Oscar Feltsman has died. He was dubbed the patriarch of Russian music, and not only because of his old age, having died just two weeks short of his 92nd birthday. He wrote his first popular song – Steamboat – in 1952, back when Stalin was still alive! His songs were sung at various times by Leonid Utyosov, Edita Piekha, Joseph Kobzon, Muslim Magomaev, Eduard Khil, Valentina Tolkunova, Lev Leschenko, Sofia Rotaru and many others. He worked with such poets as Andrei Voznesensky and Evgeny Evtushenko.
A musical wunderkind, at six years of age he had already composed his first piece of the piano. Fletsman was born on February 18, 1921 in Odessa into the family of an orthopedic surgeon, who also played the piano brilliantly.
He had musical training on the violin starting from the age of five and studied at the Moscow Conservatory. During his evacuation in Novosibirsk and following the war he composed music – for theaters, circuses and variety shows as well as operettas, but he made a name for himself as a songwriter. As Lev Lescheko recalled, Feltsman had one rule: “no bad songs.”
His hits – now considered Soviet classics – were surprisingly light and melodious and at the same time contemporary. During the period of the first successes of the Soviet Union in space exploration the song “I believe, my friends” became a favorite not just among cosmonauts but throughout the entire country. And who can forget Edita Piekha singing “I don’t see anything”?
Oscar Feltsman continued to compose into old age. Ahead of his 80th birthday, which was celebrated in the concert hall of the hotel Rossia in 2001, he wrote a number of new songs.
Oscar Feltsman was named People’s Artists of Russia and received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, and Order of Friendship, among other honors.
Alexander Ryazantsev
I believe, my friends (performed by Vladimir Troshin)
Lily of the Valley (performed by Gelena Velikanova)
I don’t see anything (performed by Edita Pekha)
