Anna Herman's voice was admired in many countries of the world, but most of all in Poland and the Soviet Union. And until now, her name is legendary for many Russians and Poles, because more than one generation has grown up on her songs.
In the Uzbek SSR in the town of Urgench on February 14, 1936, Anna Victoria German was born. The girl's mother Irma was from the German Dutch, and father Eugen had German roots, they ended up in Central Asia due to the general dispossession.
A year and a half after the birth of Anna, in 1937, according to a denunciation of ill-wishers, her father was charged with espionage and was soon shot. Mom with Anna and Friedrich moved to Kyrgyzstan, and then to Kazakhstan. Another tragedy overtook them in 1939 - Anna's younger brother, Friedrich, died.
In 1942, Irma again married a Polish officer, thanks to which the mother and the girl were able to leave after the war in Poland to Wroclaw to the relatives of the stepfather who died in the war for permanent residence. In Wroclaw, Anna went to study at the General Education Lyceum.
The beginning of the creative path of Anna German
Boleslav Krivousty. The girl knew how to sing and draw well, and had a desire to study at the school of fine arts in Wroclaw. But my mother decided that it was better for her daughter to choose a more reliable profession, and Anna submitted documents to the University of Wroclaw for a geologist, who successfully graduated and became a master of geology.
At the university, the girl performed on stage for the first time, where she was noticed by the director of the Kalambur Theatre. Anna participated in the life of the theatre for some time in 1957, but left performing due to her studies. But the girl did not give up music and decided to audition for the Wrocław Estrada, where her performance was favorably received and included in the program.
At the same time, Anna took vocal lessons from a teacher at the conservatory and in 1962 passed the aptitude test, which made her a professional singer. For two months, the girl trained in Rome, which was previously awarded only to opera singers.
In 1963, German took part in the III International Song Festival in Sopot, and won second prize in the competition with the song “So I Feel Bad with This”.
In Italy, Anna met Katarzyna Gertner, who later created the song "Dancing Eurydice" for her. With this composition, the singer participated in festivals in 1964 and became a real celebrity, and the song became Anna German's "calling card".
Anna German sang for the first time in the Soviet Union in the concert program "Guests of Moscow, 1964". And the following year, the artist gave a tour of the Union, after which a gramophone record was released by the Melodiya company with songs performed by her in Polish and Italian. In the USSR, German met Anna Kachalina, who became her close friend for the rest of her life.
1965 was a very busy year for Anna in terms of creative activity. In addition to the Soviet tour, the singer took part in the Belgian festival "Charme de la Chanson" in Ostend. In 1966, the recording company "Company Discographica Italiana" became interested in the singer and offered her solo recordings.
While in Italy, the singer performed Neapolitan compositions, which were released as a gramophone record, "Anna German Presents Classic Neapolitan Songs." Today, this record is worth its weight in gold among collectors, since the edition was immediately sold out.
Festivals, victories, defeats German
At the Sanremo Festival in 1967, the singer participated with Cher, Dalida, Connie Francis, who, like Anna, did not reach the final.
Then, in the summer, the singer arrived in Viargio to receive the Audience Award, which was presented to Catarina Valente and Adriano Celentano in addition to her.
At the end of August 1967, there was a performance in the town of Forli, after which Anna left with a driver in a car for Milan. That night, a terrible accident happened, the singer was "thrown" from the car, as a result of which she received multiple fractures, a concussion and lost her memory.
On the third day, her mother and old friend Zbigniew Tucholsky arrived to her, the singer was unconscious and only came to her senses on the 12th day. After resuscitation, Anna was treated in a well-known orthopedic clinic, where doctors said that life was out of danger, but it was unlikely to sing songs.
In the autumn of 1967, Anna and her mother flew to Warsaw. Doctors warned that the recovery process would be long and painful. It took Anna over two years to overcome the consequences of the terrible accident. All this time, she was supported by her family and Zbyszek. During her illness, Anna began to compose music and eventually an album of songs, "Human Destiny", was born, released in 1970 and became "Golden".
Fans sent the singer many letters, which she was unable to answer due to her health, and at that time the idea of writing memoirs was born. In the book, Anna described her first steps on stage, her stay in Italy, her car accident, and expressed gratitude to everyone who supported her. The book of memoirs, “Return to Sorrento?” was completed in 1969.
Anna German's triumphant return to pop music in 1970 was called "The Return of Eurydice"; at her first concert after her illness, the applause did not subside for a third of an hour. That same year, A. Pakhmutova and A. Dobronravov created the composition "Hope", which was first sung by Edita Piekha. Anna German performed the song in the summer of 1973, becoming extremely famous; there was not a single concert in the USSR without her.
In the spring of 1972, in Zakopane, Anna and Zbigniew signed, in the documents the singer became Anna Herman-Tucholska. Doctors forbade the singer to give birth, but Anna dreamed of a child. Contrary to the predictions of doctors, in 1975, at the age of 39, her son Zbyszek was born safely.
In the autumn of 1972, Anna toured the Soviet Union, and at the beginning of winter, television launched a series of TV programs called "Anna German Sings". After that, she toured the Soviet Union in 1975, when she sang V. Shainsky's song "I Like Him" for the first time. "Melody" launched another record with her songs in Russian.
In 1977, Anna took part in the program "Voices of Friends", where she met A. Pugacheva and V. Dobrynin. At the same time, V. Shainsky created the song "When the Gardens Were Blooming" for German. At the same time, Anna performed the song "Echo of Love", which became her favorite and was included in the film "Fate". In "Song-77", Anna sang it as a duet with Lev Leshchenko.
In 1980, the singer was unable to continue her concert activity due to an incurable illness and never returned to the stage.
Shortly before her death, the singer was baptized and married. Anna Herman passed away on August 25, 1982, and was buried in the Calvinist cemetery in the Polish capital.
