Childhood
Sofia Rotaru’s homeland was Ukraine; the girl was born in the village of Marshintsy in the summer of 1947. The girl's parents were ordinary villagers. His father held the position of foreman, his mother worked in the market. Sounding surname the singer talks about her Moldovan roots. It’s interesting that at first the baby’s birth was mistakenly recorded on August 9, instead of 7. So, the artist now has two birthdays instead of the required one, and she continues to celebrate both of these happy days.
Not forgetting their roots, the parents spoke Moldovan, urging their children to remember their origins. In addition to Sofia, the family had four more children: three brothers and two sisters. The talented girl inherited her talents; the singer’s father and older sister had excellent hearing and voice. Having lost in at a young age vision, my sister began to teach future star performing songs in Russian. This is exactly how Sofia Rotaru started her musical path, in whose excellent future her father believed.
Because of her sister’s illness, Sofia was considered the eldest in the family, naturally forced her to do a lot of housework and help her family. An atmosphere of love and help to each other reigned in the family.
Being extremely active and inquisitive, the girl has been interested in many different activities since childhood. Achieving success in all her endeavors, Rotaru received the title of school champion in all-around. In addition to her sporting successes, she was involved in theater and learned to play musical instruments. She mastered playing the domra and accordion.
Having good vocal abilities, Sofia I sang many songs with my family during home gatherings. The young lady owed her nickname “nightingale” to her beautiful contralto voice, which did not go unnoticed by listeners during her tours around the region.
Fame
- Fame came to the young performer at the age of fifteen with her victory in a regional amateur competition. The victory gave the young girl the opportunity to test herself in the championship at the regional level. Having won a year later at the regional level, Rotaru at the age of seventeen becomes a participant in the Republican Festival of Performers and wins there. Having gained great fame, the young singer successfully performs at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Having received all-Union recognition, the artist appears on the cover of the magazine “Ukraine”.
- At twenty-one, young Sofia Rotaru becomes the winner international festival, held in Bulgaria and appears on the pages of all publications in the country.
- Three more years later, the film “Chervona Ruta” was released to the audience; the songs performed by the Ukrainian singer for this musical film brought Sofia national success. Yes, star music scene becomes a member of the pop ensemble belonging to the Chernivtsi Philharmonic.
- The artist begins her annual participation in the “Song of the Year” at the age of twenty-six after winning the “Golden Orpheus” competition. Only once will she not take part in a performance; the reason for this will be the premature death of the singer’s husband in 2002. Along with her participation in the final of “Song of the Year,” Rotaru is given the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine.
- A year later, the first song album was released, and at twenty-eight years old the singer moved to live in beautiful Yalta. A change of residence brings work at the Crimean Philharmonic and the well-deserved title of People's Artist.
- From 1976 to 1983, the singer released a number of albums recorded on foreign languages, which provokes a ban on traveling abroad, while continuing to work in the Crimean region. At thirty-six years old, Rotaru receives the title People's Artist Moldova.
- Sofia Mikhailovna began her solo career in 1986; for the next fifteen years, collaboration with composer Matetsky brings a large number of hits to the work of the famous singer. Just two years after the start solo career, Sofia Rotaru becomes People's Artist of the USSR.
During the period of her creativity, Rotaru collaborated with the ballet “Todes”, celebrated her twentieth anniversary creative activity V concert hall"Russia" and, without losing popularity after the collapse Soviet Union, continued her singing career. In addition to success in creativity, the artist became the owner of many awards and titles.
Personal
Along with the conferment of one of the most significant titles - Hero of Ukraine, a tragedy comes to the artist's family - her husband dies.
Sofia met her future husband after the release of a magazine issue in 1964 with her face on the cover. Having seen the young singer on the front side of the publication, Anatoly decided that the girl was perfect for the role of a soloist in his musical group. Four years later, the couple got married, maintaining their relationship until the death of their husband. Sofia Rotaru experienced the loss of her beloved husband hard, interrupting his creative activity for a while.
IN family life Sofia Mikhailovna was happy; the couple had a son, who today is engaged in music production. Ruslan is married and has two children.
The actress still looks young today, always remaining in good shape. A star's personal life musical Olympus does not advertise, fans take information about the artist’s life from social networks her relatives. Continuing her creative activity, she releases beautiful compositions that are sure to become hits.
Sofia Mikhailovna Rotaru- Soviet and Ukrainian singer and actress. Sofia Rotaru - People's Artist of the USSR (1988), one of the most popular singers Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian stage, Hero of Ukraine (2002).
early years and education of Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru was born on August 7, 1947 in the village of Marshintsy, Novoselitsky district, Chernivtsi region. Sofia's family Moldovan origin.
Father - Mikhail Fedorovich Rotaru (1918−2004), participant of the Great Patriotic War, machine gunner. He reached Berlin, was wounded and returned to his native village. He worked as a foreman of winegrowers.
Mother - Alexandra Ivanovna Rotaru (1920−1997). In addition to Sofia, the family had five children: two brothers and three sisters. The elder sister Zina (born October 11, 1942), who suffered a serious illness, lost her sight in childhood, according to the singer’s biography on her website.
In her interviews, Sofia Rotaru often said that her entire family is unusually musical.
“It’s hard to say when and how music appeared in my life. It seems that she has always lived in me. I grew up surrounded by music, it sounded everywhere: at the wedding table, at gatherings, at evening parties, at dances...”, said the singer. The girl began singing in the first grade in the school choir. In addition, although it was not encouraged, Sofia also sang in the church choir.
At school and after graduation, Sofia Rotaru did a lot of sports, athletics, became the school champion in all-around, and went to regional Olympiads. At the regional sports festival in Chernivtsi she became the winner in the 100 and 800 meters.
Sofia's first music teacher was her father. He had absolute pitch And beautiful voice. As a schoolgirl, Sofia learned to play the domra and button accordion, and, of course, was an active participant in amateur performances. And home concerts were often held at home; Rotaru’s songs even then delighted the villagers. The father was convinced that Sonya would become an artist.
And then the first successes came. Sofia Rotaru won the regional amateur art competition and entered the regional show. Countrymen began to call Sofia “Bukovinian Nightingale” for her voice. And in subsequent years, at all competitions, Rotaru captivated the audience with her contralto, winning prestigious awards.
In 1964, Sofia Rotaru was sent to the Republican Festival of Folk Talents, where the young singer took first place. In this regard, her photo was published on the cover of the magazine “Ukraine”. Having seen Sofia's photo, her future husband Anatoly Evdokimenko fell in love with her at first sight.
1964 is a fateful year in Rotaru’s biography. Sofia Rotaru sang for the first time at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. And again victory. And after graduation, Sofia entered the conducting and choral department of Chernivtsi music school.
At this time, the young man in love served in the Urals. By the way, Anatoly graduated from music school and played the trumpet. Future husband After the army, Sofia entered Chernivtsi University and played in the university pop orchestra. It was Anatoly, who finally met Rotaru, who invited her to sing with a pop orchestra. Before this, Sofia sang to the accompaniment of violins and cymbals.
Music career singer Sofia Rotaru
In 1968, Rotaru graduated from college and was delegated to the IX World Festival youth and students, held in Bulgaria. The news headlines read: “Sofia has conquered Sofia.”
In 1971, director Roman Alekseev stripped off musical film"Chervona Ruta" Sofia was invited to play the main role. Afterwards, the Chervona Ruta ensemble was created at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic. From that moment on, Rotaru and the Chervona Ruta ensemble began collaborating with talented composer Vladimir Ivasyuk. Ivasyuk created a cycle of popular songs based on folk music, which were sung throughout the Soviet Union, performed by Sofia Rotaru.
After tragic death composer Ivasyuk Sofia continued to sing his songs. A Mikhail Ivasyuk- Vladimir’s father - said in front of an audience of thousands of fellow countrymen: “We must bow low Moldovan girl Sonya, who spread my son’s songs all over the world.”
Success accompanied Rotaru at all concerts. Sofia sang on many famous scenes THE USSR. With the Chervona Ruta ensemble, Rotaru traveled almost the entire country, had a constant audience on radio and television, and was active in concert activities.
In 1973, in Sunny Beach (Bulgaria), Rotaru became the winner of the Golden Orpheus competition, performing the song “My City” Evgenia Dogi and a song in Bulgarian “Bird”.
In 1983, Sofia Rotaru received the title of People's Artist of the Moldavian SSR. And in May 1988, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, the first of the modern pop singers.
Famous Soviet composers created their songs specifically for her. Popular songs Arno Babajanyan("Give me back the music") Alexey Mazhukov(“And the music sounds”), David Tukhmanov(“Stork on the Roof”, “In My House”), Yuri Saulsky("Regular melody"), Alexandra Pakhmutova("Pace"), Raymond Pauls("Dance on the Drum") Evgenia Martynova(“Swan Fidelity”, “Apple Trees in Bloom”) and many others still delight fans of Rotaru’s work.
And after the collapse of the USSR, the singer has a stable audience, including in the Russian-speaking diaspora in Europe and the USA. In 1992, a super hit was released performed by Rotaru - “Khutoryanka” (music Vladimir Matetsky, poetry Mikhail Shabrov).
They haven’t stopped listening to Sofia Rotaru’s songs in Russia either, and the singer herself, still just as young, constantly participates in TV programs and comes to give concerts. In the mid-90s, Rotaru took part in the popular films “Old Songs about the Main Thing” and “10 Songs about Moscow.” At “Song-96” Sofia Rotaru was recognized as “Best pop singer 1996", awarding a prize named after Klavdia Shulzhenko.
Sofia recorded songs at her own studio in Yalta. Her first CD collections were released in 1993 best songs- “Sofia Rotaru” and “Lavender”, then - “Golden Songs 1985/95” and “Khutoryanka”.
In 1997, Rotaru became an honorary citizen of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
In 1998, Sofia Rotaru’s first official CD was released, the album “Love Me,” released under the “Extraphone” label. In April, the premiere of Rotaru’s new solo program “Love Me” took place at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Sofia recorded the song “September” in a duet with Nikolai Rastorguev.
In 1999, the Star Records label released two more CD collections of the singer in “ Star series" At the end of the year, Rotaru was recognized best singer Ukraine in the “Traditional Variety” category.
The new millennium was marked by new high-profile titles, Rotaru was recognized as “Man of the 20th Century”, “Best Ukrainian Pop Singer of the 20th Century”, “Golden Voice of Ukraine”, “Woman of the Year”, and was awarded “For Special Contribution to the Development of Russian stage».
In December 2001, Sofia Rotaru released a new solo concert program“My life is my love!”, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of creative activity. The song “My Life, My Love” opened in 2002 “ New Year's Light"on the ORT TV channel.
Then followed new albums by Rotaru: “I still love you”, “The sky is me”, “Lavender, Khutoryanka, then everywhere ...”, “I loved him”, in general, Sofia made sure that her fans there was something to listen to.
In 2007, Sofia Rotaru celebrated her 60th anniversary with pomp. In the Livadia Palace there was gala reception, in October the State Kremlin Palace hosted anniversary concerts Sofia. President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko awarded Sofia Rotaru the Order of Merit, II degree.
To mark the 40th anniversary of his creative activity, Rotaru held anniversary concerts in Moscow (Bolshoi Kremlin Palace) and in St. Petersburg (Ice Palace) in October 2011.
Rotaru's health status
On August 26, 2018, Free Press reported that Sofia Rotaru was urgently hospitalized in the intensive care unit of one of the Ufa hospitals.
The news reported that Rotaru had no scheduled concerts in Ufa. In the city she performed at one of the corporate events.
According to preliminary information, the singer’s condition worsened towards the end of the performance, after which she was called an ambulance and was urgently hospitalized.
Doctors were allegedly forbidden to say that Rotaru was in intensive care. It is noted that the “best” doctors in the region were called in to provide the necessary assistance, and also prepared “ special conditions».
Sofia Rotaru later commented on the news of her hospitalization. According to her, the day before she actually had some health problems, RIA Novosti reported.
At the same time, the artist thanked her fans for their support and care and added that she now feels fine.
Sofia Rotaru about relations between Russia and Ukraine
According to media reports, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Sofia Rotaru did not accept Russian citizenship. She herself later explained that she was registered in Kyiv, so she was not entitled to a Russian passport by law. At the same time, according to her, she would not refuse to give her Russian passport Putin. “You won’t need to apply for a work permit,” Sofia explained.
On the Rotaru website you can read her appeal to the people of Ukraine, made in January 2014 during Euromaidan. In it, Sofia appealed “to everyone to stop the violence.” “All parties to the conflict have an obligation to hear each other and find a peaceful solution.” Requests regarding further developments, in particular, there is no conflict in Donbass on Sofia Rotaru’s website.
The photo that the singer’s son posted in 2014 caused a lot of noise. Ruslan Evdokimenko, in which Sofia, holding a yellow-blue flag, and her family congratulated the country on Independence Day. The son signed the photo on the social network with the odious nationalist greeting “Glory to Ukraine.”
Rotaru herself, in an interview with Life, noted that she simply congratulated the people of Ukraine on this holiday, as she “congratulated Russia many times or Uzbekistan and other countries of the former Soviet Union.” Sofia even said that she “had a desire to take a photo with two flags - Russia and Ukraine and write: “I am for the friendship of peoples.” However, she suppressed this desire.
IN last years Sofia Rotaru does not perform concerts in Russia. Its director Sergey Lavrov explains this by saying that the singer does not want to participate in “political intrigues.” “She does not give interviews, although she is offered substantial fees for televised confession at home. She categorically does not want this, because if her interview appears on television in Russia, then in Ukraine she will be torn apart. Unfortunately, she became a victim of the political situation...”, the media quoted Lavrov as saying.
At the same time, and during the period of aggravation of Russian-Ukrainian relations, Sofia Rotaru visited Russia, in 2015 she participated in New Year's concert on one of Russian TV channels and spoke at the 70th anniversary of the Rosatom corporation in the Kremlin.
In the summer of 2017, Sofia Rotaru’s creative evening dedicated to her 70th birthday was held as part of the “Heat” music festival in Baku. There, Rotaru was congratulated by many Russian colleagues, the organizer of the festival Grigory Leps made a cover of the song “I loved him”, Glucose covered the hit “Luna, Moon”. Rotaru herself sang her own famous songs“Chervona Ruta”, “One viburnum”, “The sky is me”. Sofia performed “Melancolie” with her sister Aurika, and “Khutoryanka” with Potapom and Nastya Kamensky.
Income of Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Mikhailovna has a business in Crimea. Rotaru opened its hotel “Villa Sofia” in the most prestigious area of Yalta, the so-called “New City”, at the beginning of 2009. And Rotaru is the owner of a small “gingerbread house” in the village of Nikita (7 km from Yalta).
In 2015, Ukrainian Forbes included Sofia Rotaru in the rating of “25 most expensive and popular stars of Ukraine.”
At the same time, the singer's sister Lydia Khlyabich in the same 2015, she said that due to problems with concerts in Russia, Sofia Rotaru had to cut expenses and “she is already counting the money.” Khlyabich also complained about the small number of vacationers at the Rotaru Hotel in Yalta.
Now Sofia Rotaru lives in Kyiv, in her house in the prestigious suburb of Koncha-Zaspa.
Personal life Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru has a large family that supports her in difficult life moments. In 1968, Sofia married Anatoly Evdokimenko, and in 1970, their son Ruslan was born.
Sofia Rotaru’s husband, Anatoly Evdokimenko, died prematurely of a stroke in 2002. The singer took his loss seriously.
Relatives help Rotaru in his work: son Ruslan is the singer’s concert producer, and daughter-in-law Svetlana is a creative director and stylist.
Rotaru's granddaughter Sofia (Sonya) goes in for horse riding and modeling business. Ukrainian news reported that in 2017 Sofia graduated from her studies in Kyiv and entered the private school in England. Rotaru’s granddaughter studied vocals and can follow in her grandmother’s footsteps.
Anatoly, Rotaru's grandson, studied fashion photography at London's Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design. The young man is also mastering the profession of graphic designer and music producer.
On the eve of her anniversary (the singer turned 70 on August 7, 2017), Rotaru flew to rest with her family: her son Ruslan Evdokimenko, his wife Svetlana and grandchildren - Sofia and Anatoly to Italy.
Sofia Rotaru's daughter-in-law published many photos of their vacation on her microblog. In one of them, Svetlana Evdokimenko showed the singer without hair and makeup. Fans of the artist noted that even without makeup, Sofia Rotaru looks no worse than when stylists and makeup artists work on her.
Let's add that, according to her, the singer stays in great shape: sports, healthy eating, a positive attitude towards life and love for people.
The artist will celebrate her anniversary several times. Sofia Mikhailovna will gather her large family in parental home in Marshinitsy (the singer’s sisters and brothers now live in this village in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine).
According to tradition, a large table will be set near the house - in the garden, where numerous relatives, classmates and childhood friends will gather. The feast will be accompanied by songs (there are many creative people!) and mandatory viewing of archived videos. They also plan to celebrate in Kyiv, where Sofia Rotaru and her closest people live - the family of her only son. An overseas trip to the sea is also planned for the closest circle... Who are they, the most important people in the life of Rotaru?
Home love and pain
Sofia Mikhailovna is a monogamous woman, so she took the death of her husband Anatoly Evdokimenko very hard. 15 years have passed, and Rotaru still, remembering his wife, can hardly hold back tears.
Tolik is mine only love, we lived 35 of the best years of my life. All my achievements are his too. “I really miss Tolik,” says Sofia Mikhailovna.
Sofia Rotaru lived with her husband Anatoly for 35 years
Anatoly Evdokimenko died after a stroke; he had been ill for several years, and Sofia Mikhailovna practically never left her husband’s side, leaving her job. Even when the singer’s husband, after another stroke, was treated at the Institute of Gerontology in Kyiv, Rotaru visited him every day. In addition, hospital employees said that the artist bought expensive medicines for all pensioners who were in the same department as Anatoly Evdokimenko. Sofia Mikhailovna found out from the medical workers which of the patients could not purchase the necessary medications, and helped with money.
At the same time, when doctors were fighting for the life of a person dear to her, Rotaru began to help a girl from Krivoy Rog, about whose illness she learned from friends. The child has a congenital bone disease and requires constant treatment. When the singer officially became a pensioner, she began sending her entire pension (which is about $500 a month) to the girl’s mother.
While helping others, Sofia Mikhailovna could not help herself after the death of her husband. The artist began to experience severe depression; the woman went to the cemetery every morning and talked to her husband as if he were alive. Her loved ones were afraid to leave her alone. For about a year, the artist refused to participate in concerts and corporate events; for the first time in 30 years, she did not take part in the recording of “Song of the Year.” According to the star’s sister Aurika, her son Ruslan pulled the artist out of depression. Instead of his father, he became Sofia Mikhailovna’s producer and convinced her to find the strength to work.
Rotaru with his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter
One day Ruslan said to Sonya: “Mom, you need to work. At least for the sake of my father’s memory! Come on, dedicate new songs to him. Let him be happy for us there.” “I convinced and found new composers for my mother,” recalls Aurika.
The son is Sofia Mikhailovna’s main support. Ruslan and his wife Svetlana manage all the singer’s affairs. They are very close - they call each other every day, constantly visit each other. The star spends most of her time in Kyiv - in her own house, the territory of which is reliably guarded.
It is known that the artist undergoes regular examinations in clinics in Germany. Relatives say that their Sonya has been in good health since birth. The blood vessels of a 70-year-old woman are the same as those of 45. A couple of years ago, German orthopedists operated on the singer’s feet and eliminated long-standing problems that arose due to prolonged wearing of heels. The operation was successful.
Over the past year, Rotaru has been working a lot in nature reserves, the average price for her performance is 5 million rubles.
Golden youth
The singer’s grandchildren, 16-year-old Sonya and 23-year-old Tolya, are crazy about their grandmother. And the reason is not only expensive gifts. For young people, Sofia Mikhailovna is a friend with whom you can discuss any issue.
Rotaru’s grandchildren are golden youth, fortunately the grandmother ensured the prosperity of the whole family on long years forward. IN next year Sonya is going to move from Kyiv to London, where, among other things, she will study the modeling business.
Grandsons Sonya and Tolya will receive special education in England
“I have already graduated from a music school in Kyiv, but I continue to take piano lessons, and I have vocal lessons three times a week,” the singer’s beloved heiress admitted in an interview.
Singer Sofia Rotaru always supported her granddaughter, Sonya Evdokimenko, in her desire to become a model. From first grade, the girl walked the catwalk at fashion shows in Kyiv. Now the girl is shooting for the covers of glossy magazines. At fashion week in Kyiv it was even called best model. Sonya can skip a couple of days of school to fly to Madrid for Fashion Week; her career has already included the New York catwalk. Grandma doesn’t mind; on the contrary, she supports it. The girl goes in for horse riding and dancing. And just recently, the granddaughter of Sofia Rotaru traveled around America, at the same time attending glamorous parties, where she made contacts necessary for working in this industry. Her long legs They leave neither fashion designers nor casual witnesses of filming indifferent. The press calls her the second Cindy Crawford, hinting at the resemblance between the singer’s granddaughter and the top model. By the way, Karl Lagerfeld himself was so delighted with Evdokimenko that he gave her his book with wishes of success.
Rotaru’s 23-year-old grandson Tolya has been working as a DJ since he was 14 years old. His pseudonym is AnatoliyMiDi. The guy graduated from the private school Lancing College in Britain (tuition there costs from 700 thousand rubles per trimester). Then the guy began studying to become a fashion photographer at the College of Art in London. Tolya Evdokimenko's hobbies are collecting perfumes and studying fashion trends.
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There is a legend that during the collapse of the Soviet Union, the leaders of Moldova, Ukraine and Russia lamented: how could they divide the singer Sofia Rotaru. Each president wanted to see her as a national treasure of his state. “Not a bad joke,” Sofia Mikhailovna laughs.
Seriously, I used to always say that I feel like a Ukrainian Moldavian. Now I want to say: “I feel like just a person!” Three cultures live inside me at the same time - Russian, Moldavian and Ukrainian.” The singer has been performing on the professional stage for more than forty-five years.
It seems that over decades of popularity, Rotaru’s appearance has not changed at all. When asked how she manages to look so good, she names traditional sports and a healthy lifestyle. “I try to exercise regularly, I love swimming, sauna, massage,” she admits. “Of course, I watch my diet, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, practically don’t use salt and try not to eat after six in the evening.” Sofia Mikhailovna considers herself a gambling person only in creativity, but he doesn’t like to experiment with appearance: “I think that maintaining your individuality is much more difficult than constantly changing something about yourself.
Tell me: do you imagine Rotaru as a bright blonde or without hair at all? To be honest, I don’t.” Not everyone knows that after the death of her husband Anatoly Evdokimenko in October 2002, Sofia Rotaru lost the desire to sing and go out in public. - Sonya was so worried that we were afraid to leave her alone! - recalls the younger sister Aurika Rotaru. - Of course, they supported us as best we could. Sonya refused all concerts and filming, and for the first time in thirty years did not participate in the final of the “Song of the Year” television program.
For six months she completely disappeared from television screens. She didn’t sing, didn’t go on stage, kept to herself. Every day in the morning I went to the cemetery, to my husband’s grave, and spent several hours there. I talked to him as if he were alive! It was unbearably difficult to watch her suffer. One evening, her son Ruslan sat Sonya down and said: “Mom, we need to work. At least for the sake of my father’s memory! Come on, dedicate new songs to him. Let him be happy for us THERE.”
I convinced my mother to start singing and found new composers. Sonya recorded an album dedicated to Anatoly Evdokimenko and called it “The One.” She threw herself into her work. She ran away to the dance through the window. Rotaru inherited a special love for family and relatives from her parents Alexandra Ivanovna and Mikhail Fedorovich, who raised six children. The eldest is Zinaida, then Sofia, Lydia, Anatoly, Evgeniy and the youngest is Aurika.
As a child, I really wanted to be like my sister,” says Aurika Rotaru. - We are eleven years apart: I was finishing school, and Sonya was already famous singer. I looked at her on TV and told everyone: “I’ll become the same as Sofia.” (laughs) Our dad was especially proud of Sonya’s successes.
In his youth, he also dreamed of the stage; he had a voice of stunning beauty and strength. In the army, of course, dad was the lead singer. But it didn’t work out: first the war got in the way, then a big family appeared. Dad wanted one of us to become a singer, but he especially singled out Sonya. He said: “She will be a real artist!” When guests came to the house and stayed up late, dad would raise the sleeping, very little Sonika (that’s what her parents called her) and ask her to sing. They put her on a stool, and Sonya sang some Moldavian folk song.
For this they gave candy or even money - twenty to thirty kopecks. Sonya then shared this “fee” with us. In general, everyone in our family sang. Since childhood, I have had a picture before my eyes: it’s a day off, my parents and I are sitting in the courtyard of the house and singing. And Moldavian, and Ukrainian, and Russian songs. It was such a beautiful polyphony. It’s a pity they didn’t make audio recordings at that time. The family had a large plot of land - one hectare. With a vegetable garden, a garden, living creatures. Everyone had their own job. Sonya, for example, was milking a cow from the age of six, and her sisters and brothers looked after the cattle and helped in the garden.
All the children were busy. The day in the family began early - at six in the morning. First - yard work, then - breakfast and school. Sometimes we went to the market to sell our fruits and vegetables. They survived as best they could. The younger ones wore the clothes of the older ones, just like in an ordinary poor family with many children. “Sonya grew up a lively girl,” Aurika smiles. - She loved to climb trees.
A couple of times her father rewarded her with slaps on the head for this. We visited other people's gardens to buy cherries or strawberries. And before school exams - for flowers. Although all this grew here, it was not interesting for us. In the evenings, when my parents fell asleep, we slowly climbed out through the window and went to play Cossack robbers. One day we were playing so hard that we didn’t notice that morning had come. We run to the house, climb through the window, and my father is sitting in the room with a belt. It's waiting for us. Oh, and he drove us then! (laughs)
In the seventh grade, Sonya began sneaking out through our window to dance at a village club. One day her father waylaid her in the same way. But our older sister Zina did not allow him to punish his daughter. She stood between Sonya and her father: “Dad, Sonya is already big, she wants to dance. Don't scold her! But Sonya Rotaru had little time for pranks. She went to music school, played the domra, participated in athletics, and even won regional Olympiads. She began to participate in amateur performances at an early age. village club. She also performed in neighboring villages.
And since the concerts took place mainly in the evenings, mother Alexandra Ivanovna grumbled: “You can’t let such a young girl go in the evenings. Who will get married later? I was afraid that my reputation in the village would be damaged. But Zina again stood up for Sonya. She even cried, persuading her mother: “Let Sonya go. She needs it! Her husband died in Sonya’s arms. “In our village of Marshintsy, there was such a tradition: a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old can already get married,” recalls Aurika Rotaru. - When she reached this age, there were show dances on the central square near the club.
If guys invite a girl to dance in front of everyone, it means she has become an adult and it’s time to get married. And now it’s Sonya’s turn. Mom persuaded her for a long time: “Daughter, go.” And that one - not at all. A week later, Sonya finally came to the “bride.” Of course, our local boys did not ignore such a beauty. In the village, Sonya was called “fetitsefrumoase” when she was little, which is translated from Moldavian “ beautiful girl" And that same evening two young men came to our house. So it was customary: after dancing, go to the girl and knock on the threshold so that she comes out on a date with you. We hear someone knocking.
Mom says: “Sonya, come out. The suitors have come to you." - “I won’t go out. You wanted me to go to the dance, so come out yourself!” I never went to the “grooms.” Then our dad talked to the guys and explained that his daughter was not yet ready for marriage, she wanted to go to Chernivtsi to study at a music school. While studying at the school, Sofia Rotaru won a republican amateur art competition and received a cash prize - one hundred and twenty rubles! Sofia Mikhailovna later recalled: “After the award ceremony, I came to a Kyiv hotel, fanned out the money and began saving.
Twenty rubles for mom and dad, ten for each brother and sister.” After that competition, her photograph was published on the cover of the magazine “Ukraine”. They also wrote there that this girl is Sonya Rotaru, a student of the conducting and choral department of the Chernivtsi Music College. Somehow, miraculously, a magazine from Ukraine came to the Urals to a certain young man Tole Evdokimenko, who passed there military service. He fell in love with Sonya at first sight.
He returned to his home in Chernivtsi and showed the photo on the cover to his father. He whistled: “I wish I had a daughter-in-law like that!” And Anatoly found Sofia, who was then living in the dormitory of the music school. “I’ll be honest: at first Tolya didn’t impress me,” says Sofia Rotaru herself. - Yes, handsome, well-mannered. But there were many such young people around me. He gave me flowers, invited me to restaurants, but he sent his friends on a date instead of himself. But one day Tolya called and spoke to me in the purest Moldavian language. I was shocked: he learned this language especially for me.
Soon I accidentally met Tolya on the street and... realized that I had fallen in love once and for all.” The wedding took place on a special Moldovan scale in September 1968. Before this, the groom bought wedding rings and beautiful white fabric for a wedding dress. They built a large tent in the courtyard of the house, placed vats on the street, and from the very morning the women began to cook. Five hundred guests gathered - almost the entire village of Marshintsy. Anatoly invited his musicians from the student pop orchestra, where he played the trumpet. We walked for three days. After the wedding, the newlyweds settled in Chernivtsi with their husband’s family. Aurika Rotaru laughs: “I remember Tolya joked then: “I have the best mother-in-law in the world: she lives far away and does not understand Russian.”
Our mother spoke only Moldavian and Ukrainian.” For the sake of his beloved, Anatoly left science - by that time he had graduated from the physics and mathematics department of the university and was studying physics - and created the Chervona Ruta ensemble, where Rotaru became a soloist. With the same team, Sofia Rotaru became famous throughout the Soviet Union.
Anatoly became a producer, director, and director for his wife. At first, folk Ukrainian and Moldavian melodies were selected for Sofia. By the way, today folk songs occupy a significant place in her repertoire: “I can’t live without them. As soon as I hear it, tears…” says the singer. But Anatoly persuaded Sofia to try herself as a soloist in a pop orchestra. And then one day she finally succumbed to persuasion, took a risk - she sang the song “Mama” by Alexander Bronevitsky. And the song worked out. Sofia Rotaru was sent to the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.
Anatoly firmly decided to go with her to the festival. For this performance they urgently needed a double bassist. And then this one musical instrument Anatoly Evdokimenko himself mastered it in two months. True, the calluses did not leave his fingers for a long time. The result of the trip was a stunning success and First place. When Sofia was awarded the gold medal, she was literally showered with Bulgarian roses. One orchestra member then joked: “Flowers for Sofia for Sofia.” And the chairman of the jury, Lyudmila Zykina, predicted, pointing to Rotaru: “This is a singer with a great future.”
Already in 1973, the Golden Orpheus competition was held in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, where Sofia again received First Prize. Thus began the real glory of Rotaru. “At first, my husband did not allow me to give birth,” recalls Sofia Mikhailovna, “he believed that first I needed to make a career, and only then think about children. But I deceived him: I faked pregnancy.
He grumbled, of course, but he got used to this fact, lost his vigilance, and I became pregnant for real. Then she came up with many scientific explanations for why she gave birth to Ruslan not after nine months, but later.” Ruslan was born in August 1970. Whole stories are still told about how noisily Anatoly greeted his wife from the maternity hospital. With flowers, with musicians, with dozens of bottles of champagne. There was even traffic in Chernivtsi, because Evdokimenko was dancing in the middle of the road with Ruslan in his arms. 
Sofia Rotaru and Anatoly Evdokimenko lived for almost thirty-five years in love, harmony and coordinated work. Both spectators and colleagues envied the singer: loving husband, successful career, the love of the audience. Everything an actress can dream of! But illness destroyed happiness - in the late nineties, Anatoly had a stroke during his next tour. Only he began to come to his senses - a year later. By then I had already lost my speech.
But Sofia Mikhailovna did not give up, she fought for a long time, treated her husband with different doctors. She looked after me and tried to always be there. “Sonya only went to concerts and to church to pray,” says Aurika. - In 2002, Tolya was again admitted to the hospital, and then she had a third stroke, the last one... Sonya and Ruslan, who became her mother’s assistant instead of her father, then went on concerts around Germany. They called me from the hospital: “Anatoly has gotten worse.
Come." I informed Sonya and Ruslan, who interrupted the tour. Within a few hours they were in a Kyiv hospital. Tolik never regained consciousness - he died in Sonya’s arms... The best vacation is fishing and gardening. Only work helped Rotaru survive the tragedy. Six months after the death of her husband, Sofia Mikhailovna found strength in herself and began performing again, acting on television, and touring. The singer often invites her on tour with her. younger sister. -
It’s always very interesting to watch Sofia Rotaru behind the scenes,” says Aurika. - It’s better not to approach her before the performance. She is worried and worried. He will double-check everything on stage twenty times: costumes, sound, lighting, repeat the numbers with the dancers... But after the concert he can relax. If we're on tour somewhere, we go to a hotel. We lock ourselves in our room and start playing cards. We love preference. True, we only play for fun...
Sonya's biggest regrets are that her beloved husband Tolik passed away so early, and that she did not give birth to a daughter in due time. But our mother told us: “Have more children! Then you will regret it. If it’s difficult, give it to me, I’ll grow it!” But we worked a lot, traveled around the world. They couldn’t afford a big family; they had no time to raise them. Today Sofia Rotaru lives in two cities at once - in Yalta, where she has her own home and hotel business, and in Kyiv.
When he takes a break from concerts, he likes to spend time either fishing or in his Yalta garden, where he takes care of fruit trees and a vegetable garden. She collects the harvest herself, makes jam and preparations for the winter. But the main thing in her life is her grandchildren. The eldest, Anatoly, named after his grandfather, studies in England, the youngest, Sonya, studies in Kyiv music school.
“I love my grandchildren very much, I spoil them as much as I can,” admits Sofia Mikhailovna. - I regret that at one time I paid little attention to Ruslanchik. She constantly went to concerts, and he saw his mother mostly on TV. I was very worried, but what to do - these are the costs of our profession.
The grandchildren call Sonya only by her first name, says Aurika. “I remember Tolik telling me: “Can you imagine, my classmates don’t believe that Sofia Rotaru is my grandmother.” Well, really - in their understanding, grandmothers should be so old. And the grandchildren themselves cannot believe in such a relationship. The sister communicates with Sonechka and Tolik as equals; she is, first of all, a friend to them.
No lectures or moralizing. They trust Sonya with all their secrets. Tolik is growing up to be such a wonderful business guy. When he comes to Kyiv on vacation, he cannot sit quietly and do nothing. For example, he performs in nightclubs as a DJ. He often turns to Sonya or Ruslan for advice and lets them listen to their music. They tell him if something is wrong. Sofia Mikhailovna’s family is friendly and kind! In connection with the latest notorious events in Ukraine, they are trying to drag Sofia Rotaru into the conflict.
The future celebrity was born in the small village of Marshinitsy, which in the late 40s was considered the territory of Romania, and then was transferred to Ukraine. Hence the eternal confusion with the surname: the surname Rotar, which is written in the star’s passport, is the Ukrainian version of the Romanian Rotaru. In the singer’s family, the original, Romanian version is still considered correct. However, Rotaru’s roots are generally Moldavian, which the beauty never hid.
Her musical abilities appeared at an early age. As soon as Sofia went to school, teachers already began to try her out in vocal clubs and children's creative teams. Sofia Mikhailovna recalls that her first vocal lessons were given to her by her older sister Zina. The girl suffered from typhus and lost her sight. But her heightened hearing became her distinctive feature and gave me the opportunity to sensitively capture all the halftones, as well as teach music to younger children.
“Music has always lived in me”
In addition to music, Rotaru was also involved in sports. She was a school champion in athletics, took prizes in sports competitions. She will never give up sports, and as an adult, while acting in films, she will perform stunts on both a motorcycle and a surfboard without stuntmen.
But the first serious success was still musical. At the age of 15, the girl first participated in the regional vocal competition, then in the regional, and then was sent to Kyiv, where she also won a victory. The beautiful and talented winner of first place was instantly placed on the cover of one of the Ukrainian magazines, where her future husband noticed her.
Modest wedding for 200 people
Anatoly Evdokimenko was a representative of the “golden youth”, the son of a major official. The young man studied at a prestigious university and was planning to build a career as an optical physicist, although he also studied music at the same time - he played the trumpet. And here is a photo of the beautiful Rotaru in a magazine!
The young people met and fell in love. In 1968, they played a beautiful, lively wedding in her native village. The singer would later joke: “It was a modest wedding, about 200 people.” We walked in a huge group, with national Ukrainian and Moldavian traditions, round dances, songs and dances. The wedding of Rotaru and Evdokimenko will be called a holiday of unity of two peoples for a long time.
After the wedding, Anatoly became a real support for the ambitious artist, her producer and first assistant in everything. They had a son, Ruslan, who has now given the singer a grandson and granddaughter. They will go through life hand in hand, and will be together until his death in 2002.
Grief left a deep imprint on Sofia Mikhailovna’s heart. She was in mourning whole year. All this time, her records were not released, and no new sound recordings were made. Sofia did not give concerts, did not take part in public life. A year later, she appeared on stage for the first time since her husband’s death. The performance was dedicated to his memory.
A secret that Rotaru did not admit to
The period of the future husband's courtship with the singer is shrouded in darkness. Lovers usually love to tell details about the sweetest time of their lives, but Rotaru and Evdokimenko kept it a secret. And everything secret arouses great interest and a desire to figure it out.
So many years ago, journalists tried to track the five years of Sofia’s life before marriage, and there was an assumption that Evdokimenko was not the celebrity’s first husband. Her first love is called Vladimir Ivasyuk, a poet and composer, author of the famous “Chervona Ruta”. It is known that in the early 70s the body of a man was found hanged in his apartment. Despite numerous wounds from beatings, the police refused to open a criminal case and ruled the death a suicide.
The singer does not hide the fact that there was a tragedy in her life: her child was kidnapped, but she assures that her son Ruslan was involved in the kidnapping. However, close friends of Rotaru say that they kidnapped the singer’s first and carefully hidden child - a daughter born from Ivasyuk.
There is an assumption that the singer’s first husband was involved in crime. Realizing that the whole family was in danger, he blessed Sonya for a second marriage. And she was forced to hide her daughter due to constant threats.
Sofia Mikhailovna neither confirms nor denies this information. He promises to start giving interviews on personal topics only after he leaves the stage.
Monogamous
After the death of her legal spouse, Rotaru was “married” several times. First, information leaked about her affair with a young musician from her own band. They put words into her mouth that they had been happy together for seven years, despite the fact that the man was married. They don’t hide their feelings, they truly love each other. In another interview, Sofia Mikhailovna claims: they did not have any affair. And the rumors only embarrassed her, because the young man is an exemplary family man!
In 2011, Nikolai Baskov begins to court the spectacular Sofia Mikhailovna. He always expressly admired famous singer, and at one of the receptions, in the presence of six thousand guests, he said cherished words. But Rotaru just shrugged it off, declaring once again that she would always love only her husband and would remain faithful to him until the end of her days.
Diplomat
In recent years, Sofia Mikhailovna has rarely visited Russia. The singer decided to face the conflict between her native Ukraine and our country at home.
It is known that during orange revolution“The singer and her family members distributed food to people who came to Independence Square in Kyiv. Moreover, its mission was truly humanitarian: food was given to everyone, regardless of political preferences.
Ten years ago, Sofia Mikhailovna took part in the elections, running for one of the parties. She gave a charity tour of Ukraine in support of her candidacy, but did not get enough votes.
