FOR TOURISTS AND THE COMPANY'S PUBLIC MITAYAEV, IT IS "HOW HEALTHY THAT WE ALL HAVE GATHERED HERE TODAY". FOR THE RESTAURANTS OF RESTAURANTS IT IS "UNSEMPTED KNIVES" AND OTHER SONGS PERFORMED BY M. SHUFUTINSKY. FROM THOSE WHO LIKE THE AUTHOR'S SONG, ONE UNTILNELY ASSIGNING IT TO THE FIRST PLACE IN THE BARDOVSKAYA "NEW WAVE", OTHER IS SO UNTITLEDLY STATING SOME, SOME TIME QUESTIONALLY.
The concerts of Oleg Mityaev are always a pleasant surprise for the public. He somehow especially communicates with the audience, he is unpredictable, witty and lyrical. Recently, Oleg Mityaev has been working with the accompanist and arranger Leonid Margolin, with whom the albums were recorded: “Get fit, people! Summer is coming soon!”, “Best songs”, “Best songs”, “Heavenly calculator”, “Neither the country, nor the churchyard” "(to the verses of I. Brodsky)," It's great that we all gathered here today! A quarter of a century later, "" The smell of snow, "" There will be no more romance. "
Hello Oleg. It is great that we met in Dubai. Let's first talk about how you came to work? And by the way, have you ever been offended by the fact that people performing your songs do not make any references to the author?
I was not going to become an artist. Never. In the life of every person, the most important question is: "Who should I be?" It sounds so trite. After all, for yourself, you definitely know everything! But I had no idea that the scene was waiting for me, so I honestly entered the editing college in my native Chelyabinsk, although I was going to go to exploration.
But exploration was far from home, and the installation was close. And I went there. In general, we are not stokers, we are not carpenters ... And for some reason I graduated from this technical school, having received the specialty "installation of electrical equipment of industrial enterprises". I even worked for two months, and then went into the army. And he honestly served two years, guarding the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union in Moscow. And ... already then, standing at the post, when I had a lot of time, I could already write something. But no! I had no idea about this.
I also did swimming. Therefore, after the army, having already entered the Institute of Physical Education in 1977, I accidentally got to the festival of the author’s song - the legendary "Grushinka" (The All-Russian festival of the author’s song named after Valery Grushin, held since 1968 near Samara - approx. Ed.). I liked it there so much.
I wrote my first song, “It's great that we all gathered here today,” at a swimming lecture in the second year of that same institute of physical education. But even then it didn’t occur to me that I would compose songs and sing. And my album came out after that only ten years later. So, to the question of whether it offends me when someone else performs my songs - no, it does not offend. Since I did not intend to become an artist, and did not beat my forehead against the wall for this, I am even glad that people liked my songs and they began to sing them.
How did you learn to play the guitar?
In the yard, like everyone else. Three chords. I even remember my first guitar. We had such a neighbor, Sasha, he always brought us some new songs “Beatles”, such as, for example, “Monastery Road”. Then, we all tried to learn the Deep Purple Smoke on Water melody ... So, Sasha had an amazing guitar. Not like the usual “Shikhovskaya” one that was sold in stores for 7 rubles, but some foreign one, and it had the sticker “Hotel Lunik” on it, as I remember now. Then I painted it, burnt out the constellation Ursa Major on it and others nearby. And then, in general, she burned her out of great love. Like this! Oh, how much was mixed there ...
When did you first feel that fame came to you as an author and performer?
If you recall that my first song I wrote was still "It's great that we all gathered here today", then you need to tell one story. Then a trio from Samara came to Chelyabinsk. And in those days, you understand, Samara (Kuibyshev) - Grushinsky festival, sounded proud! And this trio suddenly sings my song from the stage! At that moment I thought: “My God! It’s what heights I have achieved, that my song is performed by the participants of the Grushinsky festival, such a well-deserved collective!” Chelyabinsk and Kuibyshev were mutually friendly cities. It was so great! And here she is - glory!
Then there was another very beautiful story, about which I also often tell. I walked home after class. Then I was already in my third year at the institute, and only a year has passed since I wrote this song. My road ran through the station, where young people stood on the station square and sang this song. I walked past them several times and said nothing.
And none of them knew that the humble author walks alongside, unknown to anyone. But I was pleased! It was a time of "cassette" culture, so my song somehow quickly spread to different cities of our vast Motherland.
How big is your discography today?
Now I have released 21 albums. And we are working on recording a new album, "Forgotten Feeling." You know, my songs were also translated into German. First, they were translated by students, then professors, then translator Alex Piotrovsky. The first were only three songs, which, however, were translated in a format in which it was impossible to sing. And now Karl Wolf has completed this work, and I have released an entire album in German.
How accurate do you feel the meaning of the German album is in the original Russian text of each song?
Oh, that’s what I just can’t appreciate. But I like the way my songs sound. And Karl Wolf says this is a very good translation. I see the reaction of the audience when I sing in a German audience. The audience just changes their eyes. So that’s all right.
It is amazing that you are known in Germany, but at the same time, other people in Russia may ask a question, who is Oleg Mityaev?
In answer to your question, I have one story that is probably worth telling. There is such a festival "Open Winds" on Seliger. It is conducted by Nina Vizbor, widow of Yuri Vizbor. I was there only once. After that, they gave me a local newspaper with an article on “Open Winds,” in which one boy wrote: “I really liked the festival and the songs, but what struck me most was that Oleg Mityaev came to the festival, I thought that he had long been already dead "(laughs). They may not know me by sight, but very different people sing songs.
What turns out, each generation has its own songs?
I probably would have been mega-popular if I had written "In the field there was a birch" and "Oh, frost, frost." But that did not happen. These songs were written long before me.
This is what I want to tell you. All the last year I have been living under the sign of Yekaterinburg, because I discovered an amazing person there. This is a professor of the Department of Modern Russian Language of Ural State University Yuri Kazarin. He is an amazing poet, he has poems at the level of Joseph Brodsky.
Most recently, Yuri released a book called "Swimmer". The genre of the book, almost like that of Sergei Dovlatov, is some sketches, passages, essays. When it ended, I wanted this book to go on forever. In it, a person simply talks about his life, and everything is crammed into it: conversations in the pub, and conversations with professors, and disputes with poets, and with some authors. You can’t retell everything. They just adore him. He once said (and I really liked it): "Do you know how many women I have? .... In your mind."
Why am I talking about Kazarin, simply because people today need a real, simple word that will come through. I gave his book to Alexander Mirzoyan, there is such a wonderful Russian bard who never tires of repeating that "the author’s song is our new national idea. The singer and the emperor rule the country!" And he developed this idea to such an extent that everything looks very logical. That is, if, for example, you take not the author’s song, but our language with you, then there are poets around it, and this is the most important thing. They just, together with the emperor, will be able to rule the country! Now our country has no national idea. Where are we going? What are we doing?
And here we are not even talking about what sounds daily from the scene. We are talking about Tsvetaeva, about Gumilyov, about the same Yuri Kazarin. Thank God he lives in Yekaterinburg and is not going to leave anywhere. It was Brodsky who was expelled from the country and sent to camps ... As Anna Akhmatova said: "What a biography they made to him!" Anna Andreyevna was right, Brodsky would hardly have become a Nobel laureate, had he not had such a fate ...
Does this mean that you, as a poet, have a huge responsibility?
Alas, if I knew exactly what to do. Today we are witnessing a situation where educated people in our country receive pennies. “Everything went on sale, and, alas, there was something to sell,” said Yuri Vizbor. “Everything that was possible in the price is in demand, and demand does not go to intrigue.” This is all sad, but there’s no getting away from it. And one must have great courage to continue to do their job. Dig deep and understand that people will never appreciate it. Most likely, never at all. So I dig as I can ...
What can lift our country now? When I get to this point, I am always amazed - after all, thought lies on the surface. The national idea of Russia should be education and upbringing. This is a solution to problems in any field that you don’t take.
If we would have made enlightenment a national idea about 20 years ago, while using such a powerful lever as television, now we would not have to reform the police, build prisons and orphanages, and fight against deceit and corruption in all areas ... We are still far from state policy in the field of education and upbringing. These issues are given some kind of understated significance. For some reason, we think that we need to build something first, to deal with oil, but in fact, first of all, we need to deal with the current generation, on which our future will depend.
Oleg, your songs often resemble ordinary conversations, and even author’s monologues become like an invitation to a dialogue ... What real meetings and dialogues have turned your life into a new direction?
I didn’t talk about this before. Somehow friends from Chelyabinsk came to me and suggested creating a charity fund of Oleg Mityaev. I had no choice but to simply nod my head in agreement. So the foundation appeared, and my life has changed a lot. Today these active people hold the Ilmen festival of bard songs (near Chelyabinsk - approx. Ed.), Which gathers annually up to 40 thousand people. They also came up with the "Bright Past" music festival, which is always attended by people such as Alexander Gradsky, Alexander Maslyakov, actor Alexander Porokhovshchikov, sculptor Ernst Neizvestny, chess player Anatoly Karpov and many others. For the seventh year in a row, we have been holding this festival, and its laureates cannot be counted. For a long time I asked myself the question: "Where can I put a billion dollars?" If he was, of course.
Why do people earn the second instead of thinking where to put the first billion? And once I met such a man. Our foundation is called the Bright Future, and it has the Bright Future fund. We found each other and realized that there was a real thing between us ... Together, we created a center in Chelyabinsk, in which children from low-income families study under extracurricular education programs. And this is just the beginning.
When is the time for creativity?
Creativity - it is elusive. It is in itself. Especially in my case, since I was not going to create. Just somehow got involved in this elegant literature. It’s a great happiness that so far I can enjoy reading what I’m reading. And to write ... How come.
How was Leonid Margolin, a musician, arranger, speaking at each of your concerts and recording all albums, next to you?
It was an interesting story. My roof has leaked out in the country. I went looking for those who can help me with the lift. I turned to the head of the construction department, we talked so well with him. First he gave me a lift, then he helped bring a car of sand, then earth. Such a good man! And somehow we are sitting with him, and he says to me: “Listen, do you need an arranger?” I think it’s somehow inconvenient to offend a person, he did so much good to me. And I say: "Needed."
The next day he came to me with the arranger. I invited Leonid to make a couple of songs, and it turned out amazing. Moreover, this man plays the piano, and the guitar, and the button accordion! And everything is at the same high level. So when we met with one great pianist, recognized throughout the world, and he played some very complex piece, Lenya said: "Just a minute!" He sat down and played almost the same thing, only without preparation and without notes. Of course, a little he didn’t get anywhere, but it sounded amazing by ear. Lenya masterfully plays the button accordion (this is his first education) and other instruments, and some orchestra of Radio and Cinematography, for example, can correct on the recordings of concerts. That is, I was lucky again, it's just a man with amazing abilities.
Being a native of the Urals, do you today organically feel in the capital?
I have long been living and working in Moscow. But most of the time I spend on the plane, as my projects are scattered everywhere. They are in Chelyabinsk, and in Yekaterinburg, and somewhere else. Plus touring the country.
But now you have hit the nail on the head, because, despite the long time in the capital, I really don’t know Moscow. I know where the recording studio is, where Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov lives. By the way, I must say that I have amazing neighbors in the country, and I never could have imagined that all these people would be my neighbors - Todorovsky, Ryazanov, Victoria Tokareva. In general, a good company is in our village there. I am glad that among my friends there are such wonderful people as Vladimir Menshov, Mikhail Zhvanetsky. We communicate well with them. Yes, distracted ...
Moscow. In fact, many times driving past the Kremlin, I had no idea what the name of this or that tower was. It would seem that the Kremlin is the heart of our country. Apart from the Spasskaya Tower, I did not know anything about it. Now I like to discover Moscow so much. I got involved in it and completely studied everything that is on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, Alexey Pimanov introduced me to the guards there, and they told me a lot of things and showed me. And how could we just pass by all this?
Past Arkhangelsk or Assumption Cathedrals? How? Now I am developing two facilities - Arbat and the Kremlin. There are tons of stories. On the Arbat, for example, is a theater named after Vakhtangov, where my wife serves (actress Marina Esipenko, Honored Artist of Russia - approx.ed.). So, I tell Marusya something about her theater, which she does not know, because she has a specific, deeper theatrical knowledge of her theater, and I tell her about architecture, and what happened before the Vakhtangov Theater on Arbat.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Sergey Yesenin, and Bulat Okudzhava wrote about this street and the adjacent alleys ...
Sketches and poems by Oleg Mityaev about the Arbat will also appear?
Who knows ... For me, Arbat and knowledge about it used to be limited to Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava. By the way, he is a very incomprehensible person in terms of his attitude towards me. In theory, I should not have been of any interest to him, however, we somehow developed an amazing relationship. But, about this I am now writing a separate story.She will be released in the third book, which I am just finishing.
You travel a lot, including to remote corners of Russia, climb to the Far North. What do you take for yourself from these trips?
In terms of education, I am lost forever, and I will not rise to such heights as Karamzin. I understand that very well today. If I could do all this before, before the Institute of Physical Education and the College of Engineering! But there was a different environment, imagine a working-class family, Chelyabinsk, Sakharov is the enemy of the people, Solzhenitsyn is the enemy of the people. In Leninsky district, everyone knew about this. About any "Master and Margarita" then there was no question. Then, next to me are people who, compared to me, are just encyclopedists. Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov, for example. He sometimes stigmatizes me like that when I write something like that, that horror ...
Do different distant countries give you the basis for creativity?
All my songs about different countries are such superficial sketches, short stories. In fact, I always dreamed of writing short stories, but still in prose. When Misha Evdokimov and I studied at GITIS, he, in addition to being a terrific actor, sometimes also wrote short stories and poems with obscenities against the Soviet regime. These stories were very interesting to me, and I myself wanted to write something like that.
Do you like the work of modern Russian songwriters?
I am very sorry that, for example, the poet Ilya Reznik got into a story with this chanson. True, sorry. Indeed, at one time, Alexander Yakovlevich Rosenbaum also created several poetic stylizations “for chanson” and thieves songs, and I was proud that an intelligent person could show how this can be done beautifully and correctly. And when it goes beyond all possible limits, it becomes sad.
Oleg, are there any young performers today that you would like to work with? Or that they performed your songs?
Of course have. And I want them to just be heard to start. I took part in one of the television projects “The Assets of the Republic”, and even took an honorable third place there with the song “Summer is a little life.” I was completely not ashamed.
Now I was invited to the same project to sing Vysotsky’s song “If a Friend Was Suddenly”. Of course, I am not a singer in order to decorate something or someone with my appearance, especially Vladimir Vysotsky. It was simply inconvenient for me to refuse when his son Nikita Vysotsky asked me.
In general, I am offended by Irina Bogushevskaya, who could have been more often on our television. There is Natalia Dudkina - a magnificent singer. And if these people, whom a narrow circle of initiates know, are nowhere to be seen, then what can we say about talented youth. This is again returning to the idea of education and upbringing.
What are you working on now?
Above the third book, which, in essence, is an expanded songbook, therefore it will be called "Songs". It will include new songs from recent albums. And in it will be published numerous audience notes from concerts. They are sometimes just amazing. For example, “A year ago, we asked you to write a song about Vologda, to which you replied that you need vivid impressions. So, I agree” (laughs).
Of all your songs, which ones do you personally love the most?
I have an album called "Best Songs". It includes everything that was chosen by the audience and listeners. There is just “Neighbor”, and “Good morning, darling,” and “Summer is a small life.” And there is an album called "The Best Songs". These are favorites. What I have selected for myself.
Who is your most strict and partisan critic?
My mum. She was proud and proud of my successes. But she never praised me. That was, Spartan mom. Even when I graduated with honors from college, she said: “Yes, okay, you’ll tell me what an excellent student you are.” And it’s even good, you won’t get sick. My mother’s upbringing came in handy in my life, because more than at home, they still can’t criticize me. Therefore, I perceive all subsequent criticism normally.
This is not your first visit to Dubai. What do you like here?
I like that I can send my family to the beach, and I can sit in my room and work quietly. This, in fact, is the whole charm of Dubai. No one is distracting. There are no journalists (laughs). Nearly…
Thanks for the conversation, Oleg. Until we meet again
