Mass graves

According to the testimony of L.V. Abramova, for the first time the song was performed on 6/6/1963 at the birthday of the poet's father, S.V. Vysotsky. Later (approximately in 1965) the song was considered for the performance of the Taganka Theater “ Fallen and Alive ”. But despite the fact that the 3rd verse was somewhat redone to fit the script, she never entered the play ^[1] .

The song gained fame after the release of Victor Turov ’s film “ I come from childhood ” (1965-66), where it was performed by the author himself (fragment - stanzas 3-4, with a guitar) and Mark Bernes . In one of the interviews, the director’s first wife, Svetlana Turova , said that there was a lot of controversy about whose performance the song should sound from the screen. The film was coordinated heavily, the director was “ dragged into the KGB . ... He did not want there to be more conflict than it was ”; and approved Bernes. And Vysotsky himself spoke about this “alien” performance only positively: “ When Bernes’s voice sounded ... what was done to people ...”, “it had a tremendous effect on the audience ”.

08/21/1966 the song, performed by M. Bernes, sounded in the radio program " Good morning! ".

Due to the fame of the film, a very rare event, almost unique to Vysotsky’s poems in those days, happened - the lyrics were published in the New Films magazine (February 1967). In the author's performance, “Mass graves” were recorded in 1969 at the Minsk House of Radio, accompanied by the instrumental ensemble “ Tonic ” ^[1] . There is also a recording of a song with an orchestra conducted by B. Fedorov .

The song came out during the life of the author:

• in the USSR on records - the minion “ Songs of Vladimir Vysotsky ” (“Melody”, September 1972) and in the collection “ Friends of Fellow Soldiers ” (“Melody”, 1979) ^[1] ;
• in France on the discs “ Le nouveau chansonnier international URSS ” (1977) ^[1] , “ Interrupted flight ” (1977).

Subsequently, the song was included in:

• CD "Chanson des temps nouveaux". Vladimir Vissotski (1981, France);
• a double album of military songs “ Sons Go to Battle ” (1986, USSR);
• the first and third discs of the series “ At the concerts of Vladimir Vysotsky ” (respectively, “ Sentimental Boxer ” and “ Moscow-Odessa ”; October 1987, USSR);
• CD “ 150 songs. V. Vysotsky accompanied by orchestras ”(2005, Russia).

Vysotsky began many of his concerts precisely with the “Mass graves” ^[1] . It is interesting that despite the fact that the song was not included in the play “Fallen and the Alive,” sometimes Vysotsky at performances announced it precisely as “a song from the play.” At some meetings with the audience, the author dedicated a song to the memory of M. Bernes ^[1] .

On October 4, 1978, the song “Mass graves” V. Vysotsky finished his speech in the city of Grozny on television of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic . There is his black and white recording.

• Mark Bernes
• " Dumps "
• “ Lube ” (soloist N. Rastorguev )
• Grigory Leps (9.5.2007, in a festive concert on the Red Square of Moscow; 9.5.2019, at a concert in honor of Victory Day)
• A. Marshal

• "Works." Volume 1. M .: Fiction, 1991. ISBN 5-280-02361-2
• Vysotsky V. Get out of the battle alive ... [poems] / compilation and commentary: P. Fokin ; preparation of the text: S. V. Zhiltsov; Editorial board: N. V. Vysotsky, S. V. Zhiltsov, A. V. Maksimov, V. B. Nazarov, E. A. Trofimov. - SPb. : Amphora , 2012 .-- S. 22-23. - 127 p. - ISBN 978-5-367-02108-0 .

• List of works by Vladimir Vysotsky
• Discography of Vladimir Vysotsky