just that I’m already at that age... I’m already over 50, and this all makes no sense...

There is one quality that I consider one of the biggest vices. It is equally bad for men and women. This is greed. Almost all troubles come from greed. I never accept greed..."

The material uses fragments of interviews taken from the publication by journalists: O. Saprykina, Y. Geiko (Komsomolskaya Pravda), A. Sidyachko (Megapolis Express), I Zubtsova (Arguments and Facts),

This text is an introductory fragment.

From the book Passion author Razzakov Fedor

Lev LESCHENKO Leshchenko got married for the first time at the very end of the 60s, when he was a 3rd year student at GITIS. His wife was Alla Abdalova, a graduate of the same institute. Their first meeting took place in 1964. It was then that freshman Leshchenko saw with his own eyes the student about whom GITIS

From the book by Peter Leshchenko. All that happened... Last Tango author Leshchenko Vera

Chronicle of the life and work of Peter and Vera Leshchenko 1898, July 3 - Pyotr Konstantinovich Leshchenko was born in the village of Isaevo, Kherson province (now Odessa region of Ukraine). 1899, April - moves to Chisinau with his mother and her parents. 1906–1915 - sings in the soldiers' church And

From the book My Great Old Women author Medvedev Felix Nikolaevich

“I am becoming famous...” (from the diaries of T. I. Leshchenko-Sukhomlina) From the two volumes of Tatyana Ivanovna’s memoirs, I selected only some entries that, it seemed to me, most accurately and subtly, and most importantly, fascinatingly and humorously, show our kind friendly

From the book I Can't Do Otherwise. A life told by herself author Tolkunova Valentina Vasilievna

Poems by Tatyana Leshchenko-Sukhomlina from my archive He was tired. Sad. Wicked. Not a friend, not a brother, not a loved one. But somehow very expensive. The kind that I wanted to Slide past without raising my eyes, Smell the fragrance of a shaky smile And sing, keeping in my soul the story About a fisherman with a crafty

From the author's book

People's Artist of Russia. Lev Leshchenko Thinking about Valya Tolkunova, I return to the memories of my early youth, to the very beginning of my life. I graduated from college, at the same time I worked at the Moscow Operetta Theater as an intern, and a little later as an artist, and we crossed paths several times

Lev Valeryanovich Leshchenko is a man whose name speaks for itself. Because he captivated Russian and Soviet citizens with his magnificent baritone. At the same time, it often turns out that both grandmothers and their granddaughters admired the singer. Because Leshchenko’s talent and his subtle humor do not fade over the years.

Lev Valeryanovich received the title of Honored Artist of Russia, since his contribution to the development of the culture of our country is simply colossal. At the same time, the man was not a representative of the golden youth, he simply set goals for himself and achieved their fulfillment at any cost.

Every person, starting from kindergarten, knows and loves the heroic song - the memory of all generations - “Victory Day”, which has been performed by Lev Leshchenko for several decades.

Many fans would sincerely like to clarify many of the physical parameters of their pet, including its height, weight, and age. How old Lev Leshchenko is is also no longer a universal secret, since the baritone’s anniversary programs are published with enviable regularity.

Lev Valeryanovich was born in 1942, so he was already seventy-two years old. Lev Leshchenko: the photo in his youth and now does not confirm his passport age, since he is fit, active, handsome and youthful.

According to the Zodiac sign - Aquarius - Leshchenko has such character traits as inconstancy, dreaminess, mystery, activity, but the Eastern horoscope gave her the sign of a self-confident, hardworking, stable, persistent, charismatic Horse.

Leshchenko Lev Valeryanovich is a real surname, since many people could not believe that a person could bear such sonorous data. As well as the fact that the man gave more than 10,000 concert programs and managed to record almost seven hundred songs.

Lev Leshchenko's height was one hundred and eighty centimeters, and his weight did not exceed sixty-seven kilograms. By the way, the great singer will live a long time, since his father lived until he was ninety-nine years old in sober mind and blessed memory.

Biography of Lev Leshchenko

The biography of Lev Leshchenko began from the moment of his birth in the capital of our Motherland at a time when a terrible war was going on around the world. The boy's parents had nothing to do with the world of theater or music.

Father - Valeryan Leshchenko - went through the entire Great Patriotic War, he served in the State Security Committee and border troops. By the way, before the war he was educated at a gymnasium and worked as an ordinary accountant at a vitamin factory.

Mother - Claudia Leshchenko - did not live long in this world, as she died a year after giving birth.

Sister - Yulia Leshchenko - was born four years after the marriage of their father and mother, nothing more is known about her.

The sister, Valentina Leshchenko, is her paternal half-step, since she was born by her stepmother, to whom the guy was always grateful. The difference between brother and sister was seven years, but the guys were incredibly friendly. Valya received a higher education, gave birth to a daughter, Valeria, and got married, but Lev constantly helped her in everything. Moreover, last year the woman was hospitalized due to complications from a cold, so she is undergoing rehabilitation.

Little Leva grew up without a mother, so his father assigned him to his own border unit, and Adjutant Andrei Fisenko became the nanny for the son of the regiment. The four-year-old boy wore a uniform, walked on army skis and marched with the soldiers.

Afterwards he settled in Sokolniki, where he went to school and several clubs at the same time, since in addition to vocals he also studied in a brass band, choir, recitation club and swam in the pool. Moreover, at the insistence of the choirmaster, Leva began to study only vocals, abandoning other studies.

The highlight of Leshchenko’s performances was the performance of Leonid Utesov’s songs not only at school concerts, but also at citywide events. But the guy was unable to enter the theater school, so he worked either at a factory as a mechanic or as a stage worker at the Bolshoi Theater. At my father’s request, I ended up not in the Marine Fleet, but in the tank forces, and even in the group of Soviet troops in Germany. There he continued to sing, conducted amateur performances and concerts, and after his service he entered GITIS and began serving at the Operetta Theater, touring as part of a concert crew throughout the USSR.

In 1971, Leshchenko joined the State Television and Radio of the Soviet Union as a soloist, with which he constantly became a laureate of most competitions. Among the patriotic hits that have been recorded since 1975 we can confidently include “Victory Day”, “The Ballad of the Mother”, “In Dazzling White”, “Where Have You Been”, “Let’s Talk”, “For That Guy”, “Nightingale Grove”, “Meadow Grass”, “Old Maple”, “Goodbye, Moscow!”.

In addition to his solo career, Leshchenko performed compositions in duets with Tolkunova and Senchina, the groups Megapolis and Lyceum, Alsou and Jasmine. He starred in the films “Yurkin Dawns”, “Old Songs about the Main Thing”, “Doomed to Become a Star”, “The Path to Saturn”, “Looking for the Dawn”.

Lev Valeryanovich has written several memoirs; he is a prominent public figure who, at the same time, is a corporate poet for several industrial giants.

Leshchenko enjoys football and tennis, basketball and swimming, and also enjoys collecting parodies of his beloved self. He is involved in charity work, helping orphanages, children with disabilities and gifted basketball children.

Personal life of Lev Leshchenko

The personal life of Lev Leshchenko has always been under the radar of his friends, fans and ill-wishers. At the same time, the man was always considered prominent and talented, and therefore was known as the first groom in the USSR.

By the way, Leshchenko often said that he loves absolutely all women, since performing for them is eroticism, a kind of sacrament and the spread of such fluids, from which new fans are born.

For a long time there were rumors that Lev Valeryanovich had affairs with his partners in different years of his life, but he calls Tolkunova, Chursina, Sviridova, Apina and Koroleva his mothers and stage sisters, but far from his mistresses or spouses. Although he often says that he falls in love with every scene partner, considering them his favorites.

Family of Lev Leshchenko

Lev Leshchenko's family was unusual, since he lost his mother early and almost never saw his father, since he served in the KGB. At the same time, the boy was raised by his father’s colleagues, that is, he was considered a real son of the regiment. By the way, Leva’s only friend was his paternal grandfather Andrei, who loved music and often played an ancient violin for his grandson. He infected his grandson with singing, as well as his love for Leonid Utesov, whose songs his grandfather and Leva sang in duet.

By the way, the Leshchenko family is quite old, since it dates back to his great-grandfather, a serf, who became a baker in Bila Tserkva. Leva had a stepmother, Marina Leshchenko, who raised him and put him on his feet, so the man is still grateful to her.

Children of Lev Leshchenko

The children of Lev Leshchenko never came into this world, although the man was happily married twice. At the same time, the man officially said that he never wanted children because he was busy with his career.

However, his ex-wife Alla Abdalova, amid a frank conversation, admitted that she was pregnant with Leshchenko’s child, but had several abortions from him, since the singer never said that he loved her, and the woman wanted to be confident in the future.

Alla claims that she now regrets this, since she could have given birth to a son, and then two twin sons from her husband, if she had consulted him and had a heart-to-heart talk.

At the same time, the second wife Irina was much younger than her chosen one, but she had problems with women’s health, so she could not give her other half the children he dreamed of.

Ex-wife of Lev Leshchenko - Alla Abdalova

Lev Leshchenko’s ex-wife, Alla Abdalova, appeared in the singer’s life when he was in his third year and she was in her fifth year at GITIS. Moreover, Alla was a year older than the guy, since he entered the university after the army.

The guys met in a dance class when Lev said that Alla or Albina was incredibly similar to the singer’s niece. At the same time, the girl asked to visit to look at little Lera, and the stepmother decided that this was his future wife.

After classes, Lev would accompany Alla home, and then she would accompany him, and then everything would repeat itself again, often until dark. Before they legalized their relationship in 1966, the young people lived together for seven years, but not in the same house, but secluded themselves either with Lev’s parents or with Albina’s sister.

The guys organized their own ensemble, “Old Maple,” and began to perform many of Leshchenko’s songs with the light hand of his wife; for example, he didn’t like “Victory Day” so much that he flatly refused to perform it in public until Albina asked.

The woman was not only the artist’s wife, but also recorded with him in a duet the compositions “Old Maple”, “Yurka Dawns”, “Song of Young Neighbors”. She worked at the Mosconcert for a long time, retired, and now lives alone, sings in church and abuses alcohol.

At the same time, in a few interviews, she says that she herself let go of her beloved Leshchenko in 1976, because he began to cheat on her with the younger Ira Bagudina. She had not seen her husband for three decades, even on television.

Lev Leshchenko's wife - Irina Leshchenko

Lev Leshchenko’s wife, Irina Leshchenko, came from a family of diplomats; she lived in Germany throughout her childhood and received a higher education in economics at the University of Budapest.

At the same time, young people met in 1976 in Sochi, where Ira spent her holidays. However, the girl lived in Hungary, so she didn’t know who Lev was, so she mistook him for a mafia leader. Leshchenko admitted that the beautiful Irishka, who was twelve years younger than him, became his love at first sight.

The man did not return home for several weeks, and when he returned, he saw the suitcase packed by his wife. The marriage took place in 1978, and Irina made some sacrifices. For example, she moved from Budapest to the USSR, and also changed her type of activity.

Irina Leshchenko worked for a long time as an assistant director at her husband’s famous theater.

Instagram and Wikipedia Lev Leshchenko

Instagram and Wikipedia of Lev Leshchenko exist in official mode, since all the information from them is relevant and reliable. The fact is that from a rather extensive article on Wikipedia you can clarify data about childhood, education, family origins, hobbies, and studies at GITIS. There is also information about the work, discography, filmography, books, parodies and social activities of Lev Valeryanovich.

Leshchenko’s Instagram has already been followed by 16,000 people, but it is not officially active. Therefore, no one will bear any responsibility for the relevance of the information.

People's Artist of the RSFSR, pop singer Lev Valeryanovich Leshchenko was born on February 1, 1942 in Moscow in the family of a career officer. Father - Valeryan Andreevich - a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, fought near Moscow. Mother, Klavdia Petrovna, died when her son was barely a year old. His grandmother and grandfather helped raise the boy, and since 1948, his stepmother Marina Mikhailovna.

Lev spent his childhood in Sokolniki, where he studied in the choir of the House of Pioneers, attended the swimming section, the literary circle and the brass band. At the insistence of the choirmaster, he gave up all the clubs and began to seriously study singing, performing on the school stage with the songs of Leonid Utesov, popular at that time.

In 1959, after graduating from school, Lev Leshchenko entered the Bolshoi Theater, where he worked as a stagehand for a year. In 1960-1961, before being drafted into the army, he worked as a fitter at the Precision Measuring Instruments Plant.

Leshchenko served in tank forces as part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. In January 1962, the command of the unit, having learned about his abilities, sent Private Leshchenko to the song and dance ensemble, where he became a soloist.

In September 1964, Lev Leshchenko became a student at GITIS (now RATI). From the same year, he began working at the Mosconcert and as an intern group at the Operetta Theater. During the summer holidays, he toured with concert bands to remote corners of the country.

In 1969, the singer was accepted into the troupe of the Moscow Operetta Theater.

In February 1970, having successfully completed the competition, he became a soloist-vocalist of the USSR State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. At that time, he was engaged in intensive creative activity - he performed on the radio, recorded romances, folk and Soviet songs, and works by foreign composers. The singer performed the role of Porgy in George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess", Rodion Shchedrin's oratorio "Lenin in the People's Heart" in a recording with the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky, and collaborated with the Variety Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Silantiev.

In March 1970, Lev Leshchenko became a laureate of the IV All-Union Competition of Variety Artists. He became a participant in many radio and television programs, concerts in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions.

In 1972, Leshchenko became a laureate of the Golden Orpheus competition in Bulgaria. In the same year, with the song “For That Guy,” he received first prize at the then prestigious festival in Sopot.

A new impetus to the singer’s popularity was brought by the song “Victory Day” by Vladimir Kharitonov and David Tukhmanov, performed for the first time in 1975, on the 30th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, and which the singer himself considers one of his main achievements.

In 1980-1989, Lev Leshchenko continued his concert activities as a soloist-vocalist of the State Concert and Touring Association of the RSFSR "Rosconcert".

Lev Leshchenko performed hits that became classics of the national stage. Among them are “White Birch”, “Don’t Cry, Girl”, “Love Lives on Earth”, “Tatiana’s Day”, “Beloved Women”, “We Can’t Live Without Each Other”, “Nightingale Grove”, “Gravity of the Earth”, “Not a moment of peace”, “Native Land”, “Parental home”, “Where is my home?”, “City flowers”, “Meadow grass”, “Gentlemen officers” and many others.

In 1990, Leshchenko created and headed the musical agency theater, which was given state status in 1992. The agency takes part in the organization and holding of major cultural and entertainment events, and holds charity and commercial concerts. "Music Agency" is the author and organizer of the annual festival of military songs "Krekshino" (since 1998), the First All-Russian festival of patriotic songs "This is my Motherland!" (to the 60th anniversary of the Victory, 2005), a music festival in memory of Tikhon Khrennikov, the CIS festival "Melodies of Friends" (2009, 2010), a charity concert in the Kremlin for war veterans "Thank you for the Victory" (to the 65th anniversary of the Victory, 2010), as well as over 100 concert events.

For more than 10 years, Lev Leshchenko taught at the Gnessin Music Pedagogical Institute (now the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music). Many of his students became famous pop artists - Marina Khlebnikova, Katya Lel, Olga Arefieva and others.

Over the years of his creative activity, Lev Leshchenko has released many records, magnetic albums and CDs. Among them: “Lev Leshchenko” (1977), “The Gravity of the Earth” (1980), “In the Circle of Friends” (1983), “Something for the Soul” (1987), “The White Flower of Bird Cherry” (1993), “No minutes of peace" (1995), "Scent of Love" (1996), "World of Dreams" (1999), "Simple Motif" (2001), as well as over 10 minions. Lev Leshchenko performed dozens of songs on compiled and original composers' records.

In 2001, Leshchenko’s book “Apology of Memory” was published, in which the artist talks about his life and contemporaries.

In 1999, a personal star of Lev Leshchenko was laid on the Square of Stars of the Rossiya concert hall.

In 1984, the singer was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.

Lev Leshchenko has been awarded many titles and awards. He is a laureate of the Moscow Komsomol Prize (1973) and the Lenin Komsomol Prize (1978). The artist was awarded the Order of the Soviet Union and Russia - Friendship of Peoples (1980), "Badge of Honor" (1985), "For Services to the Fatherland" IV Degree (2002). In 2007, Lev Leshchenko

by Notes of the Wild Mistress

Lev LESCHENKO is rightly considered the most faithful husband of the national stage. He has been married to his wife Irina for 30 years. Few people know that his first wife was singer Albina ABDALOVA. Fortune did not smile on the talented singer of romances. She is lonely, living on a meager pension. An Express Gazeta correspondent found her. Albina Alexandrovna told what prevented the outstanding singer from becoming truly happy.

Maria SVETLOVA:

I tried to arrange a meeting with Albina Abdalova for three years. She politely refused with an iron voice. But this time something broke in her. She willingly supported the telephone conversation and unexpectedly agreed to meet.

...Trying to walk straight, she left the entrance. She was holding a photograph in her hands. “This is me in my youth. She was like this when Leva and I broke up,” she handed me the photo, as if making excuses for her current unpresentable appearance. On June 19 she turned 67 years old. Smiling guiltily, she doused me with a slight fume.

Sorry, I drank a little,” she apologized, shyly covering her mouth with her hand. - I have almost no teeth now.

Calling on the phone, I asked to visit, but Albina Aleksandrovna did not give in to any persuasion.

“My house is a mess,” she admitted. Therefore, we had to talk in the yard, on a bench.

Leva and I lived in the next entrance, in a three-room apartment. Our first apartment is a two-room apartment in Chertanovo. From the radio committee where Leva worked, they built a cooperative. Of course, we didn’t have our own money - my sister helped. Later we moved here to Sokolniki, our friend contributed. In addition, Leva was already a laureate of the Golden Orpheus. He left me, as befits a real man - with one suitcase. Why do I need three rooms on my own? I exchanged for a two-room apartment. I wanted to show you photographs of us together - young, beautiful. But they got lost somewhere, I can’t find them. I put them away so as not to poison my soul.

Her eyes turned red, she took off her glasses and sobbed like an offended child.

When Leva left, I thought he would take our photographs as souvenirs. But no, I didn’t take a single photo.

I had to shoot a cigarette for my interlocutor. Having lit a cigarette, she calmed down a little and began to reminisce.

Love to the skies

We studied together at GITIS in the operetta department. He is two years younger, although I am a year older than Leva, he just entered after the army. The girls were delighted: what a handsome guy appeared! He also had curls. For some reason he felt shy and straightened them out. But the fact that he had a lisp - he didn’t have complexes and didn’t work with speech therapists. I thought he was good anyway.

One day Leva looked into the dance class. I look - he is looking at me point blank. I'm not timid. After class she came up and asked: “What’s the matter?” He replied that I looked a lot like his niece. I was not at a loss: “Let’s take her to her and show her, I’ll see if you’re lying.” We arrived in Khimki, to his home. And for sure: I am the spitting image of my niece!

Levi's stepmother took our visit very seriously; she decided that since Lyova had brought home a girl, that meant he was a bride.

One day I come to class, and he’s standing outside the classroom with a bouquet of daisies,” Abdalova continues. - It’s my birthday. And of all the flowers, I love daisies. He took me by the arm and led me into the front garden of GITIS. He sat him down on a bench and took out a bottle of wine. Then the guys ran to the store... I still can’t stand sweet wine. By the way, when visiting I always had to drink for two. Leva takes a sip, and his diction becomes so loud that you can’t understand anything, just hissing.

Since then, Leva and Alla walked each other home after classes. First he takes her to Karbyshev Boulevard, then she takes him to the Voikovskaya metro station. Then again he is hers.

Somehow we got so carried away that it was too late for Alla to return. He invited the girl to spend the night with him.

He said: “Don’t think anything bad: I have dad, mom and sister at home.” The family, of course, was fast asleep. Then he asked me: “Al, is this really our first time?” And I was fooling around, no, I don’t remember something.

Was this your first love as an adult?

No, before Leva I had men, and Leva had women. Before registration, we lived with him for seven years. We met secretly - either at my sister's or at his parents'. Leva once told me: “We never slept with you except in heaven!” That is, everywhere!

It is truly a miracle if you are attracted to a man at any moment... even at the wrong time! There are people around, but I feel: he wants. And he should get it. And I want this too. That is, we are tuned in to the same wavelength... - Albina Alexandrovna took a deep drag on her cigarette and sighed: - After Lyova, I didn’t allow myself anything like that. After all, you can only lose your head with the man you love.

Failed father

Once Lev Valerianovich complained that he did not have the opportunity to raise children. You didn't give birth. The second time he married a woman younger than himself. And this marriage is also barren...

If you are hinting that something is wrong with Lev Valerianovich, then you are mistaken! He's doing well with this. And I was not infertile; he had to have several abortions.

Yes, he sometimes said that we should have children. But in reality everything turned out differently. Having become pregnant, I thought for a long time what to do. I was haunted by doubts whether we would continue to be together. I asked him: “Do you love me? If yes, then I’ll give birth.” He didn’t answer me. So I went to the midwife. Another time I got knocked up again, again I asked him what to do. But he has no time for that. He came from Japan, he had impressions... He muttered something like, do as you please. Out of stupidity, perhaps, I asked the doctor who was scraped out of me. She says: "Boy." I didn’t even tell my husband that we would have a son. Then I went for abortions without consultation. One day, after an operation, a doctor told me: “Alla, you could have two great boys. Twins". I felt like I was scalded. I barely made it home. I come and see: Leva is lounging in a chair, chatting on the phone with Slava Dobrynin. And Slava, I’ll tell you, is one of those ladies’ men. I hear them agreeing to go out with the girls. And Leva smiles as if nothing had happened, and also asks me: “What are you doing, old woman?” I answered him: “Do what you want.” But in general, Lyova was not a lover, I never caught him with anyone. Before Irina, his current wife, he never cheated on me with anyone. He's a decent person.

Attractive man

Many women liked Leva, but not only women,” Abdalova laughed good-naturedly, remembering the funny story.

1972 was a real breakthrough for Lev Leshchenko. He won the Golden Orpheus in Bulgaria, then received an invitation to participate in a competition in Sopot, Poland.

Alla and Leva lived poorly. Lev Valerianovich did not have suitable clothes. Someone advised me to contact fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev. The couturier invited the singer to come to the studio for a fitting.

Have you noticed that Lev Valerianovich has such an ass... well, not quite like a man should. In general, it’s a homosexual’s dream,” Abdalova giggles kindly. - The first time he was caught by homosexuals was in the toilet near the operetta theater. I saw my man fly out of the latrine all white: “I almost killed myself!” I ask: “A fagot, or what?” And I joke: “It’s no surprise, your butt is wow, I don’t have one like that.” So the fashion designer also appreciated it. Leva persuaded me to go together, he always insisted that I be present during his business conversations, because he is shy. But I didn’t agree that time. And then I see: the husband jumps out from Zaitsev, trembling with indignation. He immediately declares to me: “I won’t go to him again!”

Leshchenko had to go to Sopot in his wife’s trouser ensemble. Red wool double-breasted suit with elasticated pants. According to Abdalova, it still hangs in her closet at home as a memory.

Edita Piekha couldn’t resist and quipped, what did Lyovochka wear? And I answered: “In your negligee, Edita Stanislavovna!” - Abdalova laughs.

Even after two victories at prestigious festivals in the Soviet years, Leshchenko was not at all torn apart by the concert organizers. Abdalova, according to her, tried to help her husband, using her connections. And, as Abdalova says, he even sang the signature song “Victory Day” with her help.

Mark Fradkin and his wife treated me very cordially. I often visited their house and tried to take Leva with me. One day Mark called David Tukhmanov and recommended Leva to him as a performer. David brought "Victory Day". Leva didn’t like the song at first. I felt: this is what I need. He winced, but I managed to convince him.

Gave it up without a fight

Albina Alexandrovna fell silent and took in her hands the bouquet of flowers that I gave her.

These are the ones Leva gave me. I always believed him. And he deceived me. I immediately felt that he had a woman on his side and said: “I need all of you. Once you have someone else, leave.” And then she filed for divorce. He himself would never have decided to break up. What a fool she was!

He said that a friend was going to introduce him to Irina, his current wife, but fate got ahead of him: they accidentally collided in the elevator. I know this friend. This is Fima Zuperman. In those years he was a famous card sharper. Fima led a nocturnal lifestyle. He dropped into our house in the evening and stayed until the morning. I couldn’t stand it, I drove everyone away, because Leva was either going to a recording session or a concert in the morning, and he didn’t get enough sleep. Fima got angry and somehow threatened: “You don’t like my company, so I’ll divorce you from Leva.” And he got divorced. He specially arranged everything, brought Leva and Irina together. But Leva was unable to give birth to children... And despite everything, I still love Leva and wish him only happiness.

Abdalova has not seen Lev Leshchenko for more than 30 years, since they broke up. Even on TV. She doesn't have one. She receives a small pension. Therefore, he earns money by singing in churches.

I walked Albina Alexandrovna to the entrance. In parting she said:

Call me tomorrow please. Otherwise, no one calls me except my sister.

REFERENCE

* Albina ABDALOVA was born on June 19, 1941, a singer of romances. She sang in Leonid Utesov's orchestra. Together with Lev Leshchenko she recorded the songs “Old Maple”, “Song of Young Neighbors”, and a song for the film “Yurkin Dawns”. She worked at Mosconcert and is now retired.

* Lev LESCHENKO was born on February 1, 1942. Since 1970, the soloist of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, after victories at the Golden Orpheus and in Sopot - laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize, since 1983 - People's Artist of the RSFSR, performer of many dozens of hits that have become classics of the national stage.

* Irina LESCHENKO (BAGUDINA) was born on May 15, 1954. Lev Valerianovich met her in 1976 in Sochi, where he was touring and Irina was on vacation. She is the daughter of diplomats and graduated from the University of Budapest. They got married in 1978. There are no children in the marriage.