Leshchenko is unable to call Pakhmutova: “We were one family with Dobronravov”

“They lived with incorruptible eyes”

One of the closest people of the legendary creative couple – Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov, who passed away on Saturday evening, was Lev Leshchenko. The People’s Artist of Russia was friends with these authors from his early youth and performed many of their songs. Lev Valeryanovich is now in Yekaterinburg, he learned the tragic news early in the morning. The artist does not yet consider himself right to call Alexandra Nikolaevna: she needs to at least recover a little from the shock.

“We lived together with Nikolai Nikolaevich and Alexandra Nikolaevna for 50 years – half a century of creativity and real, human friendship,” he says, “. Of course, this is a big loss in general, not only for the art world, but also for ordinary people who saw some kind of positive and hope in their work. Two generations of people grew up on their songs, the old and new generations united. Alexandra Nikolaevna and Nikolai Nikolaevich practically voiced two eras. And Kolya’s sayings were like a kind of postulate: “Hope is my earthly compass.” These have always been metaphors by which our people lived and sang, and strived for something bright.

— What was Nikolai Nikolaevich like?

— Positivity emanated from both of them, major key, and in human terms, living together for almost 70 years is actually something! This is an example of real moral ideals! In their songs the only thing that we had that was truly great from that time remained: there was nothing else left.

— What do you think the departure of Nikolai Dobronravov means for Russian art?

– This is the loss of the foundation on which a person stands, and the support of life. When you lose your diversity of faith, when the balance of the good, the real, the kind, the positive is destroyed and vice versa. This is the meaning of great artists.

They wrote so many songs, all the pages of the country’s life are reflected. It was sincere creativity, genuine and the heroes were real.

The page of the war – no one said it better than Kolya: “let’s bow to those great years.” What about sports? “Our youth team”, “Cowards don’t play hockey”, “Olympic Bear…” And the great construction projects? Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station, BAM, Ust-Ilimsk… That is, everything great that was created was voiced by these people. And it is by songs that people will remember those events – precisely by songs! People today are not up to those achievements; who remembers what happened 50 years ago? And it lives in the songs – the last thing that remains: an example of real creative life, incorruptible eyes, as he wrote. I sang this song: “Gray overcoats. Russian talents. The blue radiance of incorruptible eyes…” So, they lived with incorruptible eyes! Their eyes were glowing! It was not money that was in the eyes, but a reflection of today’s existence and normal people who strived for the best: to love their Fatherland, to be true patriots of their Fatherland. Not such fake patriots!

— Are there many songs by Pakhmutova and Dobronravov in your repertoire today?

— I picked up several songs: “A coward does not play hockey”, “Our Youth Team”, the first performers were different, but these songs cannot go away, I try to sing them. And the same “Nadezhda”, and many, many others.

— You and Nikolai Dobronravov were also fans of the same team?

– Yes! He and I are Dynamo fans, we called each other, discussed how the team played, went to the Olympics and World Championships. We had a family life: Kolya, Alechka, Yosya Kobzon, Zhenya Leonov – everyone was friends.

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