Rendering 14: about V.S. Vysotsky's 75 birthday

The article which was published by Alexander Bratersky in The St. PetersburgTimes on 30 January, 2013 reports at length that at the Jan. 19 is commemorated Vysotsky’s 75th birthday.

It carries a lot of comment on that in a grim Soviet reality, he lived the lifestyle of a playboy, but his real face is that: he wrote ballads about World War II and was a symbol of patriotism for many Russians. I’m very proud for my country that Vladimir Vysotsky, a bard singer, poet and actor still remains one of the nation’s most outstanding icons: his birthday was widely marked by Russian and foreign fans over the weekend.

Speaking of the way it is celebrated wу are to say that several concerts and exhibitions in honor of Vysotsky took place across Russia in Tambov, Penza, St. Petersburg and Moscow. It’s necessary to note that Vysotsky’s son, Nikita, attended the opening of a museum to his father in Yekaterinburg, where locals and visitors can see the poet’s restored Mercedes.

Analyzing the situation in the TV sphere of the event it’s important to emphasize that Russians could watch a variety of Vysotsky-related television programs to mark the day. Channel One showed the film “Vysotsky: Thank God I’m Alive.” Meanwhile, Kultura and TV Tsentr broadcast his documentary footage.

It’s very likely that the celebrations were not limited to Russia. The staff of Poland’s Vladimir Vysotsky Museum in Koszalin held an international festival of documentary films and organized an exhibition of archived materials: footage of Vysotsky rehearsing his role in “Vishnyovy Sad” and photographs from his Taganka Theater’s French tour in 1977.

There is every reason to believe that Vysotsky, who died in 1980, has cult status in Russia. That’s why the legendary Soviet chess master Boris Spassky never crossed paths with the singer but explained his appeal the best: “He was able to find a path into every heart. This unique gift made him the people’s singer.” Also Vera Shirokaya, a retired railroad company employee from Irkutsk, said: “His songs made many people think, ‘Do we really live in the world’s best country?” There is a general feeling to believe that she remembers retyping a short book of Vysotsky’s poetry, which was published by the underground press because it was not possible to obtain it officially. Shirokaya gave the book to her colleague, who later lost it.

It’s an open secret that the critic, Yury Saprykin, lamented in an article in Afisha magazine that the younger generation doesn’t recognize a lot of the famous quotes from the poet’s songs. To his mind it’s necessary to point out that: “There are no playlists combining his songs on Vkontakte.” It’s unlikely when trying to present Vysotsky to a younger audience, movie producers have depicted him as an action hero of the “drugs, sex and rock-n-roll type.” One such depiction can be seen in the 2011 film “Vysotsky: Thank God I’m Alive,” which collected $27.4 million in theaters but disappointed critics: Vysotsky seems to focus more on his romantic relationships and love of racing his Mercedes than on his songs.

The reporter gives no details to his personal opinion, but I’d like to add that Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky is our legend of art. Personally I think that his songs, many of them I know, are the mirrors of our culture.