Gelena Velikanova is a famous Soviet pop song performer. The singer is an Honored Artist of the RSFSR and People's Artist of Russia.
The early years of the singer Gelena Velikanova
Helena was born on February 27, 1923. Moscow is her hometown. The girl has Polish and Lithuanian roots. The girl's mother and father fled to Russia from Poland after the bride's parents opposed their wedding (for financial reasons, Helena's father came from a simple peasant family). The new family moved to Moscow, later four children appeared in it.
From childhood, Gelena Martselievna was interested in music. After graduating from high school in 1941, she decided to enter a music school, since by this time she already had excellent vocal abilities.
However, fate decreed otherwise. With the outbreak of war, the family was evacuated to the Tomsk region. Here the girl began to work in a local hospital and help the wounded. The trouble did not bypass the Velikanov family either - first Helena's mother died. And then - and her older brother - being a pilot, he was burned alive in a plane crash.
Sad events haunted their family for more than one year. After some time, another brother of Helena died - he had severe hypertension (like his father). Not wanting history to repeat itself (he saw how his dad suffered), the man committed suicide.
Nevertheless, closer to the end of the war, the girl returned to Moscow and began to fulfill her old dream - she entered the school. Glazunov. The girl brilliantly studied, showed considerable diligence and patience. She was interested in performing pop songs, although the teachers tried to occupy her with other genres. After graduating from college, the girl entered the Moscow Art Theater School.
Even while studying at the school, Velikanova gained experience performing on the professional stage. She performed songs at several competitions and creative evenings. And in 1950, she already became a soloist and vocalist of the All-Union Touring and Concert Association.
For a 27-year-old girl, this was a worthy achievement. She worked in this position for almost 15 years, then moved to Moskontsert, which was one of the main creative associations in the USSR.
Gelena Velikanova and her success
Already the first songs that she performed as a vocalist were a resounding success. “I have fun”, “Letter to mother”, “Return of the sailor” and a number of other compositions quickly liked the listener and became popular. At the same time, the performer sang a number of children's songs. And then she went into the complete opposite - deep civil compositions.
They revealed the depth of human feelings, wartime emotions and strong patriotism. The compositions "On the barrow", "Friend" and a number of others have become a symbol of the era. Velikanova also performed poems by famous Russian poets, in particular Sergei Yesenin. The girl was helped a lot by her husband. Being a poet, Nikolai Dorizo guided his wife, helped her decide on the repertoire and better feel the emotions of the authors of the words.
The famous song "Lilies of the Valley" is still often heard from speakers and TV screens. She can be heard at various competitions, shows and feature films. Interestingly, this composition immediately after the release was ambiguously accepted by the public.
Many critics were negative about the song. At one of the meetings of the Central Committee of the CPSU, it was said that the song promotes vulgarity. As a result, its author, Oscar Feltsman, was remembered, and the song "Lilies of the Valley" was often mentioned in the newspaper as a negative example on the Soviet stage.
In 1967, the singer's popularity continued to increase. The girl regularly performed with concerts in Moscow and other regions of the country. In the same year, the film-concert of the performer "Gelena Velikanov Sings" was released.
Other activities of the singer
Unfortunately, after a few years, the woman lost her high voice. This happened as a result of incorrect treatment prescribed to her. The voice was broken during the tour. From that moment on, performances could be forgotten.
From that moment on, the woman began to periodically appear at various competitions and festivals as a jury member. In 1982, she was invited to participate in an anniversary concert - the 50th anniversary of the Mosconcert association.
In the mid-1980s, she taught and did so until 1995 at the Gnessin Music College. Here, an experienced artist taught young singers to stage and reveal their voice. One of the brightest examples of successful education is the singer Valeria, who was one of the teacher's favorite students.
In the mid-1990s, there was significant interest in retro music. The songs of the heroes of the 1960s were played on the radio. Then Velikanova's music could often be heard on the radio. And her name could be found on the pages of printed publications. Then one of her last big performances before the public took place. In addition, since 1995, she often came on tour to Vologda, where she performed with full-fledged concerts.
On November 10, 1998, a big, “farewell”, as the singer said in the announcements, performance was to take place. But it did not take place. Two hours before the start, she died of a heart attack. Hearing this news, the audience, who were waiting for the concert, briefly left the building of the Actor's House. Soon they returned with flowers and candles to pay tribute to the memory of one of the best vocalists of the Soviet Union.
