Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev[a] (Russian:Валерий Яковлевич Леонтьев; born 19 March 1949) is a Russian singer, songwriter and actor, whose popularity peaked in the 1980s and 1990s. He was titled aPeople's Artist of Russia in 1996.[1] During his career, he achieved international success inEastern Europe, has the status of apop icon along withAlla Pugacheva, and is a winner ofZD Awards.[2]
Over the course of his decades-long career, he has recorded more than 30 albums, many of which sold millions of copies. The media refers to Leontiev as a megastar and a legend of theRussian pop.[4][5][6][7]
Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev was born on 19 March 1949, in Ust-Usa, a village in what is now Russia'sKomi Republic. In 1961 the family moved to the cityYuryevets inIvanovo Oblast.
Leontiev's first performance on the big stage took place in 1971, during theVorkuta regional competition "Song-71". There, Leontiev took second place with the song "Carnaval".
In 1980 Leontiev sang in various concerts, including theMoscow Variety Theatre,Oktyabrsky andLuzhniki. In 1981, the artist won the popularity prize at the prestigious music festivalYerevan-81. American journalists who attended the event noted the expressive manner of performing of the singer and compared him to Mick Jagger.[8] In 1982, Leontiev underwent a serious operation to remove a tumor from his throat, which jeopardized his further singing career.
In 1983, the singer moves to work in the Voroshilovgrad Philharmonic (nowLuhansk Philharmonic) in theUkrainian SSR. A year later, he was given a whole section in the author's evening "Holy love of music" by composerRaimond Pauls inMoscow.[9]
In 1986 he performed inChernobyl for the liquidators of the nuclear power plant accident. Alla Pugacheva also performed in Chernobyl.[10] In 1987, Leontyev already became anHonored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.
The beginning of the 90s was marked for Leontiev splash touring. His concerts were held in Germany, Israel, USA, Canada, India and other countries. In 1991 Leontiev was named the "Best Selling Soviet Artist" at theWorld Music Awards ceremony inMonte Carlo.[11] In 1994 he performed on stage withGina Lollobrigida[12] inSaint-Petersburg concert hall "Oktyabrskiy", and in 1996 he was awarded the titlePeople's Artist of Russia. in March 1998 а nominal star of Valery Leontiev was opened on theStar Square inMoscow.[13] in 1999 Leontiev was awarded the "Living Legend Award" at the Russian national music award "Ovation".[14]
1983 – concert program, "I'm just a singer" (18 sold-out concerts inLeningrad)
1984 – concert program, "I run for life"
1985 – concert program, "Alone with all", which became a cult. Because queues for tickets on a few central streets ofLeningrad stopped traffic. 10 concerts
1986 – concert program "Star story" Tour inCzechoslovakia.
1987 – concert program "Favorites", Tour inBulgaria.
1988 June – 1989 November – rock opera "Giordano", more than 50 concerts in Moscow and Leningrad. Leontiev plays 3 main roles (out of 4!) –Giordano Bruno, a clown and Satan.
1988–1989 grand tour of cities of theUSSR. For example, only oneNovosibirsk in 1988 Leontiev gives a series of 27 recitals.[17] and inAlmaty 33 solo concerts.
1990 – show "It seems to me that I have not lived" in theOlympic Stadium. Concerts in USA, India, Germany, Israel
1993 – show "Full Moon" – first super-show in Russia
1994 – show "Beauty and Casanova" – the first concert of pop star with a symphony orchestra in Russia. With the participation of thesex symbol of the 1960Gina Lollobrigida.[18] Tour inIsrael.
1996 – show "On the road to Hollywood", touring in the US, Germany, Israel, Canada
1998 – Concert on theStar Square, a solo concert at the 50 th anniversary of the State ofIsrael (Tel Aviv, 14 May 1998), a tour in Germany, the United States and theUnited Arab Emirates
1999 super-show "Photographer of Dreams", a tour to Russia,Ukraine, Israel, United States, Canada, Germany,Baltic states
2001 super-show "Unnamed Planet", a tour to Russia, Ukraine, Baltic States, United States, Germany.
2009–2010 an anniversary show of "I love you, miss you, I'm waiting". Tour in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, USA., Israel, Australia, concert in Sydney,Melbourne.
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3th class (21 February 2022) – for a great contribution to the development of national culture and art, many years of fruitful activity[38]
Valery Leontiev is married tobass guitarist Lyudmila Isakovich.[50][51] The couple have been together since 1972. However, officially their marriage was registered only in 1998. The artist's wife lives inMiami.
TheSoviet Union never participated in theEurovision Song Contest, as no Soviet broadcasters were members of theEBU. In 2009 Eduard Fomin, a former employee of theMinistry of Education of theRSFSR, revealed that in 1987 George Veselov, the Minister of Education for the Soviet Union, brought forward the idea of Soviet participation in the EBU and the Eurovision Song Contest due to the number of political reforms made by theSoviet General SecretaryMikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s. The idea was mainly a political one, with the thought that a win in the contest for the Soviet Union would impact on the relationships between the Soviet Union and thecapitalist countries of thewest. Valery Leontiev was suggested as a singer for the Soviet Union's first entry into the contest, but Veselov's ideas were not shared by theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union, or by Gorbachev himself, believing it to be too radical a step to take, and so the Soviet Union never entered the contest before dissolving.[52]
PresidentVladimir Putin: "You rightly recognized master of song genre, artist who reached the summits of Pop Olympus thanks to genuine talent, professionalism and hard work."[53][54]
PresidentDmitry Medvedev: "Over the years, the bright stage career, you not only have gained a great love of fans, but also sets a high standard of music for the new generations of artists. The songs performed by you, always lead not only in the charts, but also in the hearts of an audience of millions."[55][56]
PresidentAlexander Lukashenko: "Great talent, unparalleled professional skills and constant creative search brought you a well-deserved fame and recognition around the world."[57]
PoliticianValentina Matviyenko: "You have created a stage persona which has never been on the stage and I am sure that nobody will never repeat, and you follow this image."[58]
SingerMuslim Magomayev: "Name Valery Leontiev enough just to name – and do not have any colorful definitions! Everything is clear! Living Classic of our stage."[59]
SingerJoseph Kobzon: "Tragically, we have a unit of this magnitude stars –Pugacheva, Leontiev ... Those people who for many years retain their creative person and love of the public."[60]
On account of Valery Leontiev there is even a duet withVladimir Putin: in August 2006 inSochi, a concert for the heads of theCIS, which Leontiev worked for a program of four songs. In the final speech, when the artist was called for an encore, he decided to perform the song "Hope." Suddenly, he was joined by Vladimir Putin, at that time president of Russia – Leontiev handed him a microphone. Star duo snatched the applause, as the leaders of CIS countries, as well as fellow artists.[66]
Nu, pogodi! Episode 16 – Valery Leontiev song Green Light was played by the Wolf when he was caught byBaba Yaga, on the magical guitar. The Wolf does escape however, but lands on the water.
^"Tired? Nyet! Woodstock, Yerevan style".www.vl-club.ru. Archived fromthe original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved16 February 2019.Valeri Leontiev, 32, a booted, bolero-suited dancing rocker whose performance falls somewhere between those of Mick Jagger and Mikhail Baryshnikov
