Kozin, Vadim Alekseevich

Vadim Kozin was born on March 21 ( April 3 ), 1903 in St. Petersburg , in the family of the St. Petersburg merchant of the first guild Alexei Kozin and a gypsy from the Ilyinsky-Sankins choral dynasty Vera Ilyinskaya ^[2] . Father died early, so Vadim was forced to interrupt his studies at the gymnasium in order to help his mother and sisters.

Kozin began his artistic career as a tapper , voicing silent films . Then he began to sing. He has performed on the stage since the 1920s. He sang in the comic choir Komhor by A.V. Charova, then began solo performances, performed gypsy songs and romances (Wicket, Misty Morning, My Bonfire), works of Russian composers, and his own compositions.

Kozin's popularity in large cities of Russia, and especially in Leningrad, in the 1930s was fantastic. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, huge lines lined up behind Kozin's records . In order to avoid unrest, even horse-drawn militia had to be connected. Kozin sang mainly to the piano accompaniment of David Ashkenazi , also to the jazz ensemble of V. A. Sidorov , the Hawaiian ensemble of Boris Bokru-Krupyshev. His inspiration was such that he proudly recalled that in every concert he performed up to forty songs without a microphone and amplification technique.

In his own words, he accompanied Stalin when he sang Russian ditties ^[3] .

During World War II

During the Great Patriotic War Kozin gave concerts in parts of the army. By order of the People's Commissar of Railways, he was allocated a special carriage for trips. Records with Kozin's records fell into a special category (they were not subject to re-melting). In 1941, Kozin prepared a program that included his patriotic song “Moscow” (“No, my Moscow will not be taken by them ...”).

In early December 1943, Kozin, together with Maurice Chevalier , Marlene Dietrich, and Iso Kremer, participated in a concert for the participants of the Tehran Conference .

In the prewar and war years , Kozin released over 50 records at Gramplasttrest .

Conviction

Since 1945, Kozin’s voice has disappeared from the air ; records were not issued. As Kozin himself wrote in his 1959 autobiography, some time before his arrest he had a verbal conflict with L.P. Beria , the reason was Beria 's unfulfilled promise to evacuate Kozin's relatives from Leningrad, where they died. Many years later, Kozin told the journalist F. Chuyev that in a personal conversation Beria expressed his claim that there was no song about Stalin in the repertoire ^[4] . In May 1944, Kozin was arrested, and in February 1945 sentenced by the Special Conference of the NKVD of the USSR to 8 years of forced labor camps under three articles of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR: 58-10, part two (“counter-revolutionary agitation in wartime”), 152 ( “Depraved acts against minors”) and 154a ( “sodomy” ) ^{[5] [6]} . The fact that the verdict was pronounced by a special meeting indicates that the case was unambiguously political ^[7] . He served his sentence in Kolyma . He was prematurely released in 1950 for exemplary behavior and good work. In the certificate issued by the camp administration, a dash was put in the column “under what article was convicted”. Journalist F. Chuyev, who visited Kozin in 1981, was shown a certificate stating “In the NKVD case” without specifying article ^[8] , and a document on his release “for shock work” ^[9] .

The singer’s biographers note that Kozin served his term easily, was not involved in heavy physical work, worked in the Magadan Music and Drama Theater along with other famous artist-prisoners of Kolymalag. Alexander Gridasova , head of the Maglag SVITL , saved him from hard work.

Return to Stage

In the 1950s, he resumed his concert activity, first in Siberia, and then in the European part of the USSR, increasing his former popularity. However, in 1959 he was repeatedly convicted under article 154a of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR (“sodomy”) and served his sentence until 1961 ^[10] .

In the 1960s there are songs “Do not frighten me with a bitter fate” ( A. Akhmatova ), “Only black velvet” ( N. Gumilyov ), “Do not wake up memories” ( K. Balmont ), “White snow is coming” ( E. Yevtushenko ).

Until the end of his life he lived in Magadan, remaining a peculiar landmark of the city, a man-legend. On the shelf he had the complete works of Stalin, a collection of "Songs of Stalin." He sang “And I Love Magadan Boulevards”, collected newspaper clippings on international themes and art, had many cats, one of them was called “Plisetskaya” ^[11] .

In the early 1990s, interest in a forgotten singer suddenly awoke in the country. On the central television channels several programs were published dedicated to his work and talent. To celebrate the singer’s 90th anniversary in 1993, a whole delegation of famous cultural figures led by Joseph Kobzon flew to Magadan. The Vadim Kozin Music Salon was organized.

Vadim Alekseevich died on December 19, 1994 in Magadan . He was buried in Magadan at the Marchekansky cemetery. During his life, he created about 300 songs , and his repertoire totaled more than 3,000 songs.

After his death, the music salon was transformed into a memorial museum-apartment ^[12] .

Kozin's voice is a warm, soft timbre, freely moving upstairs, moving and iridescent. Reminiscent of the voice of Sergei Lemeshev , but more chamber, matte and with a specific nasal sound. The singer recalled that his voice was, in principle, delivered from nature, therefore it was easy and short to learn, teachers paid attention to the accuracy of intonation and the prevention of forcing sound. The singer was naturally endowed not only with a pleasant and penetrating voice, but also with a delicate musical ear and great artistic talent, strong singing and artistic temperament, therefore, in essence, he was a nugget singer who gained great popularity in Leningrad in the late 1930s and further to the USSR. Kozin’s singing in his best years (1930-1940s) makes a very great impression due to the precise intonation, subtle and penetrating feeling of the material of the song, high musical culture and passion of performance. Kozin is a talented melodic composer, his best songs “Autumn”, “Lyubushka” are invariably popular in our time, they are performed by I. Kobzon, N. Nikitsky, T. Kravtsova and other pop artists. Kozin is a well-known popularizer of gypsy camp song culture.

Gramophone records

• Goodbye My Tabor / Always And Everywhere For You. 1937 - Noginsk Plant - 5597, Noginsk Plant - 5784
• Wicket / Singing Again. 1938 - Noginsk Plant - 5796, Noginsk Plant - 6481
• Autumn / Love. 1939 - Noginsk Plant - 9571, Noginsk Plant - 9572
• Masha / Song. 1939 - Aprelevka Plant - 9203, Aprelevka Plant - 9207
• Pitifully Groans / Beggar. 1939 - Noginsk Plant - 9590, Noginsk Plant - 9591

Memorial Museum Apartment in Magadan

The only museum in Russia created in memory of the life and work of the legendary singer. In 1991, on the eve of his 90th birthday, the chairman of the Magadan city executive committee, G. E. Dorofeev, initiated the creation of a music salon next to the singer’s apartment, in which he gave home concerts for the rest of his days, accompanying himself to the piano donated for his 90th birthday. Becker. " In 1995, the head of the administration of Magadan Nikolay Karpenko decided to create a memorial museum in the apartment in which the singer lived since 1968, at 1 Shkolny Lane, apt. 9. The interior that has been surrounding it for many years is preserved here: the piano “Red October”, tape recorders “Timbre”, a radio from a submarine, furniture, household items and personal items. Here Kozin received guests and sang for Boris Shtokolov , Oleg Lundstrem , Evgeny Yevtushenko , artists of the Romani gypsy theater. The intellectual and creative heritage of Vadim Kozin consists of magnetic tapes recorded by the singer at home in the 60s and 70s, extensive correspondence and personal diaries of the late 50s and early 90s, an extensive library, a collection of notes, posters, and a regional newspaper collection publications, personal archive of photos.

Today, the memorial apartment and the music salon, as during the life of Vadim Alekseevich, are visited by Magadans of different generations, visiting artists and politicians, and foreign visitors to the city. At concerts, songs and romances from the repertoire of the singer and his contemporaries are played here, a collection of picturesque portraits of the singer is exhibited, literary and musical evenings and meetings of participants in the discussion club of creative and scientific intelligentsia “Good Talk” are held, a Public Council is working under the leadership of Mayor of Magadan Vladimir Pecheny. The Vadim Kozin Museum is really in demand by the local and Russian community, it is a popular tourist attraction. About 4 thousand people visit it annually.

The name Kozin is found in the story of V. T. Shalamov, "Ivan Fedorovich."

In his autobiography, “To lose everything and start again with a dream,” he writes about Vadim Kozin and V. I. Tumanov . In particular, such a detail, which the author witnessed: “And here the incredible happens. Kozin takes a step forward, almost to the edge of the stage, and speaks clearly, with pauses between the words: - I came to sing for the prisoners. Therefore, I ask the camp authorities to leave us alone. The hall is numb, not knowing how to relate to this. After a short confusion, the officers and their families, and the overseers leave the canteen at the sign of the camp chief. ”

Vadim Kozin was mentioned by Alexander Rosenbaum in his song “Silver Kolyma” ^[13] :

In the silver Kolyma we don’t miss the prison
Here our tears do not reach the earth,
A rainbow hangs on them, ask Uncle Kozin
And Uncle Kozin understands in this life.

In 2013, on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of his birth in Magadan, Vadim Kozin was erected a monument (sculptor Yu. S. Rudenko) in a park on Karl Marx Avenue.

Petersburg

Malaya Posadskaya street , d.20 - in a mansion located on a site acquired in 1887 by the merchant of the 1st guild Gavriil Vasilyevich Kozin ^[14] , his grandson, the future famous singer V. A. Kozin, was born. A memorial plaque by the honored artist of Georgia Romy Rakviashvili was installed on the house.

• Vitaly Dixon “Silence on the topic of Russian gold”
• I. Dear. When was Vadim Kozin born? Linden anniversary
• Articles about inaccuracies in the described biography
• Song "Autumn" recorded by opera singer Timur Bekbosunov
• Russian version - “From Stalin with Love”
• Russian version - “God Saves the Soviet Donkey”
• Boris Savchenko. King of the gramophone // Literary Russia, 2018, March 23