Sofia Rotaru
Encyclopedia
Sofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru (born August 7, 1947) known as Sofia Rotaru (Ukrainian
: Софiя Ротару sɔˈfijɑ rɔˈtɑru) is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop
singer of Romanian
/Moldavian
heritage.
Born to a large, impoverished family in Marshintsy
, Rotaru, nicknamed Bukovinsky Solovey (Nightingale from Bukovina
), emerged in 1966 as a pop folk star in the movie Solovey iz sela Marshintsy (Nightingale from Marshintsy) in the Romanian and Ukrainian-speaking world after her manager and future husband Anatoliy Jevdokymenko
made her change her music style from folk to pop music with Chervona Ruta
.
In 1972, Sofia released the multilingual album Sofia Rotaru
, re-released three times and covered by numerous singers, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Rotaru had first gained international recognition after participating in 1968 in the International Youth Song Festival in Bulgaria and winning first prize at the Golden Orpheus
in 1973 and second prize in the category of Polish songs at the Sopot International Song Festival
in 1974. In the former USSR her career was marked by her stage success and numerous controversies. Rotaru is recognised by the Kiev Patriarchate
. Xenia Minosyan has named her the Ukrainian Show Queen and the edition of Postimees
in Russian has called her a queen of pop music., Lithuanian "Litovskii Kurier" Ukrainian news portal "openbiz", newspapers - Russian "Vechernaya Moskva", United Arab Emirates
' "The National
" call her "Queen of Pop".
Rotaru has been performing for more than 40 years. According to polls, she is the most popular pop artist in Russia and topped the Moscow airplay with "Ya nazovu planetu imenem tvoim" in 2008. Rotaru reported the highest income of all celebrities in Ukraine in 2008.
Her repertoire consists of more than 40 albums and 400 songs recorded in many languages. She has received awards, including being the first female pop-singer to be given the title of People's Artist of USSR in 1986, deemed a Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, People's Artist of Ukraine
, People's Artist of Moldavian SSR, Laureate of the Young Communist League Prize, Hero of Moldova, and Cavalier of the Republican Order of Moldova. In August 2002 former President of Ukraine
Leonid Kuchma
and President of Russia
Vladimir Putin
gave awards to Sofia Rotaru for her 55th birthday, bestowing upon her the high rank of the Hero of Ukraine
for her "outstanding personal merits in the sphere of art", and the Russian order
"For merits before the Nation", respectively. While Sofia Rotaru commonly goes by her last name, her official last name is Jevdokymenko-Rotaru . Jevdokymenko was the surname of her late husband. Yalta
is her main residence, although she also lives in Moscow
, Kiev
, and Baden-Baden
.
(Nightingale from Marshintsy Village) and Chervona Ruta, her name appears as Sofija Rotar'. Singer Edita P'ekha
advised Rotaru to spell her last name in the Moldavian way with a "u" at the end. Rotaru means "wheel maker" in Moldavian
. Rotaru's sister, Aurica Rotaru, also a singer, has said:
, Chernivtsi Oblast
to a family of brigadiers and wine-growers. She was the second child in a family of six children. A passport office employee accidentally wrote her passport birthdate as August 9 and as a result, Sofia Rotaru celebrates her birthday twice.
Sofia's father Mykhail Fedorovich spent the entire Second World War as a heavy machine gunner and traveled to Berlin
. Injured, he returned home only in 1946, and was the first person to join the Communist Party in the village. Sofia's older sister, Zina (in full form, Zinaida), was born on October 11, 1942. As a child Zina endured severe illness and went blind. Zina possessed perfect pitch and easily memorized new songs so she taught Sofia many folk songs and became a second mother for her sister as well as teacher. Sofia Rotaru said: "We all learned from her - what a musical memory, what a soul!". Zina spent hours listening to the radio and learned numerous songs, as well as the Russian language, which she later taught to her brothers and sisters. At home, the Rotaru family spoke only Romanian
. Sofia helped her mother and Zina with housekeeping, the education of her younger brothers and sisters, and in the mornings by going to the local market to sell home-grown products.
As a child, Rotaru participated in regional competitions of pentathlon and running.
Rotaru started singing from the first grade in the school choir, as well as in the church choir. However the latter was not acceptable to the school officials. Hence, she was threatened with an exclusion from the Young Pioneer
organization. Rotaru was attracted by the theatre. She practiced in drama classes and sang popular folk songs in vocal classes. In the evenings, she used to take the only bayan
at school and hide in the barn trying to find the proper melodies for her most loved Moldavian songs. Rotaru said:
Her first teacher was her father who enjoyed singing as he was young, possessing a perfect musical pitch and a good voice. Rotaru learned at school to play bayan and domra
, participated in amateur art activities,and performed in concerts in nearby villages. She was especially fond of house concerts. The six children of the Rotaru household made up a choir. Her father believed in the bright future of his daughter. He always said: "Sofia will become an artist". His belief gave Rotaru strength to overcome doubts about her vocation.
. The first pop song performed by Sofia Rotaru was "Mama" by Alexander Bronevitskiy.
, Bulgaria
, as a member of an artistic group. She won First Prize in the competition of singers of folk popular songs. Bulgarian newspapers were full of headlines: "21-year old Sofia has conquered Sofia". Her performances of the Ukrainian folk pop song "Na kameni stoyu" (Standing on the Stone), Moldavian folk pop songs and "Valentina" by Gheorghite made headlines. The latter song was dedicated to the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova
, who was present in the concert hall.
In 1968, Rotaru married Anatoliy Jevdokymenko, who at that time was a student at Chernivtsi University and a trumpet player in a student pop band.
In 1971, producer Roman Alekseev shot a musical film
Chervona Ruta
for Ukrtelefilm. The plot was about the tender and pure love of a girl from the mountains (played by Rotaru) and her relationship with a man from the industrial city of Donetsk
. The name of the film means the rue
flower, derived from an ancient Carpathian
legend
. Rue blossoms only on the Ivan Kupala
night, and the girl who succeeds in finding a blooming rue will be happy in love. Songs of the composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk
and other writers were co-performed by Zinkevich, Yaremchuk and other singers. The film enjoyed significant success. After the film was released, Rotaru received an offer to work in the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Society and with a backing ensemble called Chervona Ruta
. Rotaru's husband Jevdokymenko became the artistic director of the ensemble.
As a result of collaboration with Volodymyr Ivasyuk, a cycle of songs was created based on the roots revival
material in an orchestration characteristic of the 1960s and the 1970s in Continental Europe
. Resulting works brought Rotaru great popularity in the Soviet Union, especially in Ukraine. This was largely due to the fact that the Soviet authorities eagerly promoted her art as an example of international Soviet culture, as she was an ethnic Moldavian singing in Moldavian, Ukrainian and Russian languages. Consequently Rotaru gained regular airplay on state radio and television and was systematically billed for state-organized concerts.
In 1972, Sofia Rotaru and Chervona Ruta participated in a tour in Poland with the programme Pesni i tantsy Strany Sovetov (Songs and Dances of the Country of Soviets).
In 1973, she received First Prize at the international contest of Golden Orpheus in Burgas
, Bulgaria, performing the song "Moy gorod" (My city) of Doga, and Second Prize in the category of foreign performance of a song in the Bulgarian language. In the same year, she received the title Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. Later, the songs which she performed in the Moldavian language, "Codru" and "Moy gorod", became soundtracks for the film Vesenniye sozvuchiya – 73 (Spring accords – 73).
in Poland, performing "Vospominaniye" (Remembrance) by B. Rychkov, and "Vodogray" by Ivasjuk. She received second prize in the category of Polish song for her performance of "Ktoś" (Someone).
In 1975, she became a soloist for the Crimea
n Philharmonic Society.
In 1976, due to her family being persecuted for celebrating Christmas, considered a religious holiday, Sofia moved from Chernivtsi to Yalta
, transferring from the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Society to the Crimean Philharmonic Society.
After the death of Volodymyr Ivasyuk in 1979, a number of songs by Moldavian composers appeared in her repertoire penned by the Teodorovici brothers. By that time, Sofia Rotaru had ceased collaboration with Moldavian authors, primarily Eugene Doga. The latter had created rumors that the voice of Sofia Rotaru was created note by note on a computer.
Rotaru's songs of the period were created in collaboration with the following composers and lyricists: Arno Babadzhanyan wrote "Verni mne muzyku" (Bring Me the Music Back); Aleksey Mazhukov - "A muzyka zvuchit" (But the Music Plays) and "Krasnaya strela" (Red Arrow); Pavel Aedonitskiy - "Dlya teh, kto zhdët" (For Those Who Wait); Oskar Feltsman -"Only For You"; David Tukhmanov - "Ayst na kryshe" (Stork on the Roof), "V dome moëm" (At My Home), and "Val's" (Waltz); Yuriy Saulskiy - "A Usual Story" and "Osennyaya melodiya" (Autumn Melody); Aleksandra Pakhmutova - "Temp" (Tempo); Raimonds Pauls
- "Tanec na barabane" (Dance on the Drum); Zatsepin - "Sovsem kak na Zemle" (Just like on Earth); V. Migulya - "Zhyzn'" (Life), and others. Rotaru was the first performer of the songs of Yevgeniy Martynov, such as "Lebedinaya vernost'" (Swan Fidelity), "Jabloni v tsvetu" (Blossoming Apples), and "Ballada o materi" (Ballad About Mother). Another patriotic song, "Schastye tebe, Zemlya moya" (Be Happy, My Earth), caused political controversies, although both songs speak only of love for the land of one's birth, without political propaganda.
, Rotaru won first prize for her performance of the Yugoslavia
n song "Obeshchaniye" (Promise) and received the Order of the Badge of Honor
.
The singer continued to experiment and was the first Soviet female singer to appear wearing trousers on stage. While doing this, she performed a hip-hop style song "Temp" (Tempo) with music composed by Aleksandra Pakhmutova
and lyrics written by Nikolay Dobronravov. The songs "Temp" and "Ozhidaniye" (Waiting) were specially written for the cultural programme of the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow
. The song was used as the soundtrack theme for the drama film Ballada o sporte (Ode to sports), produced by Yuri Ozerov
. In the same year, for her performance of "Ozhidaniye", Rotaru won the All-Union Song of the Year award.
In 1980 Rotaru starred in the leading role in a film released by Moldova-Film
and called Gde ty, lyubov'? (Where are you, love?). Among other songs in the film, Rotaru performed "Pervy dozhd'" (First Rain). The movie featured her riding a motorcycle on a narrow sea embankment without a stunt double. According to the autobiographic plot, a village teacher is invited to join an ensemble and wins the Grand Prix at an international festival with the song "Gde ty, lyubov'?". The music for the song was composed by Raimonds Pauls and lyrics by Ilya Reznik. The rest of the composers of the soundtrack were Yevgeniy Martynov, Oskar Feltsman, Arno Babajanian
, and David Tukhmanov
. A double album of the soundtrack was released. More than 25 million movie goers viewed the film in 1980. The title song of the film was forbidden on state radio by Gennadiy Cherkassov, the director of the music department, because he did not like how Sofia Rotaru sang. In 1981, at the XIVth All-Union Cinema Festival in Vilnius
, the film received the jury's prize for popularisation of the singing art of Soviet composers, in the section of drama films. This movie was the first public exposure for Rotaru in a dramatic role. Critics called it "clambaked"; nevertheless the film gained film viewers' respect and some of the film themes became popular.
The next artistic period began with a new style - rock music. The film Dusha (Soul) with Rotaru's new rock band Mashina Vremeni
was released in 1981, including songs by Aleksandr Zatsepin
and Andrei Makarevich
. Due to her illness, Rotaru's doctors recommended that she not participate in the movie production and suggested that she cancel all concert performances. This incident caused Alexander Borodyansky
and Alexander Stefanovich
to write an autobiographical scenario for the film using the dramatic situation in the singer's life, characterising her loss of voice with an opening of her soul. This was shown in dialogue on a pier with an older man and included a reevalutaion of her values. After having seen the new rewritten scenario and new songs, written in a completely new style, Rotaru agreed to star in the movie and decided to temporarily forego all concert performances. The movie became a musical drama, touching not only the private life of an artist and human relationships, but also raising the question of the artist's attitude towards her talent and her responsibility to her audience. Rolan Bykov
was the co-star of Rotaru for the movie, and the lyrical hero was played by Leningrad
actor Mikhail Boyarsky
. Rotaru said: "The producer suggested to completely change my image from what the people had got used to see me on stage. I think the movie may become a turning point in my artstic destiny. Anyway, this is an experiment, for which I am heading with joy. And as during any experiment, it is difficult to suppose how it will all end." The film experienced more than 45 million entries in Soviet distribution. In what director Stefanovich called the first music video in the Soviet Union, Sofia Rotaru and Mashina Vremeni were dressed in golden stretchy fabrics, jumping on a transparent trampoline, shot by a camera below it.
In 1983, Rotaru performed a national concert tour of Canada, organised by the National Concert Agency Inc. The concerts were supported by the issue of an LP, titled Canadian Tour 1983
and released by Cansov Exchange Inc.
A new collaboration began in 1985 with the song "Lavanda" (Lavender), written by Vladimir Matetskiy for a duet with Estonia
n Jaak Joala. In 1986, she reversed artistic direction with the relatively unknown Moscow song writer. He managed the transition of Rotaru to a Europop
style ("Bylo no proshlo" (Once It Was But Now It's Over), "Luna" (Moon)), including elements of hard rock
("Moya vremya" (My Time), "Tol'ko etogo malo" (That's Not Enough). During the next 15 years, Matetskiy and his co-author Mikhail Shabrov practically monopolized the right to collaborate with Rotaru. They produced songs, most of which became part of her concert progammes in 1990–2000, and these songs helped to establish a popular and charismatic personality for Rotaru with her unique vocal timbre. After the first collaboration many others have followed, including: "Luna, luna" (Moon, Moon), "Dikiye lebedi" (Wild Swans), "Heart of Gold", and "Zhyzn' moya, lyubov' moya" (My Life, My Love").
, ("Kray, miy ridniy kray
" (Homeland), "Minaye den'" (Day Passes), Bliznyuk ("Ekho vernosti" (Echo of Fidelity), Rybchinskiy ("Bal razluchennykh serdets" (Ball of Separate Hearts), and Kvinta ("Chekay" (Wait), "Odna kalyna" (Lone Guelder-Rose
), "Tuman" (Fog). In 1991, during a conert in Lviv, some people from the audience put up a poster in Ukrainian, translating into: "Sofia, a heavy penalty is waiting for you". Due to the incident, Rotaru did not perform in Ukraine until the end of the 1990s, after a personal request by the President of Ukraine
Leonid Kuchma
.
At the same time, Rotaru prepared a new concert program, presented to the public in 1991. Half of it consisted of remixes of classics of Ukrainian pop songs, including "Chervona Ruta", "Cheremshina" (Bird Cherry), "Maple Fire", "Kray", "Gray Bird", and "Yellow Leaf". Rotaru has not faced Ukrainian nationalist accusations since then.
After the death of her husband Anatoliy Jevdokymenko, who had produced her programs, and the loss of her parents, Rotaru stopped touring for a period and joined a nunnery. Following several months of mourning, Rotaru resumed her concert and recording activities and topped the Russian, Ukrainian and Moldavian charts again.
A new period started in 2003 with performances in the Koncertny Zal "Rossiya" of Moscow, dedicated to the opening of her statue in front of the hall. The main composers working with Rotaru became Ruslan Kvinta ("Odna kalyna"), Oleg Makarevič ("Bely tanets" (White Dance)) and Konstantin Meladze ("Ya zhe yego lyubila" (Didn't I Love Him)), "Odin na svete" (One in the World)), as well as the lyricist Vitalij Kurovskij.
In 2004, after a four year break, Sofia Rotaru gave two solo concerts: in Chicago
and the Taj Mahal casino, Atlantic City.
During this time, Rotaru released the following albums: Yedinomu (For the Only One, 2003; with new songs and arrangements in Ukrainian and Moldavian languages), dedicated to the memory of her deceased husband, Nebo – eto ya (Heaven – It's Me, 2004), and Ya zhe yego lyubila (Didn't I Love Him, 2005).
in Yalta, in the presence of the President of Russia, the President of Ukraine and the President of Moldova
. The event was covered live by Ukrainian and Russian state TV channels. Celebrations for her birthday continued into September in Sochi
, where one of the young performers' music festival days, called "Five Stars," was dedicated to Rotaru. In October 2007, more birthday concerts took place in Moscow
, at the State Grand Kremlin Palace
, featuring Russian singers performing Rotaru's songs: Joseph Kobzon
, Filipp Kirkorov, Alla Pugacheva
, Lev Leshchenko, Nadezhda Babkina, Larisa Dolina
, Anzhelika Varum, Kristina Orbakaite
, Masha Rasputina, Nikolay Baskov
. Featured Ukrainian singers included Verka Serduchka
, Taisia Povaliy
, Valery Meladze
, Potap & Nastya Kamenskikh, and TNMK
.
The years 2006 and 2007 were busy for Rotaru. Three albums were released: Tuman (Fog) in Eastern Europe, and two albums exclusively for the German market, Serdtse ty moë (You Are My Heart) and Kakaya na serdtse pogoda (What's the Weather Like in the Heart). The year also included participation in numerous TV shows and concert programmes and a documentary made for Ukrainian TV. After filming, she took a one month break in January, which caused rumours about an illness or a car or plane crash. A Russian Anniversary Tour lasted from March until June 2007. Another TV musical show Krasota Trebuet (Beauty Requires), with Rotaru singing the song Lavanda (Lavender), premiered on 8 March 2008.
, a People's Artist of the USSR, said in 1964 after the Republican festival of popular talents in Kiev
: "This is your future celebrity. Remember my words." Lyudmila Zykina
, the president of the jury of the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in Sofia, said in 1968: "This is a singer with a great future..."
in 1988. Sofia Rotaru has sung more than 400 songs in Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Polish, Italian, English and German. She has performed in concerts in the United States
, Asia
, Europe
, and Australia
.
" (Who's Looking for Love) ("Deine Zärtlichkeit" (Your Tenderness), "Es muss nicht sein" (It Mustn't Be), and "Nachts, wenn die Nebel ziehen" (At Night When the Fog Spreads) the German label Ariola proposed releasing a bigger studio album with these and other songs in French and English, and launching a concert tour in Western Europe. However, a directive came from the Soviet government (Goskontsert) to sing only Soviet songs. Therefore, only the initial single was released "Deine Zärtlichkeit
". The concert administration of the USSR prohibited her from leaving the USSR between 1983 and 1988. This interdiction was put in effect after the 1983 tour in Canada and the release of her Canadian Tour 1983
album.
During the Orange Revolution
in Ukraine, Rotaru, together with her family, sent food packages to people who came to the Maidan Nezalezhnosti
, regardless of their political affiliation.
In 2006 Rotaru took active part in parliamentary elections in Ukraine
, balloting for the deputy chair as a second number in the list of Volodymyr Lytvyn
's political formation Lytvyn Bloc; however, the bloc could not gather enough votes to enter Parliament, one of the major surprises of the elections. She held an all-Ukrainian charitable campaign tour the same year. Among the main reasons for supporting the Lytvyn political unit, Rotaru cited her personal trust of Lytvyn and his steadiness, as well as her own interest in lobbying for arts issues in Ukraine.
. He first saw Rotaru on the cover of the magazine Ukraine № 27 in 1965 and immediately fell in love with her. At the time, Jevdokymenko was a serving his military duty in Nizhny Tagil
, Ural region. After military service, he looked Rotaru up. Jevdokymenko had graduated from a musical high school, played the trumpet
, and planned to create his own band. As a student at the University of Chernivtsi and a trumpeter in the student pop orchestra, he helped Sofia discover the pop orchestra. Before meeting him, Rotaru had used primarily violin
s and the cimbalom for musical backup.
s, her debut being in 1966 in Solovey iz sela Marshintsy (Nightingale from Marshintsy Village). She played the main characters in the films Chervona Ruta (1971), Gde ty, lyubov'? (1980) and Dusha (1981).
In 2009, the international press reported on Rotaru's alleged tax problems in Russia. The official representative of the Russian state prosecutor stated that an organised crime group presented itself as Rotaru's producers, and that she was not being investigated for tax violations.
and Yalta
. She has received numerous awards, including Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, People's Artist of Ukraine
, People's Artist of Moldavian SSR, People's Artist of USSR, Laureate of the YCL Prize, Hero of Moldova, and Cavalier of the Republican Order of Moldova. In August 2002, President of Ukraine
Leonid Kuchma
and President of Russia
Vladimir Putin
honoured Rotaru on her 55th birthday, bestowing upon her the high rank of Hero of Ukraine
for her "outstanding personal merits in the sphere of art", and the Russian order
"For merits before the Nation".
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Ukrainian alphabet
The Ukrainian alphabet is the set of letters used to write Ukrainian, the official language of Ukraine. It is one of the national variations of the Cyrillic script....
: Софiя Ротару sɔˈfijɑ rɔˈtɑru) is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop
Pop music in Ukraine
Pop music in Ukraine is Western influenced pop music in its various forms that has been growing in popularity in Ukraine since the 1960s.- 1970s :...
singer of Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
/Moldavian
Moldovans
Moldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
heritage.
Born to a large, impoverished family in Marshintsy
Marshintsy
Marshintsy is one of the Romanian speaking villages of the Novoselytskyi Raion of Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine . Sofia Rotaru was born in Marshintsy in 1947....
, Rotaru, nicknamed Bukovinsky Solovey (Nightingale from Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
), emerged in 1966 as a pop folk star in the movie Solovey iz sela Marshintsy (Nightingale from Marshintsy) in the Romanian and Ukrainian-speaking world after her manager and future husband Anatoliy Jevdokymenko
Anatoliy Evdokimenko
Anatoliy Yevdokymenko — is a Ukrainian musician, director of Chervona Ruta. People's Artist of Ukraine, husband of Sofia Rotaru ....
made her change her music style from folk to pop music with Chervona Ruta
Chervona Ruta (ensemble)
Chervona Ruta was a Ukrainian music group that performed between 1971 and 1990. Chervona Ruta group was created in 1971 by Anatoliy Evdokimenko with the Chernivtsi Philharmonic specially for the accompaniment of Sofia Rotaru...
.
In 1972, Sofia released the multilingual album Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru (album)
Sofia Rotaru is the debut album by Soviet singer-songwriter Sofia Rotaru, released in July 1972 by Melodiya. The first long play album was re-released in 1974 for the Soviet and Eastern European market and re-packaged as Sofia Rotaru - 1974...
, re-released three times and covered by numerous singers, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Rotaru had first gained international recognition after participating in 1968 in the International Youth Song Festival in Bulgaria and winning first prize at the Golden Orpheus
Golden Orpheus
The Golden Orpheus, is an international and Bulgarian song contest. It has been held annually between 1965 till 1999 in different concert halls located on the Sunny Beach.-External links:* *...
in 1973 and second prize in the category of Polish songs at the Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
in 1974. In the former USSR her career was marked by her stage success and numerous controversies. Rotaru is recognised by the Kiev Patriarchate
Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate is one of the three major Orthodox churches in Ukraine, alongside the Ukrainian Orthodox Church , and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church...
. Xenia Minosyan has named her the Ukrainian Show Queen and the edition of Postimees
Postimees
Postimees is an Estonian daily newspaper. It was established in 1 January 1857 by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and became Estonia's first daily newspaper in 1891....
in Russian has called her a queen of pop music., Lithuanian "Litovskii Kurier" Ukrainian news portal "openbiz", newspapers - Russian "Vechernaya Moskva", United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
' "The National
The National (Abu Dhabi)
The National is a government-owned English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi. The editor-in-chief since June 8, 2009 has been Hassan Fattah. Prior to this, and from the launch of the newspaper Martin Newland was editor-in-chief. Mubadala Development Company, an investment company...
" call her "Queen of Pop".
Rotaru has been performing for more than 40 years. According to polls, she is the most popular pop artist in Russia and topped the Moscow airplay with "Ya nazovu planetu imenem tvoim" in 2008. Rotaru reported the highest income of all celebrities in Ukraine in 2008.
Her repertoire consists of more than 40 albums and 400 songs recorded in many languages. She has received awards, including being the first female pop-singer to be given the title of People's Artist of USSR in 1986, deemed a Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, People's Artist of Ukraine
People's Artist of Ukraine
People's Artist of Ukraine is an honorary and the highest title awarding to outstanding performing artists whose merits are exceptional in the sphere of the development of the performing arts ....
, People's Artist of Moldavian SSR, Laureate of the Young Communist League Prize, Hero of Moldova, and Cavalier of the Republican Order of Moldova. In August 2002 former President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
and President of Russia
President of the Russian Federation
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
gave awards to Sofia Rotaru for her 55th birthday, bestowing upon her the high rank of the Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...
for her "outstanding personal merits in the sphere of art", and the Russian order
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
"For merits before the Nation", respectively. While Sofia Rotaru commonly goes by her last name, her official last name is Jevdokymenko-Rotaru . Jevdokymenko was the surname of her late husband. Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
is her main residence, although she also lives in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
.
Name
In the titles of the first musical movies where she starred, Solovey iz sela MarshintsyNightingale from Bukovina
Solovey iz sela Marshintsy is a 1966 short film. It was the first studio filmed movie starring Sofia Rotaru.Rotaru was 19 when she starred in the film as a performer of Ukrainian and Moldavian folk songs. The setting is the premises of the Chernivsti Philharmonic Society...
(Nightingale from Marshintsy Village) and Chervona Ruta, her name appears as Sofija Rotar'. Singer Edita P'ekha
Edita Piekha
Edita Piekha is a French-born popular Soviet and Russian singer and actress of Polish descent. She was the third popular female singer, after Klavdiya Shulzhenko and Sofia Rotaru, to be named a People's Artist of the USSR ....
advised Rotaru to spell her last name in the Moldavian way with a "u" at the end. Rotaru means "wheel maker" in Moldavian
Moldovan language
Moldovan is one of the names of the Romanian language as spoken in the Republic of Moldova, where it is official. The spoken language of Moldova is closer to the dialects of Romanian spoken in northeastern Romania, and the two countries share the same literary standard...
. Rotaru's sister, Aurica Rotaru, also a singer, has said:
Early life
On August 7, 1947 Sofia Rotaru was born in MarshintsyMarshintsy
Marshintsy is one of the Romanian speaking villages of the Novoselytskyi Raion of Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine . Sofia Rotaru was born in Marshintsy in 1947....
, Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers....
to a family of brigadiers and wine-growers. She was the second child in a family of six children. A passport office employee accidentally wrote her passport birthdate as August 9 and as a result, Sofia Rotaru celebrates her birthday twice.
Sofia's father Mykhail Fedorovich spent the entire Second World War as a heavy machine gunner and traveled to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Injured, he returned home only in 1946, and was the first person to join the Communist Party in the village. Sofia's older sister, Zina (in full form, Zinaida), was born on October 11, 1942. As a child Zina endured severe illness and went blind. Zina possessed perfect pitch and easily memorized new songs so she taught Sofia many folk songs and became a second mother for her sister as well as teacher. Sofia Rotaru said: "We all learned from her - what a musical memory, what a soul!". Zina spent hours listening to the radio and learned numerous songs, as well as the Russian language, which she later taught to her brothers and sisters. At home, the Rotaru family spoke only Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
. Sofia helped her mother and Zina with housekeeping, the education of her younger brothers and sisters, and in the mornings by going to the local market to sell home-grown products.
As a child, Rotaru participated in regional competitions of pentathlon and running.
Rotaru started singing from the first grade in the school choir, as well as in the church choir. However the latter was not acceptable to the school officials. Hence, she was threatened with an exclusion from the Young Pioneer
Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union
The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, also Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, also Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, also Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer...
organization. Rotaru was attracted by the theatre. She practiced in drama classes and sang popular folk songs in vocal classes. In the evenings, she used to take the only bayan
Bayan (accordion)
The bayan is a type of chromatic button accordion developed in Russia in the early 20th century and named after 11th-century bard Boyan.-Characteristics:The bayan differs from western chromatic button accordions in some details of construction:...
at school and hide in the barn trying to find the proper melodies for her most loved Moldavian songs. Rotaru said:
Her first teacher was her father who enjoyed singing as he was young, possessing a perfect musical pitch and a good voice. Rotaru learned at school to play bayan and domra
Domra
The domra is a long-necked Russian string instrument of the lute family with a round body and three or four metal strings.-History:In 1896, a student of Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev found a broken instrument in a stable in rural Russia...
, participated in amateur art activities,and performed in concerts in nearby villages. She was especially fond of house concerts. The six children of the Rotaru household made up a choir. Her father believed in the bright future of his daughter. He always said: "Sofia will become an artist". His belief gave Rotaru strength to overcome doubts about her vocation.
1962–1964: Career start and Ukrainian pop-folk
Rotaru's victory at a vocal competition of amateur performers opened the door to a regional review in 1962. In 1963 in Chernivtsi, she earned a first degree diploma at the regional amateur art review. In 1964, she won the all-republic festival of popular talents in Kiev. On this occasion her picture made it on the cover of № 27 of the magazine Ukraine in 1965. After graduation from high school, Rotaru decided to become a singer and entered the vocal and conductor department of the Chernivtsi Musical College. In 1964, Sofia Rotaru performed at the State Kremlin PalaceState Kremlin Palace
The State Kremlin Palace , formerly and unofficially still better known as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses , is a large modern building inside the Moscow Kremlin....
. The first pop song performed by Sofia Rotaru was "Mama" by Alexander Bronevitskiy.
1968–1973: International recognition
In 1968, after graduation from college, Sofia Rotaru performed as a delegate of the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, as a member of an artistic group. She won First Prize in the competition of singers of folk popular songs. Bulgarian newspapers were full of headlines: "21-year old Sofia has conquered Sofia". Her performances of the Ukrainian folk pop song "Na kameni stoyu" (Standing on the Stone), Moldavian folk pop songs and "Valentina" by Gheorghite made headlines. The latter song was dedicated to the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
, who was present in the concert hall.
In 1968, Rotaru married Anatoliy Jevdokymenko, who at that time was a student at Chernivtsi University and a trumpet player in a student pop band.
In 1971, producer Roman Alekseev shot a musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Chervona Ruta
Chervona Ruta (film)
Chervona Ruta is a 1971 Soviet Ukrainian musical film written by Miroslav Skochilyas and directed by Roman Oleksiv, starring Sofia Rotaru and Vasyl Zinkevych alongside popular Soviet Ukrainian ensembles...
for Ukrtelefilm. The plot was about the tender and pure love of a girl from the mountains (played by Rotaru) and her relationship with a man from the industrial city of Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
. The name of the film means the rue
Rue
Rue is a genus of strongly scented evergreen subshrubs 20–60 cm tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia and southwest Asia. There are perhaps 8 to 40 species in the genus...
flower, derived from an ancient Carpathian
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
legend
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
. Rue blossoms only on the Ivan Kupala
Ivan Kupala Day
Kupala Day is celebrated in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently on the night of 6/7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 23/24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many Orthodox Churches. Calendar-wise, it is opposite to the winter solstice holiday...
night, and the girl who succeeds in finding a blooming rue will be happy in love. Songs of the composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk
Volodymyr Ivasyuk
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Ivasyuk or Volodymyr Ivasiuk was a very popular Ukrainian songwriter, composer and poet from the Ukrainian SSR...
and other writers were co-performed by Zinkevich, Yaremchuk and other singers. The film enjoyed significant success. After the film was released, Rotaru received an offer to work in the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Society and with a backing ensemble called Chervona Ruta
Chervona Ruta (ensemble)
Chervona Ruta was a Ukrainian music group that performed between 1971 and 1990. Chervona Ruta group was created in 1971 by Anatoliy Evdokimenko with the Chernivtsi Philharmonic specially for the accompaniment of Sofia Rotaru...
. Rotaru's husband Jevdokymenko became the artistic director of the ensemble.
As a result of collaboration with Volodymyr Ivasyuk, a cycle of songs was created based on the roots revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
material in an orchestration characteristic of the 1960s and the 1970s in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
. Resulting works brought Rotaru great popularity in the Soviet Union, especially in Ukraine. This was largely due to the fact that the Soviet authorities eagerly promoted her art as an example of international Soviet culture, as she was an ethnic Moldavian singing in Moldavian, Ukrainian and Russian languages. Consequently Rotaru gained regular airplay on state radio and television and was systematically billed for state-organized concerts.
In 1972, Sofia Rotaru and Chervona Ruta participated in a tour in Poland with the programme Pesni i tantsy Strany Sovetov (Songs and Dances of the Country of Soviets).
In 1973, she received First Prize at the international contest of Golden Orpheus in Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
, Bulgaria, performing the song "Moy gorod" (My city) of Doga, and Second Prize in the category of foreign performance of a song in the Bulgarian language. In the same year, she received the title Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. Later, the songs which she performed in the Moldavian language, "Codru" and "Moy gorod", became soundtracks for the film Vesenniye sozvuchiya – 73 (Spring accords – 73).
1974–1979: New authors and Moldavian lyricism
In 1974, Rotaru graduated from the Chisianu Art Institute of Gavriil Musicescu and participated in the Sopot International Song FestivalSopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
in Poland, performing "Vospominaniye" (Remembrance) by B. Rychkov, and "Vodogray" by Ivasjuk. She received second prize in the category of Polish song for her performance of "Ktoś" (Someone).
In 1975, she became a soloist for the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
n Philharmonic Society.
In 1976, due to her family being persecuted for celebrating Christmas, considered a religious holiday, Sofia moved from Chernivtsi to Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, transferring from the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Society to the Crimean Philharmonic Society.
After the death of Volodymyr Ivasyuk in 1979, a number of songs by Moldavian composers appeared in her repertoire penned by the Teodorovici brothers. By that time, Sofia Rotaru had ceased collaboration with Moldavian authors, primarily Eugene Doga. The latter had created rumors that the voice of Sofia Rotaru was created note by note on a computer.
Rotaru's songs of the period were created in collaboration with the following composers and lyricists: Arno Babadzhanyan wrote "Verni mne muzyku" (Bring Me the Music Back); Aleksey Mazhukov - "A muzyka zvuchit" (But the Music Plays) and "Krasnaya strela" (Red Arrow); Pavel Aedonitskiy - "Dlya teh, kto zhdët" (For Those Who Wait); Oskar Feltsman -"Only For You"; David Tukhmanov - "Ayst na kryshe" (Stork on the Roof), "V dome moëm" (At My Home), and "Val's" (Waltz); Yuriy Saulskiy - "A Usual Story" and "Osennyaya melodiya" (Autumn Melody); Aleksandra Pakhmutova - "Temp" (Tempo); Raimonds Pauls
Raimonds Pauls
Raimonds Pauls is a Latvian and Soviet composer and piano player who is well-known and respected in Latvia and the former Soviet Union.-Music:...
- "Tanec na barabane" (Dance on the Drum); Zatsepin - "Sovsem kak na Zemle" (Just like on Earth); V. Migulya - "Zhyzn'" (Life), and others. Rotaru was the first performer of the songs of Yevgeniy Martynov, such as "Lebedinaya vernost'" (Swan Fidelity), "Jabloni v tsvetu" (Blossoming Apples), and "Ballada o materi" (Ballad About Mother). Another patriotic song, "Schastye tebe, Zemlya moya" (Be Happy, My Earth), caused political controversies, although both songs speak only of love for the land of one's birth, without political propaganda.
1980–1983: Acting career and new connections
In 1980, at the international song festival held in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Rotaru won first prize for her performance of the Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n song "Obeshchaniye" (Promise) and received the Order of the Badge of Honor
Order of the Badge of Honor
The Order of the Badge of Honour was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.It was instituted on 25 November 1935 and conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in production, scientific research and social, cultural and other forms of social activity, for promotion of economic,...
.
The singer continued to experiment and was the first Soviet female singer to appear wearing trousers on stage. While doing this, she performed a hip-hop style song "Temp" (Tempo) with music composed by Aleksandra Pakhmutova
Aleksandra Pakhmutova
Aleksandra "Alya" Nikolayevna Pakhmutova has remained one of the best known figures in Soviet and later Russian popular music since she first achieved fame in her homeland in the 1960s....
and lyrics written by Nikolay Dobronravov. The songs "Temp" and "Ozhidaniye" (Waiting) were specially written for the cultural programme of the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The song was used as the soundtrack theme for the drama film Ballada o sporte (Ode to sports), produced by Yuri Ozerov
Yuri Ozerov (director)
Yuri Ozerov was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 20 films between 1950 and 1995.-Early life:...
. In the same year, for her performance of "Ozhidaniye", Rotaru won the All-Union Song of the Year award.
In 1980 Rotaru starred in the leading role in a film released by Moldova-Film
Moldova-Film
Moldova-Film is a Moldovan film studio and production company founded in 1952 in the Moldavian SSR.- History:Moldova-Film was founded in 1947 in Chişinău as a branch of the Central Studio for Documentary Film. In 1949 the branch was taken over by the Odessa Film Studio and in 1952 became an...
and called Gde ty, lyubov'? (Where are you, love?). Among other songs in the film, Rotaru performed "Pervy dozhd'" (First Rain). The movie featured her riding a motorcycle on a narrow sea embankment without a stunt double. According to the autobiographic plot, a village teacher is invited to join an ensemble and wins the Grand Prix at an international festival with the song "Gde ty, lyubov'?". The music for the song was composed by Raimonds Pauls and lyrics by Ilya Reznik. The rest of the composers of the soundtrack were Yevgeniy Martynov, Oskar Feltsman, Arno Babajanian
Arno Babajanian
Arno Harutyuni Babajanian was a Soviet Armenian composer and pianist, People's Artist of the Armenian SSR and Soviet Union . He was a laureate of two Stalin State Prizes of the USSR and two Armenian SSR State Prizes ....
, and David Tukhmanov
David Tukhmanov
David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov ; Soviet-Armenian music composer.Best known for a number of Soviet hits like Victory Day and the Last Electrichka.-See also:*Vesyolye Rebyata*Jaak Joala*Igor Talkov*Valeri Leontiev*Sofia Rotaru...
. A double album of the soundtrack was released. More than 25 million movie goers viewed the film in 1980. The title song of the film was forbidden on state radio by Gennadiy Cherkassov, the director of the music department, because he did not like how Sofia Rotaru sang. In 1981, at the XIVth All-Union Cinema Festival in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, the film received the jury's prize for popularisation of the singing art of Soviet composers, in the section of drama films. This movie was the first public exposure for Rotaru in a dramatic role. Critics called it "clambaked"; nevertheless the film gained film viewers' respect and some of the film themes became popular.
The next artistic period began with a new style - rock music. The film Dusha (Soul) with Rotaru's new rock band Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia...
was released in 1981, including songs by Aleksandr Zatsepin
Aleksandr Zatsepin
Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin - a Soviet and Russian composer, famous for his soundtracks to many popular movies, notably comedies by Leonid Gaidai...
and Andrei Makarevich
Andrei Makarevich
Andrey Vadimovich Makarevich is a Soviet and Russian rock musician, founder of the Russia's oldest still active rock band Mashina Vremeni .-Biography:Makarevich was born in Moscow to the parents of Belarusian and Jewish origin...
. Due to her illness, Rotaru's doctors recommended that she not participate in the movie production and suggested that she cancel all concert performances. This incident caused Alexander Borodyansky
Alexander Borodyansky
Alexander Emmanuilovich Borodyansky is a Soviet and Russian screenwriter and film director.-Filmography:* Afonya * Dusha * We Are from Jazz * Deja Vu * The Assassin of the Tsar * The Star...
and Alexander Stefanovich
Alexander Stefanovich
Alexander Borisovich Stefanovich is an Soviet and Russian film director, producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:*Vid na zhitelstvo *Dorogoy malchik *Foam *Dusha *Start All Over Again *Bardy...
to write an autobiographical scenario for the film using the dramatic situation in the singer's life, characterising her loss of voice with an opening of her soul. This was shown in dialogue on a pier with an older man and included a reevalutaion of her values. After having seen the new rewritten scenario and new songs, written in a completely new style, Rotaru agreed to star in the movie and decided to temporarily forego all concert performances. The movie became a musical drama, touching not only the private life of an artist and human relationships, but also raising the question of the artist's attitude towards her talent and her responsibility to her audience. Rolan Bykov
Rolan Bykov
Rolan Antonovich Bykov was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, script writer, poet, song writer. He was awarded People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1973 and the USSR State Prize in 1986.Rolan Bykov was born to a Jewish family in Kiev....
was the co-star of Rotaru for the movie, and the lyrical hero was played by Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
actor Mikhail Boyarsky
Mikhail Boyarsky
Mikhail Sergeevich Boyarsky is a Soviet/Russian actor and singer, currently living in the city of Saint Petersburg. He is best known and loved for the role of d'Artagnan in the film d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers and its sequels . He was also a popular singer of the 1980s and completed several...
. Rotaru said: "The producer suggested to completely change my image from what the people had got used to see me on stage. I think the movie may become a turning point in my artstic destiny. Anyway, this is an experiment, for which I am heading with joy. And as during any experiment, it is difficult to suppose how it will all end." The film experienced more than 45 million entries in Soviet distribution. In what director Stefanovich called the first music video in the Soviet Union, Sofia Rotaru and Mashina Vremeni were dressed in golden stretchy fabrics, jumping on a transparent trampoline, shot by a camera below it.
In 1983, Rotaru performed a national concert tour of Canada, organised by the National Concert Agency Inc. The concerts were supported by the issue of an LP, titled Canadian Tour 1983
Canadian Tour 1983
Canadian Tour 1983 - is the third studio album of Sofia Rotaru, recorded in Ukraine. The album was released in 1983 in Canada and USA with 12 tracks . The given album is not part of the official discography of Sofia Rotaru and is therefore one of the earliest releases of the singer abroad. The...
and released by Cansov Exchange Inc.
1985–1989: Change of style - Europop and hard rock
The mid-1980s evolved into a turning point in the creation of the singer's image. Contrary to the previous Vas priglashaet Sofia Rotaru (Sofia Rotaru Invites You) (1985), the new film Monologue of Love (1986) explored the aesthetics of the new art. Only one song, "Techët voda" (Water Flows) by Ihor Poklad, carried on the folk music theme, presenting an image of a farm girl who became a star.A new collaboration began in 1985 with the song "Lavanda" (Lavender), written by Vladimir Matetskiy for a duet with Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n Jaak Joala. In 1986, she reversed artistic direction with the relatively unknown Moscow song writer. He managed the transition of Rotaru to a Europop
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
style ("Bylo no proshlo" (Once It Was But Now It's Over), "Luna" (Moon)), including elements of hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
("Moya vremya" (My Time), "Tol'ko etogo malo" (That's Not Enough). During the next 15 years, Matetskiy and his co-author Mikhail Shabrov practically monopolized the right to collaborate with Rotaru. They produced songs, most of which became part of her concert progammes in 1990–2000, and these songs helped to establish a popular and charismatic personality for Rotaru with her unique vocal timbre. After the first collaboration many others have followed, including: "Luna, luna" (Moon, Moon), "Dikiye lebedi" (Wild Swans), "Heart of Gold", and "Zhyzn' moya, lyubov' moya" (My Life, My Love").
1990–1991: Among different cultures
The transition to a repertoire in the Russian language caused a certain amount of animosity in Ukraine. Accusations in betrayal of national culture were supported by the state producer unions, philharmonic societies, and concert companies who were losing control over the financial side of the concert and tour activity of Rotaru as a result of economic reforms. In order to avoid large scale provocations, Rotaru refused to participate in the Chervona Ruta festival which took place in Chernivtsi in 1989. The diminution of proportion of Ukrainian songs was caused by the absence of high-quality lyrics in Ukrainian. Rare exceptions included the songs of Nikolay MozgovoyNikolay Mozgovoy
Mykola Mozghovy ; September 1, 1947 – July 30, 2010) was a Ukrainian and Soviet composer, producer, and songwriter.He was born in Sarniv, Volochysk Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine....
, ("Kray, miy ridniy kray
Kray, miy ridniy kray
Kray, miy ridniy kray - is a song originally recorded by Sofia Rotaru for her 1981 album Sofia Rotaru and Chervona Ruta.-Description:According to the Ukrainian and Russian press, this song became an absolute hit in 1979 - year of it first performance, a second such achievement for a Ukrainian song...
" (Homeland), "Minaye den'" (Day Passes), Bliznyuk ("Ekho vernosti" (Echo of Fidelity), Rybchinskiy ("Bal razluchennykh serdets" (Ball of Separate Hearts), and Kvinta ("Chekay" (Wait), "Odna kalyna" (Lone Guelder-Rose
Viburnum opulus
Viburnum opulus is a species of Viburnum, native to Europe and Asia. Some botanists also treat the closely related North American species Viburnum trilobum as a variety of it , or a subspecies, Viburnum opulus subsp...
), "Tuman" (Fog). In 1991, during a conert in Lviv, some people from the audience put up a poster in Ukrainian, translating into: "Sofia, a heavy penalty is waiting for you". Due to the incident, Rotaru did not perform in Ukraine until the end of the 1990s, after a personal request by the President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
.
At the same time, Rotaru prepared a new concert program, presented to the public in 1991. Half of it consisted of remixes of classics of Ukrainian pop songs, including "Chervona Ruta", "Cheremshina" (Bird Cherry), "Maple Fire", "Kray", "Gray Bird", and "Yellow Leaf". Rotaru has not faced Ukrainian nationalist accusations since then.
1991–2004: New times
After the collapse of the USSR and commercialisation of the post-Soviet music, Rotaru has kept her top position in the market and has a stable public, including the Russian speaking diaspora in Europe, USA, Australia and Israel. In 2000 Rotaru was named the Best Ukrainian Pop Singer of the Twentieth Century. In 2001 Rotaru performed in a new solo concert program Zhyzn' moya – moya lyubov (My Life Is My Love). The programme blended new songs with the hits of the previous years in a new manner. In 2002 Sofia Rotaru was awarded the title "Hero of Ukraine".After the death of her husband Anatoliy Jevdokymenko, who had produced her programs, and the loss of her parents, Rotaru stopped touring for a period and joined a nunnery. Following several months of mourning, Rotaru resumed her concert and recording activities and topped the Russian, Ukrainian and Moldavian charts again.
A new period started in 2003 with performances in the Koncertny Zal "Rossiya" of Moscow, dedicated to the opening of her statue in front of the hall. The main composers working with Rotaru became Ruslan Kvinta ("Odna kalyna"), Oleg Makarevič ("Bely tanets" (White Dance)) and Konstantin Meladze ("Ya zhe yego lyubila" (Didn't I Love Him)), "Odin na svete" (One in the World)), as well as the lyricist Vitalij Kurovskij.
In 2004, after a four year break, Sofia Rotaru gave two solo concerts: in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the Taj Mahal casino, Atlantic City.
During this time, Rotaru released the following albums: Yedinomu (For the Only One, 2003; with new songs and arrangements in Ukrainian and Moldavian languages), dedicated to the memory of her deceased husband, Nebo – eto ya (Heaven – It's Me, 2004), and Ya zhe yego lyubila (Didn't I Love Him, 2005).
2007–today: 60th birthday
In 2007, Sofia Rotaru celebrated her 60th birthday. Hundreds of fans, as well as artists and politicians, came to Yalta to congratulate the singer. The President of Ukraine awarded Sofia Rotaru with the II Degree Order for Merits. Her official reception and birthday party took place at the Livadia PalaceLivadia Palace
Livadia Palace was a summer retreat of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family in Livadiya, Crimea in southern Ukraine. The Yalta Conference was held there in 1945, when the palace housed the apartments of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and other members of the American delegation...
in Yalta, in the presence of the President of Russia, the President of Ukraine and the President of Moldova
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
. The event was covered live by Ukrainian and Russian state TV channels. Celebrations for her birthday continued into September in Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
, where one of the young performers' music festival days, called "Five Stars," was dedicated to Rotaru. In October 2007, more birthday concerts took place in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, at the State Grand Kremlin Palace
Grand Kremlin Palace
The Grand Kremlin Palace , also translated Great Kremlin Palace, was built from 1837 to 1849 in Moscow, Russia on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes, which had been established in the 14th century on Borovitsky Hill...
, featuring Russian singers performing Rotaru's songs: Joseph Kobzon
Joseph Kobzon
Iosif Davydovich Kobzon is a Soviet and Russian singer, known for his crooner style.-Early life:Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donbass region of Ukraine....
, Filipp Kirkorov, Alla Pugacheva
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva or Pugachova , born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day...
, Lev Leshchenko, Nadezhda Babkina, Larisa Dolina
Larisa Dolina
Larisa Aleksandrovna Dolina is an Azerbaijani-born prominent Russian jazz and pop singer and an actress...
, Anzhelika Varum, Kristina Orbakaite
Kristina Orbakaite
Kristina Edmundovna Orbakaitе better known as Kristina Orbakaite is a Russian singer and actress. Her parents are Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva and Lithuanian circus performer Mykolas Orbakas.-Biography:...
, Masha Rasputina, Nikolay Baskov
Nikolay Baskov
Nikolay Victorovich Baskov is a popular Russian tenor singer. He's famous for performing both classical operatic arias and pop music songs.He is meritorious and people's artist of the Russian Federation. He is people's artist of Ukraine...
. Featured Ukrainian singers included Verka Serduchka
Verka Serduchka
Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko , better known as his drag character Verka Serduchka , is a Ukrainian comedian and pop and dance singer. In the role of Serduchka, he represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and finished in second place...
, Taisia Povaliy
Taisia Povaliy
Taisia Povaliy is an Ukrainian singer and actress popular in Ukraine and other counties of CIS....
, Valery Meladze
Valery Meladze
Valeriy Shotayevich Meladze is a Russian singer of Georgian descent. He is the brother of composer and producer Konstantin Meladze, who writes songs for him.-Early life:...
, Potap & Nastya Kamenskikh, and TNMK
TNMK
TNMK or Tanok na Maidani Kongo is the most successful Ukrainian hip-hop group . They are notable for clever, yet often tongue-in-cheek lyrics; mixing hip-hop with rock, funk and jazz music and playing real instruments on their albums and live shows, rather than using mere samples and drum...
.
The years 2006 and 2007 were busy for Rotaru. Three albums were released: Tuman (Fog) in Eastern Europe, and two albums exclusively for the German market, Serdtse ty moë (You Are My Heart) and Kakaya na serdtse pogoda (What's the Weather Like in the Heart). The year also included participation in numerous TV shows and concert programmes and a documentary made for Ukrainian TV. After filming, she took a one month break in January, which caused rumours about an illness or a car or plane crash. A Russian Anniversary Tour lasted from March until June 2007. Another TV musical show Krasota Trebuet (Beauty Requires), with Rotaru singing the song Lavanda (Lavender), premiered on 8 March 2008.
Artistry
Several first impressions of Rotaru's performance have been recorded from professional critics. Dmytro HnatyukDmytro Hnatyuk
Dmytro Hnatyuk is a famous Ukrainian baritone opera singer, and a member of The Supreme Council of Ukraine.- Biography :Dmytro Hnatyuk was born on March 28, 1925 in the village of Mamayivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast , Ukraine...
, a People's Artist of the USSR, said in 1964 after the Republican festival of popular talents in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
: "This is your future celebrity. Remember my words." Lyudmila Zykina
Lyudmila Zykina
Lyudmila Georgievna Zykina was a national folk singer of Russia.She was born in Moscow and joined the Pyatnitsky Choir in 1947. Her surname is derived from the Russian word for "loud" . Beginning in 1960 she performed solo...
, the president of the jury of the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in Sofia, said in 1968: "This is a singer with a great future..."
Legacy
Rotaru was nominated the People's Artist of the USSRPeople's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
in 1988. Sofia Rotaru has sung more than 400 songs in Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Polish, Italian, English and German. She has performed in concerts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Politics
Sofia Rotaru does not support any particular political ideology. Nevertheless, her multicultural identity served both for and against her. Soviet authorities, persecuting her family for celebrating Christmas, simultaneously lauded her as the top singer of the USSR. The German press wrote about her as "The Conductor of the USSR". Some of her albums were recorded in Germany. After the recording of "L'immensità" (Immensity) in Italian and of "Wer Liebe suchtStand By Your Man
"Stand by Your Man" is a song co-written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill and originally recorded by Tammy Wynette, released as a single in September 1968 in the USA...
" (Who's Looking for Love) ("Deine Zärtlichkeit" (Your Tenderness), "Es muss nicht sein" (It Mustn't Be), and "Nachts, wenn die Nebel ziehen" (At Night When the Fog Spreads) the German label Ariola proposed releasing a bigger studio album with these and other songs in French and English, and launching a concert tour in Western Europe. However, a directive came from the Soviet government (Goskontsert) to sing only Soviet songs. Therefore, only the initial single was released "Deine Zärtlichkeit
Deine Zärtlichkeit
"Deine Zärtlichkeit" is the debut German single by Soviet singer-songwriter Sofia Rotaru and was released in 1978 by Ariola / Sony BMG Music Entertainment. It does not appear on the planned German debut studio album Sofia Rotaru. The single consists of two songs...
". The concert administration of the USSR prohibited her from leaving the USSR between 1983 and 1988. This interdiction was put in effect after the 1983 tour in Canada and the release of her Canadian Tour 1983
Canadian Tour 1983
Canadian Tour 1983 - is the third studio album of Sofia Rotaru, recorded in Ukraine. The album was released in 1983 in Canada and USA with 12 tracks . The given album is not part of the official discography of Sofia Rotaru and is therefore one of the earliest releases of the singer abroad. The...
album.
During the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
in Ukraine, Rotaru, together with her family, sent food packages to people who came to the Maidan Nezalezhnosti
Maidan Nezalezhnosti
Maidan Nezalezhnosti is the central square of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the main city squares, it is located on the Khreschatyk Street...
, regardless of their political affiliation.
In 2006 Rotaru took active part in parliamentary elections in Ukraine
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2006
The Ukrainian parliamentary election took place on March 26, 2006. Election campaigning officially began on July 7, 2005. Between November 26 and December 31, 2005 party lists of candidates were formed....
, balloting for the deputy chair as a second number in the list of Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn is a Ukrainian politician and the current Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. Having previously served in that position from 2002 until 2006, he was re-elected in December 2008 after his party agreed to join the former coalition of Yulia...
's political formation Lytvyn Bloc; however, the bloc could not gather enough votes to enter Parliament, one of the major surprises of the elections. She held an all-Ukrainian charitable campaign tour the same year. Among the main reasons for supporting the Lytvyn political unit, Rotaru cited her personal trust of Lytvyn and his steadiness, as well as her own interest in lobbying for arts issues in Ukraine.
Nationality
Singing in different languages caused fierce arguments about which culture Sofia Rotaru belonged to - Moldavian, Ukrainian, Russian or Romanian. She was considered as a "fellow" in Russia, and Armenia debated whether or not to award her with the Meritorious Artist of Armenian SSR. The singer, who always lived in Ukraine, considered herself to be a Ukrainian citizen, while not denying her Moldavian roots. On her web page, she identifies herself as Ukrainian.Personal life
Besides Sofia, Aurica, her younger sister, has also performed professionally, combining a solo career with performances as a back-up vocalist, as well as duetting with sisters Lidia and Eugenia. However, for Aurica, 80s Italo-Pop duets were not successful, and in 1992 she ended her singing career. Sofia's husband, Anatoliy Kyrylovich Jevdokymenko, was a People's Artist of Ukraine (1941–2002). He was the son of a conductor from ChernivtsiChernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
. He first saw Rotaru on the cover of the magazine Ukraine № 27 in 1965 and immediately fell in love with her. At the time, Jevdokymenko was a serving his military duty in Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil is a city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, situated east of the virtual border between Europe and Asia. Population: -History:...
, Ural region. After military service, he looked Rotaru up. Jevdokymenko had graduated from a musical high school, played the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, and planned to create his own band. As a student at the University of Chernivtsi and a trumpeter in the student pop orchestra, he helped Sofia discover the pop orchestra. Before meeting him, Rotaru had used primarily violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s and the cimbalom for musical backup.
Filmography
Sofia Rotaru was cast in seven musical filmMusical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
s, her debut being in 1966 in Solovey iz sela Marshintsy (Nightingale from Marshintsy Village). She played the main characters in the films Chervona Ruta (1971), Gde ty, lyubov'? (1980) and Dusha (1981).
Phenomenon
Rotaru fan clubs exist in many cities across Russia and Europe.In 2009, the international press reported on Rotaru's alleged tax problems in Russia. The official representative of the Russian state prosecutor stated that an organised crime group presented itself as Rotaru's producers, and that she was not being investigated for tax violations.
Awards
Sofia Rotaru is a Meritorious Citizen of CrimeaCrimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
. She has received numerous awards, including Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, People's Artist of Ukraine
People's Artist of Ukraine
People's Artist of Ukraine is an honorary and the highest title awarding to outstanding performing artists whose merits are exceptional in the sphere of the development of the performing arts ....
, People's Artist of Moldavian SSR, People's Artist of USSR, Laureate of the YCL Prize, Hero of Moldova, and Cavalier of the Republican Order of Moldova. In August 2002, President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
and President of Russia
President of the Russian Federation
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
honoured Rotaru on her 55th birthday, bestowing upon her the high rank of Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...
for her "outstanding personal merits in the sphere of art", and the Russian order
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
"For merits before the Nation".
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Golden Orpheus
The Golden Orpheus, is an international and Bulgarian song contest. It has been held annually between 1965 till 1999 in different concert halls located on the Sunny Beach.-External links:* *...
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