כדי לשחזר את השיר בשפה המקורית אם אינו מופיע לאחר לחיצה על שם השיר המסומן כאן בקוו תחתון או כדי למצוא גירסות נוספות העתיקו/הדביקו את שם השיר בשפת המקור מדף זה לאתר YOUTUBE
To restore the song in the original language if it does not appear after clicking on the name of the song marked here with a bottom line or to find additional versions Copy/Paste the song name in the original language from this page to the YOUTUBE website
התרגומים לאנגלית נעשו באמצעות המנוע "מתרגם גוגל" והתרגום הועתק לאתר בצורתו המקורית ללא עריכה נוספת
The English translations were done using the "Google Translate" engine and the translations were copied to the site in their original form without further editing.
Notes written by Izzy Hod: The melody, for the gypsy/Russian song, What is my sadness, was written by the Russian composer, Samuel Yakovlevich Pokras, who during the civil war in Russia, specifically in 1920, wrote a number of important war songs, about the events of the Red Army. In 1934, the composer immigrated to America and began writing music for Hollywood films. One of the best known among them is the three musketeers. Following this and in order to deliberately ignore the composer, on the records of the song, What is my sadness, the name of Piotr Konstantinovich Leshchanko appeared as the composer and lyricist of the song. Leshchanko, was the singer, whose name the song is identified with. Leshchanko himself, also used to go on concert tours, in Western countries, something that did not go unnoticed by the authorities of Soviet Russia, after the Second World War and they marked him as someone who cannot be trusted and then, when he was in Romania, as a traitor to the motherland. In 1951, in the middle of a concert in Romania and by order of Moscow, he was arrested together with his wife. Perhaps because in 1942 Leshchenko performed in concert, in Odessa, which was then occupied by the Nazis. His wife was released and Leshchanko was constantly transferred from one prison to another and finally, due to illness, he was sent in 1954 to a prison hospital, where he underwent an operation for a stomach ulcer, from which and the periods of imprisonment, he did not recover and died that year. In 2013, a television series was produced, which noted important events in the life of Leshchenko, his childhood and youth, his participation in the battles of the First World War, the beginning of his career, the success of his journey in occupied Odessa, during the Second World War, the wives of his life, and his tragic death, in a Romanian prison. The song, What is my sadness, is heard in the television series in his memory. The life of Piotr Leshchanko, the singer, with whom the song, What is my sadness, is identified, is still shrouded in fog. He was born in 1898, in a small village near the city of Odessa, in Ukraine. At a young age, he moved to Kishinev, in Bessarabia, which became a part of Romania in the First World War, and thus, Leshchanko became a Romanian citizen. He immigrated to Paris, to study ballet and married a ballet dancer, there; he performed in singing and dancing shows. In 1933, the family, including his younger sisters, moved to the city of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, where he opened a restaurant, named Leshchanko, and he, his wife and two sisters performed there and with them the first pop singer in Romania, Alla Bianova. In 1944, after separating from his first wife, he married a woman, an actress, many years younger than him, Vera Belusova. Then he was ordered to report for the draft, for the World War II effort, but on the advice of a doctor friend, he underwent a sham operation, for appendectomy and did not report for the draft and in 1951, he was arrested, by the Romanian secret police, for reasons unknown to this day, perhaps because he appeared in 1942 in a concert, in Odessa occupied by the Nazis, and in 1954, he died, while hospitalized in the prison hospital. This news was published in the Soviet Union only in 1988, 34 years after his death. And everything is still shrouded in mystery. The content of the lyrics is telling the lament of a drunken young man, I'll still be a role model for glory, starting the sad, Gypsy song. I will no longer run away from my fate that I still do not know what it is. I have not yet found love, so I will live with what is left without it. How much sorrow there is in this stormy world, so to cheer I will swallow a pitcher full of red wine. I really like the sound of the guitar, every shaking string shakes me too, like the look of a woman whose laughter destroys me. How much sorrow there is in this world, I will swallow another pitcher of wine to calm down.
Music by S. Pokras, Words by P. Herman. Performed by Piotr Leshchenko. Some records indicate that the author of words and music is Peter Leshchenko himself. Samuel Pokras (1895-1939)-the eldest of the brothers-composers Pokrassov. He created music for romances "And flowers came to life," "At a crossroads," "Love has passed..." and some others. In the 1930s he emigrated and composed music for Hollywood. Received by the USSR as "trophy" in the early 1950s went to the Soviet boxoffice.
Petr Leshchenko (June 2 (14) June 1898-July 16, 1954) was a Romanian singer of Russian origin (baritone); head of the variety ensemble. One of the most popular Russian-speaking performers of the 1930s, Peter Leshchenko was born in the village of Isaevo in Kherson province (now Nikolaevsky district, Odessa region). His mother gave birth to him out of wedlock. In the metric book of the district archive there is a record: "Leshchenkova Maria Kalinovna, daughter of a retired soldier gave birth to a son Peter 02.06.1898." Peter Leshchenko was baptized on July 3, 1898, and later the date of his baptism was listed in Peter Leshchenko's documents-July 3, 1898. In the "father" graph, the entry is "illegitimate." The Godfathers: nobleman Alexander Krivosheev and noblewoman Katerina Yakovlevna Orlova. Peter's mother had an absolute musical ear, knew many folk songs and sang well, which had a proper influence on the formation of the personality of Peter, who from early childhood also discovered extraordinary musical abilities. The mother's family, together with 9-month-old Peter, moved to Chisinau, where about nine years later his mother married the dental technician Alexei Alfimov. Piotr Leshchenko spoke Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, French and German. Peter Leshchenko sang in the soldier's church choir (1906). In 1917 he graduated from the infantry school of warrant officers in Kiev, was sent to the Romanian front. In August of the same year he was seriously wounded and after leaving the hospital briefly served as a psalmist in the Church of Chisinau. In the autumn of 1919 he performed as part of a dance group at the Alagamber Theatre (Bucharest). In 1920 he began working in the Romanian theatre society "Scene", performing in pairs with ballerina Rosika under the pseudonym "Martynovic". From 1923 to 1925 he studied at the Paris Ballet School, after which together with his first wife-ballerina Eugene-Johanne zakit prepared several song and dance numbers and went on tour in the Middle East. His debut performance as a performer of gypsy romances took place in 1929 in the restaurant "Londra" (Kishinev). In 1930 he sang in Belgrade at the family holiday of King Alexander Karageorgievich. In the same year in the Riga Cafe "A. T.", accompanied by an orchestra under the direction of G. Schmidt, presented a large solo program, which included songs written especially for Leshchenko By Oscar Strok: "Black Eyes", "Katya", "Musenka native" and others in the repertoire of the singer there are works of various genres: tango, foxtrots, gypsy and domestic romances, as well as songs of unknown authors, as well as songs of unknown authors, among which the song is most popular. Performs songs by Mark Maryanovsky: "Tatiana," "Vanka, Sing," "Marfusha" and several songs of his own composition-"Back again you", "The Horses." He writes arrangements for many songs. In the early 30's he signed a contract with the Romanian branch of the English record company "Columbia" (about 80 songs were recorded). In addition, the singer's album is published by "Parlophon" (Germany), "Electrecord>" (Romania), "Bellacord" (Latvia). Moving in 1933 to Bucharest, Leshchenko became a co-owner of the restaurant "Our House", and in 1935 opens the restaurant "Leshchenko" in which he performs together with the ensemble "Trio Leshchenko" (the singer's wife and his younger sisters-Valya and Katya) and the aspiring pop singer Alla Bayanova. The announcement of the beginning of World War II will stop the singer in Romania. As a Romanian citizen, Leshchenko evades service in the Romanian army and continues his concert activities. In the summer of 1942, accompanied by an opera orchestra, the singer performs in Nazi-occupied Odessa. In September 1944, after the liberation of Bucharest, he gave a large concert for the officers of the Soviet Army, performing his own songs: "I Miss the Motherland," "Natasha," "Nadya-Nadechka," as well as songs by Soviet composers, including "Dark Night" by N. Theologian. In the concert programs of the post-war years there are songs: "Say why," "Don't leave," "Sleep, my poor heart" O. Strok, "All that was" by D. Pokrass, "Petrushka" by A. Albin, "Autumn Mirage" by A. Sukhanov, etc. on March 26, 1951 Piotr Leshchenko was arrested by the Romanian state security forces after the first concert. This was followed in July 1952 by the arrest of his wife Vera Belousova, who, like Leshchenko, was accused of treason against the Motherland (performing in occupied Odessa). On August 5, 1952, Belousova was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but in 1953 she was released for lack of a crime. Peter Leshchenko died in 1954 in a prison hospital. During his creative life, the singer recorded more than 180 gramophone discs, but until the end of the 80's none of these records was re-released in the USSR. The first album in the series "Peter Leshchenko Sings" was released by Melody on the 90th anniversary of the singer's birth in 1988 and in the same year took the first place in the TASS chart. During his creative life, the singer recorded more than 180 gramophone discs.
Samuel Yakovlevich Pokrass (Самуил Яковлевич Покрасс) (1894 in Kiev-June 15, 1939 in New York City) was a Russian composer of Jewish origin. In 1920, during the Russian Civil War, he and the poet P. Grigoryev wrote fighting songs for the Red Army, including "White Army, Black Baron." That song's melody was used for the song Die Arbeiter von Wien ("The Workers of Vienna") in Red Vienna. Pokrass later emigrated to the United States, where he worked as a composer in Hollywood from 1934 to 1939, and was known primarily for the musical film The Three Musketeers.
The last letter from Vera Leshchenko. Why Pyotr Leshchenko ended his life in a Romanian prison Pyotr Leshchenko facts. ONCE AGAIN ABOUT THE FATE OF PETER LESHCHENKO. First of all, I would like to thank N. Nefedov for trying to shed light on the mysterious story of Pyotr Leshchenko, which I have been clarifying for many years. In particular, in his article in the New Russian Word of April 12 this year. N. Nefedov writes: “In 1944, the Soviet troops, swiftly entering Romania, cut off all routes from Bucharest to the West. Leshchenko tried to get out of Bucharest, but was captured on the train by Smershews and shot on the spot as a White Guard and a bourgeois (the owner of the restaurant About the tragic death of the singer ... after the end of the war in the Russian diaspora it became widely known, but, as can be seen from the article by R. Rublev, the truth did not penetrate into the USSR ."Here N. Nefedov cites just one of the many versions of the death of the famous singer. The fact is that a lot of such "truths" have been told and are being told about all, without exception, mysteriously disappeared celebrities. In the Union, for example, the most widespread version was that P. Leshchenko was shot dead right in his former restaurant, at the time of the song, by a drunken Soviet officer. At least, this version is more logical and fits better with the story of the singer Konstantin Sokolsky, whom I had a chance to visit in the mid-70s. Like other collectors, I was always interested in the question of whether P. Leshchenko really was in Odessa occupied by the Germans during the war, as L. Utesov sang about this in his parody of the emigrant song "Cranes", popular after the war, where there were the following words: "For whom did you sing there? For what people? Stop crying over me, cranes!" Konstantin Sokolsky confirmed this. In addition, he provided us with the address of P. Leshchenko's widow Vera Leshchenko, who was then still alive in Odessa. Unfortunately, as it turned out later, she did not know any details about the death of Pyotr Leshchenko, broke up with him because of a family drama, about which it was not entirely convenient for us to ask, but she absolutely confirmed to us the fact of a short period of P. Leshchenko's life in the occupied by the Germans. Odessa. Then P. Leshchenko returned to Bucharest, and she stayed with her relatives in Odessa. After receiving this information, one can already imagine the reason for the death of P. Leshchenko. Indeed, some Soviet officer who knew about the singer's performances in occupied Odessa or heard P. Leshchenko's songs at the front, which the Germans, as you know, used for agitation and started in front of the Soviet trenches, could well discharge his pistol at the singer with complete impunity. After the publication of N. Nefedov's article in my name, letters were sent to the editorial office of NRSlov, in which readers ask questions about P. Leshchenko or they themselves report what they know about him. Popular singer Viktor Shulman, for example, told me the following. Long before emigration from the Union, he had to perform for especially high-ranking "comrades" on the ship "Taras Shevchenko". Among other songs, Shulman sang then "Cranes" and "I miss the Motherland" by Leshchenko. Once, after the performance of one of these songs, the KGB Lieutenant General invited the singer to his table. He kindly asked if Viktor Shulman knew whose songs he was performing. Victor answered in the affirmative. Then, bumping into memories, the lieutenant general told him that after the war, as a simple captain of state security, he served in Romania and several times not only heard, but also talked with Pyotr Leshchenko, who came with concerts in units of the troops stationed in Bucharest, and he even continued to sing in his former restaurant. Especially popular were these two songs - "Cranes" and "I miss my homeland". According to Viktor Shulman, the story of the former captain, and now the lieutenant general, looked sincere and sounded quite convincing. It also seems to me that this story can be believed. When Victor asked him what happened to Leshchenko in the future, the general shrugged his shoulders, since he did not stay in Bucharest for long. I think there could be two options. The first is the version about the murder of Leshchenko in a restaurant; This, incidentally, explains the rumors about his voluntary departure to the Union, which were deliberately disbanded in order to hush up the scandal. The second version, however not at all confirmed, is the arrest and subsequent death of the singer in the Stalinist camps. But then there should have been at least some evidence of eyewitnesses, cellmates, etc. And they are not. Perhaps someone from the readers knows something more precisely about the fate of P. Leshchenko? © Ruvim RUBLEV, 1980s © R. Fuchs, I. Efimov, D. Petrov. "Komsomolskaya Pravda" shortly before her death communicated with Vera Georgievna Belousova. After all, the story of her love with a famous person of the last century is very interesting. Their age difference was 25 years. And Petr Leshchenko, a citizen of Romania, then an enemy country, was considered a banned artist in the Soviet Union. But nothing could stop their passionate love. The meeting that turned life Vera Georgievna Belousova, at the age of 85, until her last days, blogged on the Internet, corresponded with fans of the work of Pyotr Leshchenko. In October, her book of memoirs about the artist, "Tell me why?" Was published. I thought to make a film about ten years of living together with Petr Leshchenko. But the heart of a courageous woman could not stand it. Vera Georgievna herself is from Odessa. It was there that she met Pyotr Konstantinovich. Then, in May 1942, Romanian fascists ruled in Odessa, and the invaders invited Pyotr Leshchenko to give a concert. The meeting took place at a rehearsal at the Russian Drama Theater. Seeing a pretty 19-year-old girl, Leshchenko asked Vera to sing, and during her performance he immediately fell in love, although their age difference was 25 years, and his wife and 11-year-old son were waiting for him at home. Later, the musicians said that there were tears in the eyes of Pyotr Konstantinovich when I sang. - Vera Georgievna recalled. - After the concert, Pyotr Konstantinovich found me and came to me that evening. We sat for a long time, but only he spoke. He told me and my mother how, having stepped on his native land, he knelt down, picked up the Odessa earth in his palm and kissed her. We saw that there was no leavened patriotism in this. Before us was a man longing for his land. So Pyotr Konstantinovich stayed. Not right away, of course, he was delicate. Petr Leshchenko no longer wanted to return to his wife. He looked after Verochka, gave flowers. His wife, artist Zinaida Zakit, did not want to divorce. Petr Leshchenko still did not return, he began to live in the apartment of his beloved. Since the time was military, Petr Leshchenko, like all men, was called to fight. But he didn't want to do it. Leshchenko's biographies say that he ignored the subpoenas several times and was left behind because he was a prominent figure. However, this was not quite the case. In April 1943, in order to avoid being drafted into the active Romanian army again, at the suggestion of a doctor friend, Leshchenko agreed to a false operation to remove the appendix. They made an incision on the operating table and immediately stitched him up. My mother, who worked in this hospital, told me about this. - admits the well-known Odessa journalist and cavalier Sergei Ostashko. Thus, Leshchenko spent ten days in the hospital and 25 days on vacation. He did not want to part with his beloved Vera, make her unhappy in case of death, but the main thing against his heart and soul was the war with the Soviet people. But then the warriors took up it again. And then Pyotr Leshchenko managed to get a job in a military artistic group, with which he performed in Romanian military units, and from October 1943 to mid-March 1944 Leshchenko served as the head of the canteen at the headquarters of an infantry regiment in Kerch. The fortune teller was afraid to say about death In May 1944, Petr Leshchenko finally divorced Zinaida Zakit and registered his marriage with Vera Belousova. The newlyweds moved from Odessa to Bucharest. They began to go on tour together, perform in theaters and restaurants in Romania. But in parallel, Pyotr Konstantinovich wrote letters to Stalin and Kalinin with a request to facilitate the return to the Soviet Union. This played a detrimental role. In March 1951, Pyotr Konstantinovich was arrested right during a concert in the Romanian city of Brasov. The Romanians loved him very much, so, I thought, they would figure it out and let him go. - Vera Georgievna told. - At first, the sister of Pyotr Konstantinovich Valya and O-pap, as his stepfather's family was called, took care of me, even the first days they spent the night with me. Valya and I went to a fortune-teller, who laid out the cards, then sharply mixed them and went to the fire, to cook porridge from mamalyga. And she threw to us: "I can't say anything." We left without understanding what had happened. Either the cards foreshadowed trouble, or the most famous soothsayer in Romania changed her mind about getting involved in political affairs. In 1952, Vera Belousova was also arrested as the wife of an enemy of the people. The verdict was horrific: 25 years in prison. However, in 1953 she was released for lack of corpus delicti and continued her artistic career. Peter Konstantinovich died in a Romanian camp in the summer of 1954 under secret circumstances. There are two versions of death: stomach ulcer, poisoning. It is still unknown where the grave of Pyotr Leshchenko is. Until the last day, Vera Georgievna tried to unearth truthful details about the last years of her beloved husband's life, but all sources of this information in Romania remain classified. And Vera Georgievna also had one more dream. In Chisinau, both a street and a lane are named after Petr Leshchenko, but in Odessa the singer is not marked in any way. It is a pity that my dear Odessa cannot in any way mark Pyotr Leshchenko, although she has long been promising to name the street and hang a memorial plaque. - Vera Georgievna Belousova complained shortly before her death.
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