The name of Sofia Rotaru is known to everyone, young and old. She is truly a legendary singer. Not a single “Blue Light” or “Song of the Year” has passed without her participation for several decades.
Sofia was born into a Moldovan large family shortly after the end of the war. Her native village is Marshyntsi, in the Chernivtsi region. Everyone in the village and in her family sang; any holiday was accompanied by sonorous folk songs. Her parents had magnificent, clear voices. Sonya has three more sisters and two brothers.
The father of the family went through the entire war as a machine gunner, took part in the capture of Berlin, and returned home only in 1946. My father’s surname began to sound like Rotar when he replaced the last letter with “u” with “b” after their village was annexed to Ukraine. Real name namely Rotaru.
Sonya was taught to sing mainly by her older sister Zina, who in childhood, having suffered from a serious illness, lost her sight, but did not lose her absolute hearing. Everyone in the family spoke Moldovan, but Zina herself, listening to the radio, learned Russian and taught it to the whole family.
Sonya helped her mother a lot with the housework, went with her to the market early in the morning, and worked in the field. She learned early on the hardships of rural labor, which helped her in the formation of her character and strength of personality. Sonya began singing from the 1st grade, she was a participant in both school and church choir. She also participated in a drama club and performed in amateur performances. She also adored sports, was fond of athletics, all-around events and, not without success, participated in regional Olympiads and Spartakiads.
Carier start
At the age of fifteen, she won a local amateur art competition, which is where her singing career began. A year later, she became the winner at the regional festival and was published on the cover of the magazine “Ukraine”. Even then they began to talk about her as a future celebrity. And the magazine “Ukraine” played an important role in her life; it was on its cover that I saw her future husband Anatoly Evdokimenko, who also loved music, played the trumpet and dreamed of creating an ensemble.
After that, there were several more competitions, and after graduating from school, Sofia went to Chernivtsi to enter a music school. But the university did not have a vocal department, Sonya had to enroll in the conducting and choral department. And already at the age of 17 she performed on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses.
Soon Anatoly found her, met her and invited her to sing in the student pop orchestra, in which he himself was playing at that time. At first, her repertoire included only folk Moldavian and Ukrainian songs. Then the first pop song appeared - “Mama” by composer Bronevitsky.
At the age of 21, Sofia became a laureate of a youth festival in Bulgaria, taking first place. After graduating from music school, Sonya began teaching, which became a new discovery for her. Soon the newlyweds got married in their native village, and for their honeymoon they went to Novosibirsk, where the newly-made husband was sent to do an internship. He worked at the factory, and Sonya cooked food at home. They lived in a dormitory. But Sofia did not give up singing; she performed as a soloist in the evenings at a local club. So 3 months flew by.
Sofia Rotaru during her speech:
Sonya dreamed of a child, and Anatoly dreamed of a career. In addition, it was tight both with money and living conditions. Therefore, the girl had to use a trick and say that she was already pregnant. The husband agreed, and Sonya became truly pregnant only after 2 months. And in due time, a son, Ruslan, was born, who was like two peas in a pod.
Despite the slight deception, Sofia does not regret her step, since then a series of tours began. In Chernivtsi they were met with an orchestra by all the musicians of the city, there were even fireworks.
Sofia Rotaru during the filming of the New Year's musical:
In 1971, the film “Chervona Ruta” was released with Sonya in the title role, and after its release she began working at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic. Soon the ensemble of the same name “Chervona Ruta” was created, led by Anatoly Evdokimenko. The group performed songs by composer and poet Vladimir Ivasyuk. This man perfectly felt and understood the artist’s soul, composed heartfelt songs just for her, which later became true pop classics. The ensemble became famous in Ukraine, the audience fell in love with Sofia, and in 1973 she received the title of Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.
Since then, Rotaru’s songs have invariably become laureates of the “Song of the Year” competition. Many famous Soviet composers and songwriters began to write for her. In 1975, Sofia moved to live in Yalta and began working as a soloist with the local philharmonic. She became a regular participant in New Year's " Blue lights", and a year later she received another title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. Her albums came out one by one. She performed songs on the best concert venues country, its popularity grew.
Sofia Rotaru on the set of her video:
Sofia was one of the first to decide to change the stage fashion of that time and began to sing in a trouser suit. In subsequent years, several films with her participation, as well as about herself, were released. She always performed all the stunts in films herself.
Sofia Rotaru and others famous artists on "Song of the Year":
In 1983, Sofia even released one album in Canada, where she also gave several concerts, but after that she and her entire team did not have the right to travel abroad for 5 years. And in 1986, the Chervona Ruta ensemble broke away from Sofia and Anatoly and decided to lead independent activity. For the spouses, this was tantamount to betrayal. Having recovered from the shock, Sofia began solo career. Soon she met the composer Vladimir Matetsky, who wrote her many hits. Sofia worked with the Matetsky-Shatrov tandem for the next 15 years. These were incredibly fruitful years. Her image and performance style have changed.
In the late 80s, Rotaru received the title of People's Artist of the USSR. In subsequent years, she was awarded many titles and prestigious awards. And after the collapse of the USSR, it did not lose its leading position in national stage. By the early 2000s, she was recognized as the second most popular performer in the CIS.
Sofia Rotaru with her husband Anatoly Evdokimenko:
In 2002, her husband, Anatoly Evdokimenko, died from another, not the first, stroke. This was a real blow for the singer; they lived together for more than 30 years. Sofia canceled all concerts and filming for several months and stopped touring.
Sofia Rotaru with her family:
At the end of the same year, her album “ The Snow Queen", she returned to the stage a year later. She dedicated the next album, “The Only One,” to her husband’s memory.
All the years of her work, Sofia Rotaru was a favorite performer in Russia and the CIS countries. She is still in great shape and looks great, despite the fact that doctors forbade her to undergo facial plastic surgery. Rotaru enjoys enormous prestige in musical circles. For the 40th anniversary creative activity in 2011 she gave several solo concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
No less interesting biographies read the most famous and beautiful singers
Born on August 7, 1947 in the village of Marshintsy, Novoselitsky district, Chernivtsi region of Ukraine.
From the first grade she sang in school and church choirs and participated in amateur performances.
In 1968, Sofia Rotaru graduated from the conducting and choral department of Chernivtsi music school, in 1974 - Chisinau Institute of Arts named after G. Muzichescu.
In 1971, Sofia Rotaru received an invitation to work at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic and create her own ensemble, which was called “Chervona Ruta”. The singer's husband, Anatoly Evdokimenko, became the artistic director of the ensemble. Subsequently, he became the director of all concert programs of Sofia Rotaru.
Since 1975, Rotaru has been a soloist of the Crimean Philharmonic.
Since the 1970s, songs performed by Sofia Rotaru have become laureates of the “Song of the Year” television festival. Composer Arno Babajanyan wrote for her “Give Back the Music to Me”, Alexey Mazhukov - “And the Music Sounds”, Pavel Aedonitsky - “For Those Who Wait”, Oscar Feltsman - “Only for You”, David Tukhmanov - “In My House” and “ Waltz", Yuri Saulsky - "An Ordinary Story".
Sofia Rotaru was the first performer of composer Evgeny Martynov’s songs “Swan Fidelity” and “Ballad of Mother.” The singer has been associated with composer Vladimir Matetsky for many years of creative collaboration. It started with the song “Lavender”, written by Matetsky in 1985, followed by “Moon, Moon”, “It Was, But It’s Gone”, “Wild Swans”, “Khutoryanka”, “September”, “Moon Rainbow”, “Stars Like Stars” " and many others. In 2017 she presented new song Matetsky "On the seven winds".
In July 2017, a concert dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Sofia Rotaru was held in Baku (Azerbaijan) as part of the “Heat” music festival.
During her singing career, Rotaru performed more than 400 songs, many of which became classics of the Soviet and Ukrainian stage. She toured in many countries in Europe, America, Asia, and Australia.
The singer has released over 30 albums, including recent years- “And my soul flies...” (2011), “Forgive me” (2013), “Let's have a summer! (2014), “Winter” (2016).
Sofia Rotaru starred in the musical television films “Chervona Ruta” (1971), “The Song Will Be Among Us” (1974), “Monologue about Love” (1986), in the leading roles of the feature films “Where are you, love?” (1980) and “ Soul" (1981). In 1981, the musical television film “Visiting Sofia Rotaru’s Family” was released, and in 1984, the television film “Sofia Rotaru is Inviting You.”
In the 1990s-2000s, with the participation of the singer, the musical films “Old Songs about the Main Thing” (1996), “Field Romance” (1998), “Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro” (2003), “The Snow Queen” were released “(2003), “Sorochinskaya Fair” (2004), “Star Holidays” (2006), “The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors” (2007), “Golden Fish” (2008), “Little Red Riding Hood” (2009), etc.
Sofia Rotaru - People's Artist of the USSR (1988). She was awarded the Order of the USSR “Badge of Honor” (1980) and Friendship of Peoples (1985), and is a laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize (1978). In 2002, for her great contribution to the development of pop art and the strengthening of Russian-Ukrainian cultural ties, she was awarded the Russian Order of Honor.
Rotaru is People's Artist of Ukraine (1976) and People's Artist of Moldova (1983). In 2002, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, and in 2007 she was awarded the Ukrainian Order of Merit, II degree.
The singer is a laureate international competitions IX World Festival of Youth and Students (Sofia, 1968), “Golden Orpheus” (Sofia, 1973); “The Amber Nightingale” (Sopot, 1974). She is a multiple winner of the Ovation and Golden Gramophone awards.
Sofia Rotaru was married to People's Artist of Ukraine Anatoly Evdokimenko (1942-2002). The singer has a son, Ruslan.
Sofia Rotaru, whose biography covers an era of change and upheaval, has become a symbol of the greatness of talent and the power of art, capable of overcoming any boundaries. “Bukovinian nightingale”, “golden voice of Ukraine” - all this is said about Sofia Mikhailovna.
Sofia Rotaru: biography of the singer
For older and middle-aged people, Sofia Rotaru has become a symbol of their youth.
The beginning of her singing career was in the 1960s. And until now, Sofia Mikhailovna is one of the few singers who are on the crest of popularity.
Looking at how young Rotaru looks, it’s hard to believe that in 2017 she celebrated her seventieth birthday. It seems that the years have given exceptional aristocracy and elegance to the appearance of this artist. Our story is about her fate.
The seventh day of hot August 1947 illuminated the family of the winegrower, Mikhail Fedorovich Rotaru, with joy. A second daughter, Sofia, appeared in a family living in the village of Marshintsy, Chernivtsi region.
The first girl in the family of Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexandra Ivanovna Rotaru, Zina, became blind in childhood from typhus. Having a healthy baby was truly a gift. In total, there are six children in the Rotaru family.
Sofia had a unique destiny in life. Everyone in the Rotaru family (the family has Moldovan roots) sang. My father had amazing musical talent. Zinaida felt and reproduced music superbly. It was her older sister who taught Sonya to sing.
At first, singing was a simple hobby, like playing sports. However later successes in athletics (she received a champion title at school) came in handy when she had to cope with a motorcycle on her own and ride along a narrow embankment in the sea on the set of the movie “Where Is Love Thou.”
Since religious education has always been honored in Western Ukraine and weekly church attendance was considered a rule of good manners, the young nightingale of Bukovina was able to show her talent in the choir. In addition, during her school years, the girl attends classes in a theater group and plays the accordion.
The first recognition of Sofia Rotaru’s talent came in the year when the girl celebrated her fifteenth birthday. Then, participating in a regional review of creative amateur groups, she received first place, and at the age of 17 she conquered the main concert hall of the Soviet Union - she performed in the Kremlin.
Let us remember that the 1960s were the period of the formation and heyday of pop music. Many peoples and nationalities of the Soviet Union make themselves known by creating pop song numbers based on folklore motifs.
The Ukrainian land is proud of this performer; her photograph appears on the cover of one of the leading national magazines.
Thanks to this publication, Anatoly Evdokimenko learned about Sofia. It was an incident that brought together two creative people - a trumpeter and a singer.
After graduating from school, Sofia entered the music school in the city of Chernivtsi. Here she acquired the specialty of a conductor and continued her singing career on a professional basis.
The path to the world of pop music for the young performer was easy. All thanks to an amazing voice, a rare talent to feel every note, extraordinary hard work and perseverance. These qualities were appreciated by the jury of the World Festival in Bulgaria: Rotaru took first place.
At the competition, the singer performed musical compositions that sounded the languid lyrics of the Balkan peoples and the rapid assertiveness of the Ukrainian and Moldavian peoples.
In 1968, Sofia became the wife of Anatoly Evdokimenko. The couple will live together for thirty-five years, until death takes away the person most dear to the singer.
Two years later, in 1970, she became a mother (a son was born), and her singing career was gaining rapid momentum. After the inspired performance of “Chervona Ruta” by Vladimir Ivasyuk, Rotaru gains all-Union fame.
At the Chernivtsi Philharmonic they create creative team, which was named after this hit. Sofia Rotaru became its soloist, and Vladimir Ivasyuk became the main inspirer and musical director.
The next eight years were the most productive in the work of this creative tandem. Sofia Rotaru performed unique musical compositions. They sounded playful and languidly lyrical melodies of Moldova and Ukraine.
These works make the Ukrainian pop star famous. They started talking about it in neighboring countries.
Throughout the 1970s. the stages of popular international creative shows, competitions and festivals that take place in Poland, Bulgaria and Moscow open in front of it.
Rotaru goes on tours abroad - Yugoslavia and the GDR, Germany and Romania. In her homeland, records with her songs are being released en masse.
Popularity does not save the singer from the millstone of persecution by the authorities: her father is expelled from the Communist Party, her brother from the Komsomol organization. All because the family honored religious holidays.
Sofia Rotaru, along with her husband and child, moves to Yalta. To cover up the truth, a rumor emerged from the hands of the authorities about the singer’s supposedly poor health. It was assumed that it was tuberculosis, asthma and other lung diseases.
Despite this, the talented performer is given the title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. The famous singer immediately confirms this title with a victory at the Tokyo song competition, where she performed a song in the Yugoslav language.
The flowering of talent and recognition came to Sofia Rotaru in the 1980s. Films are made about her and with her. The period of searching for something new has begun: the artist is experimenting with appearance and with a performing image. She is one of the first to change her feminine outfit (dress) to an elegant trouser suit. This emphasized the rapid rhythm of that time.
Soon Sofia Rotaru returns to her original ethno-lyrical image. It best suits her compositions and beautiful voice. During the same period, he sang a duet with Makarevich and “Time Machine”.
A performance in Canada (1983), where the singer recorded and released a record, caused outrage from the authorities. Until the start of perestroika, she remains restricted from traveling. However, this did not diminish people’s love and recognition. Her records sell millions of copies. This was awarded the Golden Disc Award.
The fact of extraordinary popularity, people's love and veneration was recognized at the official level: the pop performer was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR.
Difficult 1990s did not become an era of oblivion for the pop singer. She is on the crest of popularity: she tours, updates her repertoire, focusing on new stylistic influences and trends, and changes her image:
- the singer’s anniversary concert is taking place in the main Russian concert hall, where elements of a laser show are used;
- discs with the hits “Lavender”, “Love Me” and “Khutoryanka” are being released;
- collaborates with young pop performers.
Sofia Rotaru’s songs are well known: radio stations broadcast them, people sing them, and amateur groups sing them.
The performer receives official awards from the hands of the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, and unofficial ones, such as “Man of the 20th Century” and “Woman of the Year” - from the tabloids.
This creative rise spanned the early 2000s. However, the second year of the new millennium turned out to be tragic for Rotaru. Dies her only love- Anatoly Evdokimenko. The singer interrupts her career and disappears from the musical Olympus for almost a year.
Anatoly Evdokimenko was not only an inspirer, support and support, but also the singer’s producer.
Rotaru was by his side until her husband’s last breath. It was a sincere and vivid example of swan fidelity, which the artist once sang about.
Loss loved one called deep depression. Relatives were afraid to leave the singer alone. She visited the cemetery every day. “Song of the Year” 2002 was held without her for the first time in three decades.
During this period, the artist’s son demonstrated his best masculine qualities. Sophia's sister talks about it this way:
« 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". Convinced and found new composers for my mother.”.
The pop legend chose Kyiv as his permanent place of residence. She performs and tours less.
A woman of the era - this is what you can say about Sofia Rotaru. Her fate often took sharp turns, like the country.
But the example of this singer firmly convinces that true talent will always be in demand and appreciated by people.
Sofia Rotaru: songs
Rotaru's songs mean constant success and popularity, top positions in the charts.
Some hits, such as: “The Sky is Me”, “Chervona Ruta”, “Swan Loyalty”, “Apple Tree in Bloom”, “Land, My Real Land”, “Lavender”, “Vodograi”, “Lavender”, “ Khutoryanka” are super popular, despite time and changes in the cultural tastes of society.
Sofia Rotaru's concert is a real show, in which not external moments prevail, but the depth and content of the songs, high quality performance, lively voice and respect for the audience. This is what made her a sought-after performer for five decades.
17-year-old Rotaru’s performance of the song “Mama,” written by composer Leonid Bronevitsky, brought her all-Union fame. Vladimir Matetsky, Alexandra Pakhmutova, Anatoly Pashkevich, Baki Don and others collaborated with her.
The most fruitful period was the period of work with the Ukrainian composer Vladimir Ivasyuk. Then, in the 1970s, the following songs appeared:
- "Chervona Ruta";
- "Vodograi";
- "Yellow Leaf";
- "The Ballad of Mallows";
- "Cradle of the Wind";
- “Fate has its own spring”, etc.
Until his death in 1979, he remained almost the only author and inspirer of Sofia Rotaru.
With special trepidation, she performed “The Ballad of Mother” (many know this song under the name “Alyoshenka”), “I’m Waiting for Spring”, “Seagulls over the Water”, “Your Fault”, “Father’s House”.
The popularity of the singer of pop melodies is increasing thanks to her participation in “Song of the Year”. By the way, Sofia Mikhailovna is one of the leaders in performing at this festival. For more than thirty years she sang about eighty songs.
Many remember her hits such as “My City”, “Melancolie”, “Apple Trees in Bloom”, “Only for You”, “My Land”, “Your Traces” and “Romantica”, “For Those Who Wait”, “ Our life" and others. They were created by Oscar Feltsman, Nikolai Mozgovoy, Arno Babajanyan, Pavel Aedonitsky, Pyotr Teodorovich, Alexey Mazhukov.
David Tukhmanov writes the patriotic composition “My Motherland” and the memorable song “In My House”. On the eve of the 1980 Olympics, Alexandra Pakhmutova wrote the song “Temp” for Rotaru.
The singer’s collaboration with Yuri Saulsky was fruitful. Together they create the following musical compositions:
- "Two Dreams";
- “I am not me without you”;
- "Autumn Melody";
- "Expectation";
- "Do not forget".
The singer is especially popular due to songs made specifically for her voice by Raymond Pauls: “The Beginning of May”, “Where Are You Love?”, “Special Friend”.
In the early 1980s, Sofia Rotaru tried her hand at other stylistic directions. She draws attention to the rock compositions that she performed in a duet with Andrei Makarevich: “The Path”, “Barrier”, “For Those at Sea”, “Bonfire”.
The middle of this period was marked by the singer’s performance of works of a patriotic nature. With particular enthusiasm she sang:
- “Stork on the Roof”, “Frontline Sister’s Waltz”, “ Last date» David Tukhmanov;
- "Sad Song" by Raymond Pauls;
- “Starry Waltz” by Alexandra Pakhmutova;
- “Remember me always” by Alexander Osadchy.
A new period in the work of the pop singer began with a lyrical and soulful, bright and temperamental hit - “Lavender”, the music for which was written by Vladimir Matetsky. This author has been creating several dozen top-rated songs for the singer for 30 years.
Radio stations tirelessly broadcast playful and romantic songs “It was, but it’s gone”, “Only this is not enough”, “Moon”.
These songs distinguish Rotaru from his brothers in the shop, since they are fast and impulsive, and slow compositions are in fashion.
However, during this period, deep and meaningful compositions (“Song of Our Summer”), sensual and dramatic (“Farewell Platform” and “Wild Swans”), filled with a feeling of happiness, works “Until the End of the Road” and “Caravan of Love” appeared in her repertoire. .
“Khutoryanka” became the singer’s calling card for several years. The image of a fiery beauty of a farmer appeared in her. He was very close to Rotaru.
In the 1990s. the hits “There is no place for me” and “Night without you”, “Your sad eyes” were heard. The public loved “Dream” and “Like Strangers”; they listened with trepidation to the singer’s lyrical outpourings in “Bitter Tears” and “Taste of Love”. The works “A Night Without You” and “A Pair of White Doves” are permeated with tragedy. All of them were created by Vladimir Matetsky.
The 2000s marked a new stage in creative career Sofia Rotaru. Mostly Ukrainian composers create songs for it.
They appear, filled with the soulful Ukrainian flavor and original rhythm of the songs of Ruslan Kvinta.
Stylizations of folk melodies made the compositions “One viburnum behind the window” and “ White winter" Rotaru’s unique voice talents added volume and depth to the song “The Sky is Me!”
Today, the pop singer continues to delight her listeners with new interesting songs: “Two Suns” and “My Love” by Vitaly Volkomor, “You are the Best” by Ruslan Kvinta, “Love is Alive” by Oleg Makarevich, etc.
Despite the tragedy that this bright artist had to endure, she has enough strength and desire to perform in front of her fans. Her concerts are always sold out.
Looking at Sofia Mikhailovna, it becomes clear that true talent and love for their profession are given by happy years life.
That is why the singer blooms, performs amazing musical works with inspiration and soul.
Sofia Rotaru is the owner of 18 orders of the USSR, Ukraine, Moldova and countless honorary titles, prizes and awards from various song competitions.
Sofia Mikhailovna Rotaru can rightfully be considered one of the most outstanding Soviet singers. She performed in collective farm clubs and hot spots, on the Kremlin stage and at international song competitions, and everywhere she was greeted and seen off with thunderous applause. Ukraine and Moldova are arguing which of them has the honor of calling Rotaru their native, however, both Ukrainian and Moldavian songs performed by her were understandable to everyone without translation. For more than 40 years of concert activity, Sofia Rotaru has performed more than 500 songs on different languages, became the highest paid performer in the countries former USSR, gave a start to life to such famous groups as “Chervona Ruta” and the ballet “Todes”. Rotaru's unique voice (contralto with a range of more than three octaves) allows the singer to perform compositions in any style - folk, jazz, rock, etc. She was the first pop singer of the USSR to sing recitative and use a rhythm computer for arrangement.
Nightingale from a Bukovina village
There are several inaccuracies in Sofia Rotaru's birth certificate. A girl from the ethnic Moldavian village of Marshintsy (Novoselitsky district, Chernivtsi region) was registered in the village council as Sofya Mikhailovna Rotar, born on August 9, 1947. Sofia’s real birthday falls on August 7, and she began to use the Moldovan version of her surname after she began her concert activities, on the advice of the famous Edita Piekha. The singer's father, Mikhail Fedorovich Rotar, ended the war in Berlin, where he was wounded, and subsequently worked as a foreman of winegrowers; at the same time he had absolute pitch, he sang well and played the accordion. There were six children in the family, and they all had musical abilities. However, life for the family was not easy - all Homework went to the children. Sonya milked the cow, harvested the hay, worked in the garden, and got up in the dark to take vegetables to the market. And late in the evening I hurried to school clubs, where I learned to dance, play the domra and accordion. Sofia was a highlight of the school choir (she tried to hide her participation in the church choir), and often performed in concerts. In 1962 and 1963, the girl became the winner of the district and regional amateur performance shows, and in 1964 she participated in the folk talent festival in Kyiv, where she also took first place. The master of Ukrainian song Dmitry Gnatyuk predicted a brilliant future for Sofia, and her portrait appeared on the cover of the magazine "Ukraine". Sofia was sent to study at the Chernivtsi Music College. The girl’s mother, Alexandra Ivanovna, initially objected to her daughter’s artistic career, but her father’s word was law in the family.
Already a student of the conducting and choral department, Sofia Rotaru performed on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Soon she met her future husband. Anatoly Evdokimenko, a native of Chernivtsi, served in Nizhny Tagil and saw a magazine with a beautiful countrywoman on the cover. Upon returning to his hometown, he found the girl he liked, and love broke out between them literally at first sight. Anatoly studied at Chernivtsi University and played the trumpet in the student orchestra, which began to accompany Sofia’s performances.
A meteoric rise
The year 1968 was marked by many significant events in the life of Sofia Rotaru. She graduated from music school and was sent to Sofia, to the World Festival of Youth and Students. From there, Sofia brought first place, many rave reviews and the prophetic words of Lyudmila Zykina, chair of the jury: “You will become a great singer.” But for now, the future celebrity became the wife of Anatoly Evdokimenko, and even postponed admission to the Institute of Arts for a year, leaving with her husband for Novosibirsk. There Anatoly did his pre-graduation internship, and Sofia taught at a cultural and educational school.
In 1970, their son Ruslan was born.
However, the boy was raised primarily by Anatoly’s parents.
In 1971, after the release of the musical film "Chervona Ruta", in which Sofia Rotaru and young musicians Vladimir Ivasyuk, Vasily Zinkevich and others starred, the ensemble "Chervona Ruta" was created, which became extremely popular throughout the USSR and successfully toured in Poland .
In 1973, Sofia Rotaru won the Golden Orpheus competition in Bulgaria. In 1974, she graduated from the Chisinau Institute of Arts and won second place at the song festival in Sopot. From that time on, the singer began collaborating with composers Evgeniy Martynov and Evgeniy Doga.
In 1975, Rotaru, together with the Chervona Ruta ensemble, moved to Yalta. The official reason was her state of health, although conflicts with the Chernivtsi party leadership played a large role in the move.
In 1976, Sofia Rotaru became People's Artist Ukraine, was the first Soviet singer to record a disc in the Munich company "Ariola-Eurodisc GmbH" and began to take part in tours throughout Europe.
In 1979, Vladimir Ivasyuk died tragically under still unclear circumstances. The singer continued to tour, successfully participate in international and all-Union competitions, and act in films, but the Canadian tour of 1983 made Rotaru “not allowed to travel abroad.” In 1986, the singer changed the direction of her work - after parting with Chervona Ruta, she began a fruitful collaboration with Vladimir Matetsky, performing songs in the style of Europop and even hard rock.
In 1988, Rotaru was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR. The collapse of the USSR, which affected many artists, did not affect her - Sofia Mikhailovna continues to perform successfully in the post-Soviet space, Europe and the USA. Since 1995, she has become a regular participant in musical films, the songs from which have become hits.
Currently, Sofia Rotaru lives in Yalta, where her recording studio and her own hotel are located. Her beloved husband Anatoly died in 2002, and the singer remains faithful to his memory. Sofia has two grandchildren: Sofia Jr. (born in 2001) and Anatoly (born in 1994), who already works in one of modeling agencies London.
Sofia Rotaru ( full name- Sofia Mikhailovna Evdokimenko-Rotaru, Moldova. Sofia Rotaru, Ukrainian Sofia Rotaru) - famous Soviet, Ukrainian, Moldavian and Russian pop singer, actress.
S. M. Rotaru is a citizen of Ukraine, an honorary citizen of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Chernivtsi. Lives in Yalta and Kyiv. Possessing a soprano voice, she was the first of the famous Soviet pop singers to sing recitative and begin to use a rhythm computer in the musical arrangement of songs.
If there was a fire in your house, what would you take out first?
- I would run away.
(Interview "Cosmopolitan Sofia")
Rotaru Sofia Mikhailovna
Her repertoire includes more than 400 songs in Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian/Moldovan, Bulgarian, Serbian, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish and English languages.
Sofia Rotaru's career is marked by both all-Union and international success at music scene. In the Soviet media and society, she was recognized as one of the leading singers of the USSR; before the collapse of the USSR, the foreign press called her “Conductor of the USSR” (Dirigentin der UdSSR), comparing her with Nana Mouskouri. Nowadays she is called “legendary”, “queen of the stage”, “diva” and “golden voice of Ukraine”.
The work of S. Rotaru has been repeatedly awarded honorary titles: the title of Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1973), People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1976), People's Artist of the Moldavian SSR (1983), People's Artist of the USSR (1988), laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize, Hero of Ukraine, Knight of the Moldavian "Order of the Republic". In 2000, the Supreme Academic Council of Ukraine recognized her as the best Ukrainian pop singer of the 20th century.
Sofia Mikhailovna, how many languages do you know?
- I speak Moldovan, Ukrainian and Russian, but it is important that we understand each other.
(20.02.94, Kyiv, 18:15, response to a boy from the crowd)
Rotaru Sofia Mikhailovna
Sofia Rotaru is one of the highest paid singers in the world and the highest paid singer in Ukraine (in 2008, she declared the highest income in the country, which significantly exceeds 500 million hryvnia (~$100 million)). IN Lately S. Rotaru is also involved in entrepreneurship.
The village of Marshintsi, where the singer was born, was part of Romania until 1940, which was the reason different spellings singer's first and last name. In the credits of the film "Chervona Ruta" Sofia also appears with the surname Rotar. In earlier filming, the name was written Sophia.
Edita Piekha advised Sofia to write her surname in the Moldovan style with the letter “u” at the end. As it turned out, the new stage name is just a well-forgotten old one. Translated from Romanian, “Rotaru” means wheelwright.
Once again, Aurika can’t be heard at all!
- She sings along in Moldavian...
- She doesn’t sing along in Moldavian. Get it now, crests! Aurika, sing.
- I don’t sing at the beginning...
- And I say: sing.
(In response to the banter of Anatoly Kirillovich and Ilya Savelyevich towards Aurika Rotaru at one of the rehearsals in Krasnodar (`93))
Rotaru Sofia Mikhailovna
Sofia Rotaru was born on August 7, 1947, the second of six children, in the family of a winegrower foreman, in the village of Marshintsy (Novoselitsky district, Chernivtsi region, Ukrainian SSR).
Due to a mistake by the passport officer who wrote August 9 in the passport, the birthday is celebrated twice. Sofia Rotaru's father, having gone through the entire war as a machine gunner to Berlin, being wounded and returning home only in 1946, was the first in the village to join the party.
Older sister Zina (born October 11, 1942), suffered serious illness and lost her sight. Zina, having perfect pitch, easily memorized new songs and taught Sofia many folk songs, becoming both a second mother and a favorite teacher.
Make sure no one is visible. And me too…
(04/13/95, Kharkov, pyrotechnics - about smoke on stage...)
Rotaru Sofia Mikhailovna
In an interview given many years later, the singer admitted that she now gets up around 10 a.m., going to bed after two in the morning. Sofia Rotaru does not bargain on the market: “This is hellish work,” she told her husband, “don’t you dare.” Later, in the film “Where are you, love?”, an autobiographical episode will appear where Sofia Rotaru milks a cow.
Being lively and active, Sofia did a lot of sports and athletics. She became the school's all-around champion and went to regional competitions. At the regional sports festival in Chernivtsi, she became the winner in the 100 and 800 meters.
Later, she performed roles without stunt doubles in the film “Where Are You Love?”, driving along a narrow embankment in the middle of the sea on a motorcycle, as well as in the film “Monologue about Love,” where she windsurfs on the open sea.
They say that you started singing from the cradle?
-I couldn’t do it in diapers: the pacifier was in the way.
(Interview with the newspaper "Nedelya", 1978)
Rotaru Sofia Mikhailovna
Sofia's musical abilities showed up very early. Sofia Rotaru began singing in the first grade in the school choir, and also sang in the church choir (although this was not welcomed at school - she was even threatened with expulsion from the pioneers).
In her youth she was attracted to the theater, she studied in a drama club and sang at the same time folk songs in amateur performances, she took the only button accordion at school and at night, when the kerosene lamp in the house went out, she went into the barn and picked out her favorite melodies of Moldavian songs.
Her first teacher was her father, who himself loved to sing in his youth, possessing an absolute ear for music and a beautiful voice.
At school, Sofia learned to play the domra and button accordion, participated in amateur performances, and gave concerts in surrounding villages. She especially loved home concerts. The six children of Mikhail Fedorovich, the father of Sofia Rotaru, formed a well-coordinated choir. The father, believing in his daughter’s great future, said: “Sonya will be an artist.”
The first success came to Sofia Rotaru in 1962. Victory in the regional amateur art competition opened the way for her to the regional show. For her voice, her fellow countrymen awarded her the title “Bukovinian Nightingale.”
The young singer’s voice was unique in that, being an alto and having sung operatic works such as “Kiss Me Hard” in Spanish (the song was included in the collection “A Night at the Opera”), she became the first pop singer to sing recitative (singing later and rock and rap (“Chervona Ruta”, 2006, Sofia Rotaru and TNMK) and jazz (like the song “Flowers Store”) works).
The following year, 1963, in Chernivtsi, at a regional amateur art show, she also won a first-degree diploma.
As the winner, she was sent to Kyiv to participate in the Republican Festival of Folk Talents (1964). In the capital of the Ukrainian SSR, Rotaru was again the first.
On this occasion, her photo was placed on the cover of the magazine “Ukraine” No. 27 for 1965, after seeing which her future husband, Anatoly Evdokimenko, fell in love with her. After this competition National artist USSR Dmitry Gnatyuk told his fellow countrymen: “This is your future celebrity. Mark my words."
After winning the republican competition and graduating from school in 1964, Sofia firmly decided to become a singer and entered the conducting and choral department (since there was no vocal department) of the Chernivtsi Music College.
In 1964, Sofia sang for the first time on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. At the same time, in the Urals, in Nizhny Tagil, a young guy from Chernivtsi was serving - Anatoly Evdokimenko, the son of a builder and a teacher, who also had “one music” (as Sofia’s mother said to her daughter) in his head. Anatoly Evdokimenko graduated music school, played the trumpet, planning to create an ensemble.
The same issue of the magazine “Ukraine” with a photograph came to his unit beautiful girl on the cover, after which he returned and began looking for Sofia. He, being a student at Chernivtsi University and a trumpeter in the student pop orchestra, opened a pop orchestra for Sofia, since before that violins and cymbals were used to accompany Rotaru’s songs.
Sofia Rotaru still devotes a significant place in her concert programs to folk songs in modern arrangements. The first pop song performed by Sofia Rotaru was “Mama” by Bronevitsky.
In 1968, after graduating from music school, Rotaru was delegated as part of a creative group to Bulgaria for the IX World Festival of Youth and Students, where she won a gold medal and first prize in a competition for folk song performers.
Bulgarian newspapers were full of headlines: “21-year-old Sofia conquered Sofia.” This is how the performance of the Ukrainian folk song “I Stand on the Stones” and the Moldavian “I Love Spring”, as well as “Step” by A. Pashkevich and “Valentina” by G. Georgitsa were appreciated.
The last song was dedicated to the first female cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union, Valentina Tereshkova, who was present in the hall. The chairman of the jury, Lyudmila Zykina, then said about Rotaru: “This is a singer with a great future...”
After graduating from music school, she became a teacher. In the same 1968, Sofia Rotaru married Anatoly Evdokimenko, who, after graduating from Chernivtsi University, did an internship in Novosibirsk and was also a trumpeter in the student pop orchestra. The young family spent their honeymoon in the dormitory of the 105th military plant.
Anatoly Evdokimenko worked at the plant named after. Lenin, and Sofia Rotaru cooked food for everyone, and in the evenings she sang at the Otdykh club. The newlyweds left after 3 months. In an interview, Sofia Rotaru admitted that after a year of marriage she began to dream of a child. At the same time, Anatoly Evdokimenko had other creative plans and continued his studies.
Then they lived with their parents in a two-room apartment; he had not yet graduated from university. Sofia Rotaru lied: “Listen, the doctor said that I will soon become a mother. Although in reality I was not in a position at that moment - I had to use a little feminine trick. Tolik shook his head: “Well, good.” He relaxed, let down his guard and began to wait for the heir to be born.
The child was born eleven months later. “Now I believe that I did everything right, then I simply wouldn’t have time - these endless tours would begin.” Before giving birth, she hurried home to iron the dress she wore to the maternity hospital with her husband, since looking amazing in any situation was her lifestyle. On August 24, 1970, son Ruslan was born.
In 1971, at Ukrtelefilm, director Roman Alekseev made a musical film about tender and pure love a mountain girl and a Donetsk boy - “Chervona Ruta” (Chervona Ruta is the name of a flower taken from an ancient Carpathian legend. Ruta blooms only on the night of Ivan Kupala, and the girl who manages to see the blooming rue will be happy in love).
Sofia Rotaru became the main character film. Songs by composer V. Ivasyuk and other authors were also performed by V. Zinkevich, N. Yaremchuk and other singers. The film was a significant success. After the release of the film, Sofia Rotaru received an invitation to work at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic and create her own ensemble, the name of which appeared by itself - “Chervona Ruta”.
As a result of collaboration with composer Vladimir Ivasyuk, a cycle of songs was created based on folklore material and a style of performance using instruments and arrangements typical of pop music of the 60s and 70s.
This led to the enormous popularity of Rotaru in the Ukrainian SSR. Assessing the role of Sofia Rotaru in popularizing Ivasyuk’s songs, his father, the famous Ukrainian writer M. Ivasyuk, 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.”
The debut performance of “Chervona Ruta” was in Star City with Soviet cosmonauts. It was there that Sofia Rotaru and the ensemble “Chervona Ruta” first announced themselves as outstanding representatives of an entire direction of Soviet pop art, a characteristic feature of which is the combination of elements in the repertoire and style of performance folk music with modern rhythms.
Cosmonaut V. Shatalov, on behalf of his colleagues, wished her great success in songwriting. This stage was followed by the stage of the Central Concert Hall "Russia", the Kremlin Palace and the stage of the Variety Theater.
The singer's outward restraint left no room for fussiness and unjustified gesticulation. This was the beginning of widespread recognition of Sofia Rotaru. Since 1971, Sofia Rotaru has been counting her professional creative activity.
Its authors were V. Ivasyuk, a music school student Valery Gromtsev, the head of the Smerichka VIA Levko Dutkovsky, and the mentors were the deputy director of the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Pincus Abramovich Falik and his wife, Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR Sidi Lvovna Tal.
Falik was at that time one of the largest administrators with international recognition. Before the outbreak of World War II, he was the producer of the famous English singer Geri Scott.
The first professional program of “Chervona Ruta” was not approved by the artistic council, because instead of the theme “love, Komsomol and spring” she sang “Enemies burned their home.” The commission of the Ministry of Culture did not like this, and the program was banned.
After Falik’s call to Moscow, “Chervona Ruta”, bypassing all prohibitions, was included in the “Soviet and Foreign Pop Stars” program and the ensemble found itself in the company of the Germans, Bulgarians, Czechs, and Yugoslavs.
In Tashkent, people mistook her for a foreigner and after the concert they asked if she liked Soviet Union, where she learned to sing in Russian so well. In Grozny, at the stadium, while performing, the singer’s zipper on her back burst, which was noticed by the audience. The singer held the dress until one of the spectators pinned it.
Thanks to the popularization of her work by the official Soviet authorities as an example of international Soviet culture (the ethnic Moldavian sang songs in Moldavian, Ukrainian and Russian), as well as the sincere sympathy of a multimillion-dollar audience, Rotaru had a constant audience on radio and television, and conducted active concert activities.
In 1972, with the program “Songs and Dances of the Land of the Soviets,” Sofia Rotaru and “Chervona Ruta” took part in a tour of Poland.
In 1973, the Golden Orpheus competition took place in Burgas (Bulgaria). Rotaru received first prize there, performing “My City” by Evgeniy Doga and the song in Bulgarian “Bird” by T. Rusev and D. Demyanov. 1973 brought her the title of Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. The songs “Codri” and “My City” performed by her in the Moldovan language were recorded in the film “Spring Consonances - 73”.
In 1973, for the first time, he became a laureate in the finals of the “Song of the Year” festival with the song “My City” (translated from Moldavian to the Russian version, which immediately became the calling card of Chisinau).
In 1974 she won first prize at the festival in Sopot (Poland).
Since the 1970s, songs performed by Sofia Rotaru have constantly become winners of the “Song of the Year”. They were created in collaboration with the best composers and poets of the country.
Arno Babajanyan wrote “Give Back the Music to Me”, Alexey Mazhukov - “And the Music Sounds” and “Red Arrow”, Pavel Aedonitsky - “For Those Who Wait”, Oscar Feltsman - “Only for You”, David Tukhmanov - “Stork on the Roof” , “In My House” and “Waltz”, Yuri Saulsky - “An Ordinary Story” and “Autumn Melody”, Alexandra Pakhmutova - “Temp”, Raymond Pauls- “Dance on the Drum”, Alexander Zatsepin - “Just like on Earth”, etc.
Sofia Rotaru was the first performer of songs by composer Evgeny Martynov, such as “Swan Fidelity”, “Apple Trees in Blossom” and “Ballad of Mother”. The “patriotic line” in Rotaru’s work is widely known; songs such as “My Motherland”, “Happiness to you, My Land” are rightfully considered masterpieces of patriotic Soviet song.
In 1974, Sofia Rotaru graduated from the Chisinau Institute of Arts. G. Muzichesku and became a laureate of the Amber Nightingale festival in Sopot (Poland), where she performed “Memories” by B. Rychkov and “Vodograi” by Vladimir Ivasyuk. For her performance of the Polish song “Someone” from Halina Frontskowiak’s repertoire (Russian text by A. Dementiev), the singer received second prize.
In creativity, contact with the public is most important for Rotaru - a well-known technique is entering the hall and performing songs directly with the audience. In one of her interviews, she said that “the most important thing for a singer is public recognition, and no one needs awards.”
Sofia Rotaru said: “I was the first performer of many songs by one of my favorite composers, Evgeniy Martynov. I love his “Swan Fidelity”, “Ballad of Mother”.
My repertoire includes songs of different genres, but almost always - a dramatic plot, a dramatic melody. A song for me is a small short story with its own world of feelings, dramatic structure, and characters.”
The album “Sofia Rotaru” of 1974, as well as the musical television film “The Song is Always with Us”, outlined the priorities of the singer’s creativity in the 1970s - the lyrics of the Lviv composer Vladimir Ivasyuk and the dramatic songs of the Moscow composer Evgeny Martynov.
The joint work of Evgeny Martynov and the poet Andrei Dementyev - “The Ballad of a Mother” - performed by Sofia Rotaru became a laureate of the television competition “Song-74”.
This dramatic story about the unhealing wounds of a long-past war, the cry of a woman who saw her forever lost son brought to life for a moment on a movie screen.
This performance showed the ability to dramatize and play the song theatrically, which revealed new qualities of the songs and new expressive capabilities of the singer and future actress.
In 1975, at the “Song-75” festival, songs performed by Sofia Rotaru “Swan Fidelity” and “Apple Trees in Blossom” reached the finals. The song “Darkie” was performed with the Yugoslav singer Miki Efremovich. A year later, the songs “Give Me Back the Music” and “Dark Night” made it to the finals of the festival. The second of them was performed with Anatoly Mokrenko.
In 1975, Sofia Rotaru, together with the Chervona Ruta ensemble, moved to Yalta, because the singer had problems with the Chernivtsi Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR. Sofia Rotaru's father, Mikhail Fedorovich, was expelled from the CPSU and fired from his job, and the singer's brother was expelled from the Komsomol and the university due to the fact that the family continued to celebrate an unofficial holiday - the Old New Year.
At the same time, during a tour in Crimea, the singer received an invitation from Alexei Chernyshev, director of the Crimean Philharmonic and Nikolai Kirichenko, first secretary of the Crimean Regional Committee, to move to Crimea, where Sofia Rotaru became a soloist in the same year.
People said that Sofia Rotaru moved to Yalta due to the onset of asthma, the reason for these rumors was the singer’s excessive thinness, and she actually often performed, having a cold, in the cold, giving 3-4 concerts a day.
In 1976, Sofia Rotaru became People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR and laureate of the LKSMU Prize. Ostrovsky.
In 1976, the Munich company Ariola-Eurodisc GmbH (Sony BMG Music Entertainment) invited Sofia Rotaru, the only singer from the USSR, to record an EP of two German songs, it was released in 1978, with the name Deine Zartlichkeit, consisting of two songs on German- Deine Zartlichkeit (Your tenderness) and Nachts, wenn die Nebel ziehen (At night when the mists spread), written in collaboration with Michael Kunze and Anthony Monn, who at that time also began working with Amanda Lear, Karel Gott.
At the end of the 70s, there were deafening tours in Europe: Yugoslavia, Romania, East Germany, Germany, West Berlin. In the fall of 1979 alone, Sofia Rotaru gave more than 20 concerts in Munich and other cities.
A West German company offered to release a disc with Italian and French songs. The Italian language of Sofia is very close, just like French - languages belonging to the same language group - Romance, like Moldavian. At the same time, a directive came from the State Concert to sing only Soviet songs.
Official information about the content of cooperation with a Western record company appeared only in the mid-80s, almost ten years after the release of the single, after perestroika began.
From an interview with Moskovskaya Pravda, March 13, 1979: - The Munich company Ariola, which gave worldwide fame to Mireille Mathieu, Karel Gott and many other foreign pop singers, invited you, by the way, so far the only singer from the USSR, to record on a large disk. Tell us about this work. - The first test album of two songs in German has already been released.
Now I am going again to Germany, to Munich, where the same company will release a large disc, which will include folk songs and songs of Soviet composers.
But the recording of a large disc did not take place, since Western producers offered Sofia Mikhailovna to record a large studio disc, which, in addition to songs in German, should have included French, Italian, English, such as “Say that you love” by Nino Rota from “The Godfather” on original language (Speak Softly Love).
In 1977, the next long-playing album “Songs of Volodymyr Ivasyuk Sings Sofia Rotaru” (“Sofia Rotaru sings the songs of Vladimir Ivasyuk”) was released - the record became a symbol in the discography of the Ukrainian stage, for which the singer received the Komsomol Central Committee Prize.
At “Song-77” Sofia performed the song “Seagulls over the Water” by E. Martynov and A. Dementiev, at “Song-78” - “Only for You” by O. Feltsman and R. Rozhdestvensky, as well as “Father’s House” by E. Martynov and A. Dementyev in a duet with Czech singer Karel Gott.
In 1979, the Melodiya company released several albums performed by Sofia Rotaru: LP “Only for You”, LP “Sofia Rotaru”. Studio "Ariola" has released the long-awaited giant disc "Sofia Rotaru - Mu tenderness". According to Sofia Rotaru, working on a recording certainly helps improve performing skills, being an excellent opportunity to listen to yourself from the outside and draw critical conclusions.
Among the compositions of 1979, the songs by composer David Tukhmanov “Let's give the globe to the children”, performed with children's choirs, and the legendary song based on the poems of Robert Rozhdestvensky “My Motherland” stand out. Having performed the last song, Sofia Rotaru became the first rap performer in the USSR. The song received mixed reactions.
Remembering her on anniversary party in 2000, Tukhmanov said “The texts were opportunistic, but the emotions were real.” Sofia Rotaru emphasized in one of her interviews that the song speaks exclusively about love for the homeland. Also in 1979, the singer released compositions by Ion Aldea-Teodorovich - “Crede ma” and Yuri Saulsky - “Autumn Melody”, A. Ekimyan - “What can you compare love with?”
The last two songs won “Song of the Year” in 1979. The song “Autumn Melody” based on the verses of L. Zavalnyuk was an example of lyrical revelation. Sofia Rotaru successfully played on the contrast of the song with a static stage performance, but instead of a quiet performance, she sang the line “High melancholy, not explained in words,” loudly and shrilly, thus uninhibiting the manner of performance.
There is no dramatic sketch in the performance, but there is a fragment of a confession that the singer makes public: “Whoever has not lost friends and loved ones, Let him laugh at me!”
On May 18, 1979, Vladimir Ivasyuk tragically died, at the very peak of his popularity. For Sofia Rotaru, Ivasyuk wrote some of the best songs, which are included by the singer today in the first part of her concert programs. The song “Chervona Ruta” has become the so-called calling card of Rotaru, traditionally opening the singer’s programs, in different arrangements.
Sofia Rotaru said about Ivasyuk: “There will never be another composer like this in Ukraine.” The mystery of the death of Vladimir Ivasyuk has not yet been solved. After the tragic death of Ivasyuk, a number of works by composers from Moldova (in particular, the Teodorovich brothers) appeared in the singer’s repertoire.
After Sofia Rotaru stopped collaborating with Moldovan authors, in particular with Evgeniy Doga, the latter, in retaliation, actively spread rumors that Sofia Rotaru’s voice was being collected from notes on a computer.
The performance of songs in different languages gave rise to disputes about Rotaru’s belonging to Moldavian or Ukrainian culture. She was considered “one of our own” in Russia, and in Armenia the question was even raised about conferring the title of “Honored Artist of the Armenian SSR.” During the collapse of the USSR in 1991, there was even a joke that during the negotiations in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the question was raised about “how we will divide Rotaru.”
The singer herself, who has lived her entire life on the territory of Ukraine (Marshintsy, Chernivtsi, Yalta, Kyiv), has always positioned herself as a citizen of Ukraine, without denying her Moldovan origin.
In 1980, Sofia Rotaru won 1st prize at an international competition in Tokyo for her performance of the Yugoslav song “Promise” and was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.
The singer continued to experiment with her image and appeared on stage for the first time among domestic female artists in a trouser suit, this time performing the hip-hop song “Temp” by Alexandra Pakhmutova with lyrics by Nikolai Dobronravov.
The songs “Temp” and “Expectation” were written for the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow and were included in the cultural program of the Games. "Temp" was also featured on the soundtrack to feature film“The Ballad of Sports” directed by Yuri Ozerov. In 1980, the singer again qualified for the final of the Song of the Year, performing “My Land” by N. Mozgovoy and “Waiting” by Yu. Saulsky and L. Zavalnyuk.
In 1980, the film “Where Are You, Love?” was released. (original title “Year of Vocation”), filmed at the “Moldova-film” studio, in which, among many songs, the singer performed the song “First Rain”, without an understudy, riding on the back of a motorcycle along a narrow embankment in the middle of the sea.
According to the autobiographical plot, a rural singer is invited to join the ensemble, with which she wins the Grand Prix at an international festival with the song “Where are you, love?” R. Pauls to poems by I. Reznik.
At the box office, the film was watched by about 22 million viewers. In the same year, a double album was released - “Songs from the film “Where are you, love?”” with songs from the film of the same name by composers E. Martynov, O. Feltsman, A. Babajanyan, D. Tukhmanov. A. Mazhukov’s composition “Red Arrow” in 1980 became the debut of the young poet Nikolai Zinoviev in the pop genre.
The song was banned on All-Union Radio by the head of the music editorial office, Gennady Cherkasov, because he did not like the way Sofia Rotaru sang. But since the song premiered on television, it managed to become famous even without radio airplay.
In 1981, the film received the jury prize for popularizing the song creativity of Soviet composers at the XIV All-Union Film Festival in Vilnius in the feature films section.
This film was Sofia Rotaru's first experience in feature cinema. Many critics called this role a failure, nevertheless, the film won the love of the audience, and the songs sounded in the film became legendary: “Red Arrow” (music by Alexei Mazhukov, lyrics by Nikolai Zinoviev), “Where are you, love?” (music by Raymond Pauls, lyrics by Ilya Reznik), “Dance on the Drum” (music by Raymond Pauls, lyrics by Andrei Voznesensky).
The next stage of creativity began with the search for a new style - rock music and the film “Soul” with “Time Machine” in 1981 with songs by A. Zatsepin and A. Makarevich. Having received the first offer in Yalta to star in the leading role in the film, Sofia Rotaru refused, she was so sick and the doctors did not recommend her not only filming, but also further performances.
This prompted Alexander Borodyansky and Alexander Stefanovich to describe an autobiographical story about a dramatic situation in the singer’s life, about the loss of her voice, and the revelation of her soul at that moment (dialogue on the pier with an elderly man) followed by a reassessment of values.
Having seen the new rewritten script, as well as songs written in a completely new style for the singer, Sofia Rotaru agreed, moreover, she agreed to give up concert performances for a while in order to star in the film.
Thus, the film became a musical melodrama, touching not only on the artist’s private life and human relationships, but also on the issue of attitude towards talent and the responsibility of talent to those for whom he creates. Rotaru’s partner in the film was actor Rolan Bykov, the lyrical hero was played by Leningrad actor Mikhail Boyarsky, and the rock group “Time Machine” was the new group of singer Victoria Svobodina. The film was watched at the box office by about 54 million viewers.
Sofia Rotaru reached the final of “Song of the Year” in 1982 with the songs “Melancolie” by P. Teodorovich and G. Vieru and “Get Up!” R. Amirkhanyan and H. Zakiyan. “Song 1983” included the songs “Happiness to you, my land” by Y. Saulsky and L. Zavalnyuk and “And the music sounds” by A. Mazhukov and N. Zinoviev.
After concerts in Canada and the release of the Canadian album in Toronto, Canadian Tour 1983, in 1983, Sofia Rotaru and her team became restricted from traveling abroad for five years. There was no official reason, but when the State Concert received calls from abroad, they refused under the pretext that “she doesn’t work here.”
During the recording of the record in Germany, the State Concert gave her a rate of 6 rubles per minute of sound. The German side had to pay 156 marks and called back to Moscow. The next day, the translator told Sofia Rotaru: “Our boss decided to give you a small present, because Moscow does not allow you to increase the rate...” “I regret one thing - that this happened in my younger years, when so much could have been done,” said Sofia Rotaru .
In 1983, Sofia Rotaru gave 137 concerts on collective and state farms in Crimea. The collective farm "Russia" of the Crimean region and the Ministry of Culture of the Moldavian SSR nominated concert programs of Rotaru of 83–84 for the USSR State Prize. However, the famous singer was not awarded the prize, since all her solo concerts since the late 70s have been held exclusively with a plus soundtrack.
In 1983, Sofia Rotaru received the title of People's Artist of Moldova. In the same year, while listening to a melody specially written for her by the composer Kiriyak with the poet Vieru, Rotaru insisted on words about romance.
She was supported by her husband and artistic director Anatoly Evdokimenko, and the poet wrote, but about the singer. Romantica is an adjective in Moldovan that means “romantic”.
In 1984, she presented “Romantica” at the “Song of the Year” festival. This song is included in most solo programs, including the latest ones. The second song performed was “I Can’t Forget” (composer D. Tukhmanov with lyrics by V. Kharitonov). The singer performed it in the dramatic image of a courageous nurse of the Second World War. Rotaru was invited to the GDR TV program “The Motley Cauldron”, where she performed the song in German.
In 1984, the LP “Tender Melody” was released. The album was a return to the original image with the song “Melancolie” (“Tender Melody”) by Zinoviev. In 1985, Sofia Rotaru received the “Golden Disc” prize from the All-Union company “Melodiya” for the albums “Sofia Rotaru” and “Tender Melody” - the best-selling records of the year in the USSR, selling more than 1,000,000 copies. In the same year, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
At the finale of “Song-85” the audience together with the singer sang “Stork on the Roof” by D. Tukhmanov and A. Poperechny and “In My House” by D. Tukhmanov and A. Sayed-Shah.
In the mid-1980s, a certain turning point emerged in creativity. The musical film “Monologue about Love” (1986) was imbued with the search for a new aesthetics of creativity, in which, unlike the previous “Sofia Rotaru is inviting you” (1985), only I. Poklad’s composition “Water Flows” bore the same folklore character and the image of a collective farm girl, became a star. In the film “Monologue about Love,” Sofia Rotaru performed the song “Amor” as a windsurfer, on the high seas and without an understudy.
“Monologue about Love” - an album released in 1986 with soundtracks and songs from the musical film of the same name, became Rotaru’s last work with the original Ukrainian composers. The ensemble "Chervona Ruta" returned to Ukrainian song and left the singer, which came as a big surprise for Rotaru and Anatoly Evdokimenko, artistic director of Chervona Ruta.
In one of her interviews, Sofia Rotaru answered a journalist’s question “Have you ever been truly scared?” answered: “When I was betrayed.
This was connected with the “Chervona Ruta” collective, which Tolik (A. Evdokimenko) organized at one time. It was the peak of popularity, when we were carried in our arms, when cars were lifted at concerts. It seemed to the guys that they could count on success without me, that I treated them wrong, that the repertoire was wrong, that they received little money... When Tolik and I left for our homeland, they got together and decided that they didn’t need us. They left with a scandal and with the name “Chervona Ruta.”
A sharp change in the direction of Rotaru’s work occurred after the start of collaboration with composer Vladimir Matetsky in 1986. “Lavender” and “Moon, Moon” by Muscovite Vladimir Matetsky have already appeared - two of the most popular songs of the USSR in 1986. The joint album of Rotaru and Matetsky “Golden Heart” was recorded with Moscow studio musicians.
Sofia Rotaru moved on to Europop compositions (“It was, but it’s gone”, “Moon”), up to hard rock elements (“My Time”, “Only This Is Not Enough”). Matetsky and his co-author, poet Mikhail Shabrov, practically monopolized the right to collaborate with Rotaru over the next 15 years, producing talented works that were included in large numbers in concert programs in 1990-2000, and became popular due to Rotaru’s charismatic personality and her extraordinary vocal abilities .
This collaboration began with the song “Lavender”, written by V. Matetsky in 1985 for her duet with Jaak Joala and which has not yet lost its popularity. “Lavender” was followed by “Moon, Moon”, “It Was, But It’s Gone”, “Wild Swans”, “The Farmer”, “It’s September”, “Moonlight Rainbow”, “Stars Like Stars”, “Night Moth”, “Heart of Gold” ", "My life, my love" and many others.
In 1986, composer V. Migulya wrote the song “Life” especially for the singer, which was heard very rarely, but is memorable to listeners to this day.
Active touring activities and constant presence on music broadcasts led to the fact that by the end of the 80s S. Rotaru objectively became the leader of Soviet song art. On May 11, 1988, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, the first modern pop singer, for her great services in the development of Soviet musical art.
At the same time, the transition to the Russian-language repertoire caused a certain rejection in Ukraine. Accusations of betrayal of national culture, in addition to the general growth of nationalism, were actively fueled by Soviet state production structures, philharmonic societies and concert associations, which lost during the economic reforms control over the financial side of Rotaru’s concert activities.
In order to avoid large-scale provocations, Rotaru refused to participate in the Chervona Ruta festival, held in her homeland in 1989. In the late 80s, strained interethnic relations led to the fact that in 1989, at a national concert in Lviv at the Druzhba stadium, part of the audience, opposed to Sofia Rotaru, greeted the singer with posters “Sofia, punishment awaits you!” and whistling, which led to clashes with her fans.
Nevertheless, Sofia Rotaru continued to sing Ukrainian songs and constantly included them in the first sections of concert programs. New songs of this period in the Ukrainian language were the works of N. Mozgovoy (“The Edge”, “The Day Is Gone”), A. Bliznyuk (“Echo of Fidelity”), E. Rybchinsky (“Flowing Water”), Y. Rybchinsky (“Ball of the Separated hearts"), and later - R. Quint (“Checkay”, “One viburnum”, “Fog”).
At the same time, she prepared and presented to the viewer in 1991 new program, included in the album Romance, half of which consisted of remakes of songs by Ivasyuk and other famous Ukrainian composers and poets in the Ukrainian language, in particular, “Chervona Ruta”, “Cheremshina”, “Klenovy Vogon”, “Edge”, “Sizocriliy Bird”, “Zhovtiy” leaf”, which became a classic of Ukrainian pop song, after which such accusations fell apart.
In 1991, the next work of Rotaru and Matetsky was released - the LP “Caravan of Love” (Sintez Records, Riga, Latvia), also with a noticeable influence in the style of hard rock and metal, which was at the peak of its popularity at that time. Simultaneously with the album, a musical television film of the same name and a concert program, Golden Heart, were released, which became the last program of the singer during the USSR - in 1991, the union state did not exist, and Rotaru could not be divided between Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.
The collapse of the Union affected the geography of Sofia Rotaru's travels. The USSR Ministry of Culture obliged artists to tour “hot spots.” Having refused at first, Rotaru prepared the programs “Friends Remain Friends” and “Caravan of Love” presented in Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Tbilisi, Baku and Yerevan.
The concerts took place in rooms with inadequate conditions, which ultimately led to pneumonia. Sofia Rotaru said “I was warned: don’t go down to the hall, you never know. They even posted security. And I believe: what you go to a person with is what he will repay you with.”
In the late 80s, while participating in a group concert, Sofia Rotaru drew attention to the performance of the ballet “Todes” and invited her to collaborate. Show ballet dances have many complex elements; there are various genres: from tango to break.
Dancing "Todes" made her songs more spectacular from a stage point of view. In the concert programs of this period, Sofia Rotaru danced almost all songs with “Todes”. This creative union lasted about five years. Alla Dukhova, artistic director of the ballet, said that it was with Rotaru that the Todes ballet began its successful activities.
In 1991, Sofia Rotaru presented in Moscow an anniversary program dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the singer’s creative activity, decorated with laser graphics, candles and fantastic decorations in the form of a moving red flower from the legend of Chervona Ruta, from which the singer entered the stage.
The anniversary concerts “Flowers of Sofia Rotaru” took place at the State Central Concert Hall “Russia”. Central television broadcast this program, and it was released on video in the TV version of the concert.
Remaining faithful to the composition of the first part of her concert programs, the singer sang songs of her youth, but in bold remix versions of songs by Ivasyuk and other famous Ukrainian composers and poets in the Ukrainian language, in particular, “Chervona Ruta”, “Cheremshina”, “Klenovy Vogon” , “Edge”, “Blue Bird”, “Zhovty Leaf”, which have become classics of Ukrainian pop songs, as well as the new “Tango”, “Wild Swans” and others.
The Smerichka ensemble, which starred with Rotaru in the film Chervona Ruta, also took part in the concert. Closing the second part was the song “Echo”, with the words: “It takes years to become younger... Songs and poems go to people...”
After the collapse of the USSR and the commercialization of the musical space, the singer did not lose her leading position in show business and has a stable audience, including in the Russian-speaking diaspora in Europe and the USA. In 1992, a super hit was released by Rotaru - “Khutoryanka” (music by Vladimir Matetsky, lyrics by Mikhail Shabrov), according to the singer ““This song is for any audience!” The song was rotated in the lists of the “Soundtrack” hit parade of the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets”.
The singer left the Philharmonic and continued recording songs at her own studio in Yalta. In 1993, the first two CDs of the collection of the singer’s best songs were released - “Sofia Rotaru” and “Lavender”, then “Golden Songs 1985/95” and “Khutoryanka”.
In 1995, Sofia Rotaru starred in the musical film “Old Songs about the Main Thing” by the ORT television company (director Dmitry Fiks, producer Konstantin Ernst), performing the song “What You Were” (music by I. Dunaevsky, lyrics by M. Isakovsky).
In August 1996, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the Honorary Distinction of the President of Ukraine. In the same year, at “Song-96”, Sofia Rotaru was recognized as “Best Pop Singer of 1996” and was awarded the Klavdia Shulzhenko Prize.
In 1996, the songs “Night of Love” by Laura Quint with lyrics by M. Denisov and “There is No Place for Me in Your Heart” by Vladimir Matetsky with lyrics by Mikhail Faibushevich made it to the finals of the competition. “Swan Fidelity” was also performed, but was not broadcast on television.
In 1997, Sofia Rotaru starred in the musical film “10 Songs about Moscow” by the NTV television company (project of Leonid Parfenov and Janik Fayziev), with the song “Moscow in May” (music by D. and Dm. Pokrass, lyrics by V. Lebedev-Kumach) with the group "Ivanushki International".
In 1997, Sofia Rotaru became an Honorary Citizen of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; winner of the honorary prize of the President of Ukraine L. Kuchma for his outstanding contribution to the development of pop art “Song Vernissage” and Knight of the Order of the Republic of Moldova.
On September 16, 1997, at the age of 77, Sofia Rotaru’s mother, Alexandra Ivanovna Rotaru (born April 17, 1920), died. Before these events, Sofia Rotaru repeatedly canceled performances in the concert schedule, anniversary concerts, filming, and other tours.
On the set of the finale of “Songs-97”, the singer performed the songs “Your Sad Eyes” (by Vladimir Matetsky, lyrics by Liliana Vorontsova), as well as “There Was a Time” (by Vladimir Matetsky, lyrics by Mikhail Faibushevich) and “Sweater” (by Vladimir Matetsky, lyrics by Alexander Shaganov ). As the chairman of the jury at the “Song Vernissage”, Sofia Rotaru noticed the performance of the young Lviv modern ballet “Akverias” under the direction of Oksana Lan and invited them to her program.
In 1998, Sofia Rotaru’s first official (numbered) CD was released, the album “Love Me,” released on the Extraphone label. In April of this year at the State Kremlin Palace The premiere of Rotaru’s new solo program “Love Me” took place in Moscow.
Also in 1998, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the “Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” “For increasing goodness on Earth.” Sofia Rotaru becomes an Honorary Citizen of the city of Chernivtsi.
In 1999, the Star Records label released two more CD collections of the singer in the “Star Series”. Based on the results of 1999, Sofia Rotaru was recognized best singer Ukraine in the “Traditional Variety” category, receiving the “Golden Firebird”, as well as special award"for his contribution to the development of domestic pop music."
In the same year, the singer was awarded the “Order of St. Princess Olga, III degree” for special personal merits in the development of song creativity, many years of fruitful concert activity and high performing skills. The Russian Biographical Institute recognized the singer as Person of the Year 1999.
In 2000, in Kyiv, Sofia Rotaru was recognized as “Man of the 20th Century”, “Best Ukrainian Pop Singer of the 20th Century”, “Golden Voice of Ukraine”, Winner of the “Prometheus - Prestige” Award, “Woman of the Year”. In the same year, Sofia Rotaru became the Laureate of the Ovation Prize, “For a special contribution to the development of the Russian stage.” In August 2000, the singer’s official website was opened.
In December 2001, Sofia Rotaru released a new solo concert program “My Life is My Love!” on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his creative activity. The expression of the 70s was supplemented by the lyricism of the 80s, the drive of the 90s and the play of halftones, on which Rotaru the director and Rotaru the singer built her program, combining new songs and hits of past years, read in a new way.
Many of her songs, no matter how many years ago they were sung, do not fit into the “retro” format, continuing to sound modern in every new concert program of the singer. The program premiered on December 13-15 at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
Sofia Rotaru also presented her new solo program “My Life is My Love…” in other cities of Russia, Ukraine and Germany. In this program, the singer performed independently for the first time as a production director, where Boris Krasnov worked with her for the first time as a production designer.
Before solo concerts in Moscow, the film and video association “Close-up” presented a video version of the film “Soul” filmed by the Mosfilm film studio in 1981 with Sofia Rotaru in the title role. The film took 5th place at the box office in the USSR and is considered this moment(2009) Rotaru’s most successful film work.
In 2002, the song “My Life, My Love” opened “New Year’s Light” on the ORT channel. On January 20, the premiere of the television version of Sofia Rotaru’s anniversary solo program “My Life is My Love” took place, which was also released on video. On March 2, Sofia Rotaru performed for the first time with a club concert at the Metelitsa entertainment complex, which became an event in the cultural life of Moscow.
On March 6, President of Ukraine L. D. Kuchma awarded Sofia Rotaru the Order of “Holy Princess Olga” for “significant labor achievements, high professionalism and on the occasion of the International Day of Women’s Rights and Peace.”
In April, the first part of the singer’s large All-Russian tour began, covering most regions of Russia from the Far East to the South of Russia. The second part of the tour took place in September 2002, before touring cities in Germany.
Released in 2002 new album"I still love you." The official release of the album took place on April 23 at the Extraphone studio in Moscow. This album became the first production experience of Ruslan Evdokimenko, who attracted talented young authors Ruslan Kvinta and Dmitry Malikov to create songs.
Nevertheless, most of the compositions, as in the previous album “Love Me” from 1998, are the work of composer Vladimir Matetsky. The variety of styles of each song and the youth drive of “Girls with a Guitar” (considered the weakest by music critics, and which Sofia Rotaru dedicated to the birth of her granddaughter) appeared for the first time in more than 30 years of Sofia Rotaru’s work, along with remixes of the songs “You Don’t Ask” (author Rimma Kazakova) and “My life, my love” (in R&B style).
Part of the edition was issued as a gift, including a bonus track new song“Let It Go” and an exclusive gift-poster with Sofia Rotaru’s autograph.
May 24 in Kyiv in front of the building International Center culture and arts, a solemn opening ceremony of the Ukrainian Avenue of Stars took place, among which the “Star of Sofia Rotaru” was lit. On August 7, the singer’s birthday, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the highest title in Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine, “for significant personal services to the Ukrainian state in the development of art, dedicated work in the field of preserving national and cultural traditions, and enhancing the heritage of the people of Ukraine.”
On August 9, 2002, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the Order of Honor by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “For her great contribution to the development of pop art and strengthening Russian-Ukrainian cultural ties.”
On August 17 in Yalta, on City Day, Sofia Rotaru presented to more than 6 thousand spectators at the Avangard stadium a show with light, laser and pyrotechnic special effects, specially brought from Kyiv. Also in the summer, remastered versions of the albums “Golden Songs 85–95” and “Khutoryanka” were released on the “Extraphone” label (Moscow, Russia). Part of this edition was released as a gift with a bonus track and an autographed poster of the singer.
On October 23, after another stroke, Sofia Rotaru’s husband Anatoly Kirillovich Evdokimenko (producer and artistic director of the Chervona Ruta group, director of most of the singer’s concert programs) died in a Kyiv clinic.
Sofia Rotaru canceled all concert performances and television filming, refused to participate in the filming of the musical “Cinderella”, and for the first time in 30 years did not take part in the final of the “Song of the Year” festival. After a bereavement, Rotaru temporarily stopped active touring.
On December 25, the official release of Sofia Rotaru’s song collection “The Snow Queen” took place, released on the “Extraphone” label (Moscow, Russia). Part of the album's circulation came with an exclusive gift from Sofia Rotaru - a poster of the singer.
In 2002, the official release of the video version of the film “Where Are You, Love?” directed by Valeriu Gagiu, released by the film studio “Moldova-Film” in 1980. The video version of the film was published by ARENA Corporation. Starring Sofia Rotaru, Grigore Grigoreu, Konstantin Konstantinov, Evgeniy Menshov, Ekaterina Kazemirova, Victor Chutak. The singer begins collaboration with guitarist Vasily Bogatyrev.
At the end of 2002, Sofia Rotaru took 2nd place in popularity among all domestic performers and groups in Russia (the study was conducted by the sociological service of the Gallup Institute).
In 2003, Sofia Rotaru appeared in the composition “White Dance”, by Ukrainian authors Oleg Makarevich and Vitaly Kurovsky. A new stage of her work began with performances at the Rossiya concert hall in Moscow in honor of the laying of a personalized star on the alley in front of the hall.
The main authors working with Rotaru were composers Ruslan Kvinta (“One Viburnum”), Oleg Makarevich (“White Dance”) and Konstantin Meladze (“I Loved Him,” “Alone in the World”), as well as poet Vitaly Kurovsky. In the same year, an album dedicated to “The Only One” was released, in memory of Sofia Rotaru’s husband, with new songs and arrangements in Ukrainian and Moldavian, as well as the collection “Leaf Fall”.
In 2004, after a four-year break, Sofia Rotaru gave two big solo concerts in Chicago and Atlantic City, where she performed in one of the most prestigious halls - the Taj Mahal theater-casino (in 2001, the tour there was disrupted due to the fact that the sound engineer did not receive a visa).
Twice, swindlers took advantage of Sofia Mikhailovna’s popularity - without the singer’s knowledge, they announced concerts in the most prestigious halls in the United States and successfully sold tickets.
In 2004, the album “The Sky is Me” and “Lavender, Farmer, Then Everywhere…” was released.
In 2005, the album “I loved him” was released.
In 2004, 2005 and 2006, Sofia Rotaru became the most beloved singer in Russia according to surveys by one of the rating sociological agencies.
On August 7, 2007, Sofia Rotaru celebrated her 60th birthday. Hundreds of fans, as well as famous artists and politicians came to Yalta from different parts of the world to congratulate the singer. President of Ukraine V. Yushchenko awarded Sofia Rotaru the Order of Merit, II degree. The reception on the occasion of the anniversary took place at the Livadia Palace.
Honoring the singer continued in September in Sochi, where at the “Five Stars” music competition for young performers, one of the competition days was dedicated to her work. And in October 2007, the State Kremlin Palace hosted anniversary concerts of S. Rotaru, in which popular Russian performers took part (A. Pugacheva, F. Kirkorov, I. Kobzon, L. Leshchenko, N. Babkina, L. Dolina, A. Varum, K. Orbakaite, M. Rasputina, N. Baskov, V. Daineko and others) and Ukraine (T. Povaliy, V. Meladze, Potap and Nastya Kamensky, Tanok on the Maidan of the Congo, and others).
The last unreleased single of 2007, “I Am Your Love,” took first place, spending four weeks on the Golden Gramophone chart of Russian Radio. From March to May 2008, Sofia Rotaru was on an anniversary tour of Russia. The first unreleased single in 2008 was the song “Lilac Flowers,” performed at a concert dedicated to March 8.
Currently (2009) Rotaru is actively touring, participating in national concerts and television programs. He is in excellent physical and vocal shape and has enormous authority in Ukrainian and Russian musical circles. And now, at 62 years old, Sofia Mikhailovna looks 20 years younger, and doctors even forbade Rotaru from having facial plastic surgery.
Sofia Rotaru does not support this or that political ideology - love is still the main theme of her songs today. However, politics also invaded this area - when in the mid-70s the German company Ariola (now Sony BMG Music Entertainment), after recording the song Immensita in Italian and the songs Wer Liebe sucht, Deine Zartlichkeit, Es muss nicht sein, Wenn die Nebel ziehen in German, invited her to record (most of Rotaru’s albums were recorded in Germany) big studio album with these and other songs in French and English, as well as organizing a concert tour in Western Europe, the USSR concert administration banned Sofia Rotaru from traveling abroad for 7 years. This ban was implemented before the tour in Canada, which was cancelled.
The song “My Motherland,” sung several decades ago, is still popular today, causing controversial interpretations, while the song talks about love.
During the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, Sofia Rotaru and her family distributed food to people who came to the Maidan of Independence in Kyiv, regardless of their political views.
In 2006, he took an active part in the parliamentary elections of Ukraine, running for people's deputies number two on the list of the “Litvin Bloc”. Conducts a large campaign charity tour through the cities of Ukraine, but the bloc does not gain the required number of votes and does not enter parliament.
Among the main reasons why Sofia Rotaru supported this particular bloc, she named personal trust in V. Lytvyn’s balance, as well as interest in lobbying for the law on patronage in Ukraine.
After counting all Rotaru’s songs performed in the finals of the “Song of the Year” festival, it turned out that Rotaru holds the absolute record among all participants in history - 72 songs performed at 34 festivals (1973–2008, except 2002).
Family
* brothers - Anatoly and Evgeniy Rotaru (bass guitar, vocals) - worked in the Chisinau VIA "Orizont".
* sisters - Zinaida, Lydia and Aurika.
* husband - Evdokimenko Anatoly Kirillovich, People's Artist of Ukraine (01/20/1942–10/23/2002);
* son - Ruslan;
* daughter-in-law - Svetlana;
* grandchildren - Anatoly and Sofia.
In addition to Sofia, her younger sister Aurika performed at a professional level, combining a solo career with performances as a backing vocalist, as well as a duet of brother and sister - Lydia and Evgeniy. Unlike Aurica, the duo, working in the style of Italian pop music of the 80s, did not achieve noticeable success, and in 1992 they stopped performing.
Since the late 1980s, Lydia and Evgeniy Rotaru with the group “Cheremosh” have appeared in Sofia Rotaru’s concert programs. Lydia and Evgeniy are Sofia's sister and brother. After graduating from medical school and working in a clinic, Lydia sang in amateur performances and was invited to become a soloist of the Cheremosh ensemble, which had just been created at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic.
Evgeniy graduated from the Nikolaev Pedagogical Institute, department of music and singing, played the bass guitar, sang in the popular Moldavian “Horizonte”, then became the soloist of “Cheremosh”. The Cheremosh ensemble was created in the late 70s at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic. It was a duet of the Rotaru sisters - Lydia and Aurika, who toured throughout the Union. After working for 10 years, Aurika got married and left for Kyiv, gave birth to a daughter and temporarily left the stage.
Then Lida began performing in a duet with her brother Evgeniy, and after the birth of her daughter, she retired from the stage, like Evgeniy, who became a farmer. Aurika created her own ensemble “Contact”, with which she performed in Ukraine.
Since 1992, Aurika traveled with Sofia, performing several of her songs during the break between the two sections. In the anniversary year of 2007, they performed together several times, including in the Anniversary Concert and in the New Year’s version of the “Two Stars” program.
The oldest official fan club Sofia Rotaru is “Fortune”. The fan club was founded in 1988 by Elena Nikitenko from Novorossiysk and unites a wide audience of fans both in Russia and abroad. The Fortuna fan club publishes collections of poetry and prose, publishes articles in the media, shoots videos and photographs, and has one of the largest archives of Sofia Rotaru’s work. On September 30, 2000, the fan club opened its website on the Internet.
In 2003, the ROTARUNEWS portal was created. Its creation was preceded by a direct weekly mailing with the latest news about the life and work of S. Rotaru.
Among the subscribers: fans of Sofia Rotaru, representatives of funds mass media(network, print, radio and television) from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Israel, USA, Germany, Czech Republic, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, and other countries. The authors of the project are Ruslan Shulga, Sergey Kotov and Sergey Sergeev (design). The project had practically exhausted itself by 2007 and remains frozen to this day.
Moscow sites of journalist Boris Kogut/ and Victoria Likhotkina “Chervona Ruta”, Riga site, Ural site of fans, as well as Estonian - “Snow Queen”, Lviv All-Ukrainian - “Golden Heart”, Rotaru-TV site from ED-TV, Kazakh and “Melancolie”, “The Island of My Love”, “Love Me” links to these and other fan clubs, as well as extensive videography/, “Caravan of Love”, Czech blog of Richard Kosch.
Among friends in the field of entrepreneurship, Alimzhan Tokhtatunov “Taivanchik” is notable - a philanthropist, entrepreneur, order bearer, and businessman, co-owner of two Moscow casinos, who helped Sofia Rotaru (who by that time had become a Ukrainian singer) with her participation in “Song of the Year,” which became a Russian festival.
In 1972, seeing the singer at a concert, he arranged a magnificent banquet for her and the musicians (later Alimzhan Tokhtatunov said: “Well, nothing like that happened, I just took her, like speculators used to be, I took her to a speculator, she bought a fur coat there for herself and All").
This entrepreneur is also known for the scandal that occurred in 2002 at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, related to accusations brought against him of bribing judges. After spending a year in prison, he was released due to insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, Sofia Rotaru spoke out in his defense, despite the fact that Interpol is interested in him.
One of her fans, Galina Starodubova, caused a great response in the press. She managed to gain confidence in the singer and her concert administration. When at one of the concerts she demanded more contact and was refused, she began to threaten the singer and the concert administrator.
The only recognized double of Sofia Rotaru is Dionysus Kelm. He also deals concert activities with a repertoire identical to that of S. Rotaru. Sofia Rotaru officially recognized the double, who imitates Sofia Rotaru’s style of performance and Lilia Pustovit’s costumes.
Discography
* 1990 - Sofia Rotaru 1990
* 1991 - Caravan of Love (album 1991)
* 1991 - Romance (album)
* 1993 - Caravan of Love (album)
* 1993 - Lavender (album)
* 1995 - Golden Songs 1985/95
* 1995 - Farmer
* 1996 - Night of Love (album)
* 1996 - Chervona Ruta 1996
* 1998 - Love me as I am (album)
* 2002 - I still love you
* 2002 - The Snow Queen
* 2003 - To the One
* 2004 - Water Flows (album)
* 2004 - The sky is me
* 2004 - Lavender, Farmer, then everywhere...
* 2005 - I loved him
* 2007 - Fog
* 2008 - I am your love!
Filmography
- Musical TV films
* “The Nightingale from the Village of Marshintsy” (1966)
* “Chervona Ruta” (1971)
* “The Song is Always with Us” (1975)
* “Sofia Rotaru Sings” (1978)
* "Musical Detective" (1979)
* “Chervona Ruta, 10 years later” (1981)
* “Sofia Rotaru invites you” (1985)
* “Monologue about Love” (1986)
* "Heart of Gold" (1989)
* "Caravan of Love" (1990)
* “One Day at the Sea” (1991)
* “Old songs about the main thing” (1996)
* “10 songs about Moscow” (1997)
* “Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro” (2003)
* "The Snow Queen" (2005)
* “Sorochinskaya Fair” (2005)
* "Metro" (2006)
* "Star Holiday" (2007)
* “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors” (2007)
* "Goldfish" (2009)
Art films
* 1980 - Where are you, love? ( the main role)
* 1981 - “Soul” (main role)
Awards and prizes
* Winner of the regional amateur art competition (1962)
* First degree diploma at the regional amateur art show (Chernivtsi-1963)
* Laureate of the Republican Festival of Folk Talents, (1964)
* Gold medal and first prize at IX World Festival youth and students (Sofia, Bulgaria, 1968)
* First prize at the Golden Orpheus festival (Burgas, Bulgaria, 1973)
* Laureate of the festival “Burshtiny Nightingale” (Diamond Nightingale), (Sopot, Poland, 1974)
* Winner of the Ovation Prize, laying a personal star in Yalta (1996)
* Laureate of the award named after. Klavdia Shulzhenko “Best pop singer of 1996” (1996)
* Winner of the All-Ukrainian Prize in the field of music and mass entertainment “Golden Firebird-99” in the nomination “Traditional Variety” (1999)
