The main children’s songwriter of our country also has a house in Dedenevo near Moscow, as if drawn from a cartoon: it is buried in a pine forest and flowers, and somewhere in the thickets Vodyanoy, the favorite hero of Yuri Sergeevich, is looking after the owners. But he is tired of Antoshka and does not plant potatoes, but he arranges gatherings with Livanov and Tukhmanov, before whom he is supposed to wash his hands in the sink from … Elizabeth the First.
July 13 2017
– This is an old house built in 1902. My wife Marina and I know both the builders and the foreman from archival documents – it was built by the same people as the neighboring dacha to Academician Speransky. Before the revolution, the house was owned by the family of an influential priest. According to legend, a silver jug with a treasure is buried somewhere here. His previous owners were looking for him: their grandmother always stood and watched if the workers were digging the ground. Marina also dug under the old stove in the annex, but found only a ring and a horseshoe.
“After the clergy, this house was given to a peasant who sold it to the composer Vasilenko, who wrote the music for the film“ Dzhulbars ”. He bought it with royalties from the film, and the house was called “Dzhulbars”. Then his children and descendants lived here, and it was hard for them to leave here. The house is magical. Once we had a psychic as a guest, who said that it is not necessary to clean it, but you can even meditate. Do you know the proverb: the horse did not roll. In the old days, a horse was released to the ground, and where the horse lay, a house was built there. And our house is in the right place, here the horse was lying as if. He has a good energy, and people become attached to him. Once an old man who lived here came, walked through all the rooms and died like that: he came to say goodbye to the house. We will never part with him. And we got it like that.
One day in 1983, my wife and I were driving on the road to Moscow from Dmitrov, and our friends were sitting in the back. And they offered us to rent their dacha on Trudovaya Street, which was robbed all the time in winter. And we filmed with them for three years in a row. It was a whole general’s settlement that arose when after the war Stalin allocated two hectares of land to the marshals, and simply to the generals one hectare each, and the captured Germans built houses from parts taken from Germany. Everything was done very soundly, in German, there were even fences with traces of our bullets. We asked the price, and it turned out that you need to live 500 years in order to earn money for such a dacha. To buy it, I sold all the furniture in Moscow, and I also borrowed money, and on the wall we had a list of more than 20 people to whom to return. I even sold my library of Soviet poetry, which I had been collecting for a very long time. But all the same, this money was not enough. And then my friend informs me that he has found a stunning house in the village of Dedenevo. My wife Marina asked if there was a place to swim. And he said that there is – the Moscow-Volga canal. We decided to go at least for a swim, went into this garden, walked along the path, I turned around and felt that my wife was shocked, and I wanted to give her this house. Its price was many times less than that correct German estate. And it was the wrong house: it was neglected, they were making their way through the forest. We could not buy it right away, as there were difficulties with registration, but here we were lucky: just a law was passed that canceled these difficulties.
On August 21, 1985, on my 50th birthday, we signed an agreement to purchase a summer residence. The owners also offered to take a dog, which had an old two-story kennel: depending on where the wind was blowing, it would lie down in one direction or the other. We agreed, although I was afraid of dogs (I was bitten by one in childhood, and the fear remained) and especially this one, which was sitting on a chain, growled and threw herself in such a way. And then I boldly took the documents and showed them to Thomas that the house is ours and it is ours. And now we have Jessica, she is 9 years old, she is a puppy.
– The house was repainted several times in more cheerful yellow-brown colors. Initially, it was dark green, and all the walls were covered with curtains and pictures. The owners left us some furniture because we were all in debt and we had nothing to buy our own. They left the writing table, the sofas that the wife pulled herself, and this huge chic table that extends to the whole room. Then we added something, and the house itself decided what to do with the interior. We picked up antiques in commission.
“There are three floors here. Upper – with access to the roof. Lower – kitchen, bathroom and sauna. There used to be a small room with a stove, where nuns lived, who helped around the house. At first, the wife believed that she should correspond to the way of life that they led. Marina began to salt cabbage, make liqueurs, behind the garage she had a vegetable garden where she planted everything. The main rooms are on one floor: a dining room, a living room, a dressing room, a son’s room, an office and a kitchen. All pictures are drawn by our son Lenya.
– We have something blooming all the time: first one lilac, then another, Persian, now jasmine. And all this is very old: both trees and shrubs. From time to time I have to cut, which I am very sorry to do. Old birches are especially dangerous. Maples are sown endlessly and new ones grow. If we had potatoes growing, then I wouldn’t get married and I wouldn’t buy a dacha – I’m tired of Antoshka! Something grew with us, but I forbade it, because our heroes live here – like the Water One in the thickets.
– The house is warm. There used to be six Dutch ovens here. Now she is alone in the living room. At first Marina herself heated these stoves with wood, but she had to run all over the house, she was tired, some of the stoves did not work, and when they began to redo everything, they put a boiler, which she fired with coal. And she drowned for five years, so that the stoker’s cough began. There was no gas in the village, but a pipe was buried on a large street, and I went to the gas trust to ask if it was possible to supply gas to me alone, since there was a pipe. Allowed, but for money. And I worked for two or three months, found a specialist in this matter who taught me what to do. The last bribe was given to the chief so that the gas was turned on. The pipes got warm and it was incredible joy. We all got drunk, and I even sang with joy: “Steppe and steppe all around …” The soul sang.
– The people from whom we bought the house lived at 4 Arbat Street. There was a Moscow salon where artists, painters and composers came. And from this salon a dining table got to our house. The woman, who is now 95 years old and who witnessed these events, gave me a list of those who sat at this table, talked, dined: Andrey Bely, Ivan Bunin, Leonid Andreev, Vikenty Veresaev, Vladimir Gilyarovsky, Alexey Tolstoy, Mikhail Bulgakov, composers Alexander Glazunov, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, the Bolshoi Theater singers Nezhdanova, Sobinov, and so on. The State Literary Museum has a description of this table, a photograph of it.
– At the table, we like to gather with a group of friends who live in exactly the same houses as these. We made friends with Academician Konovalov, an outstanding neurosurgeon, head physician of the Burdenko Institute. We are also friends with his brother, also an academician, but a specialist in the field of architecture. And the grandson of Academician Speransky and his wife are also our friends, we often gather here. We have a lot in common with Konovalov: we are Yuri, we live in the same wooden houses, were born in August with a difference of a week. Several times, to save money, we celebrated birthdays at the same time. When we moved and just met, we gathered them all for a dinner party. Before that, I had watched Ostrovsky’s play, where a servant was played by one artist, whom I asked to open the door, announce the guests and say: “It is served to eat.” We found an antique dress with a crinoline and puffy skirts for Marina. And exactly at 9 pm the bell rang: a woman came, a former artist of the operetta theater, amazingly singing old romances. She came out in gold and silver, and they did not recognize her, although this is their neighbor, who was always digging in the garden in her sweatpants. We lit candles, and she began to sing romances, including some of mine. She sang “Forest Deer” very beautifully. It was a completely unique evening that they still remember. We always treat ourselves to simple Russian food – we have stocks of real vigorous herring in jars.
– From Elizabeth the First – a washbasin. He’s from her workshop. They promised to sell it to the museum, but we paid more than the museum. And they took it, and when they turned it over, they saw the seal of Her Majesty’s workshop. It has a unique design, no one else has it: water flows not from the turn of the faucet handles, but from the turn of the faucet itself. And if you twist the tip of the tap in one direction, the water will flow like a fountain, in the other – like from a shower.
– I like to play the piano, but I don’t know how. I really wanted to learn how to play, and, most importantly, my parents wanted to: they bought me a violin, collected money for a long time. I had already agreed to enter some musical institution when the war began. The violin disappeared, then I already dreamed of learning the piano. Mom played the piano well. But I did a couple of classes and quit. And on the guitar, the teacher first taught me notes, and I did not want to learn notes. I wanted to strum right away, sing and accompany something, but he wouldn’t let me. I ditched him too. Now this is the piano for my composers. I asked Gladkov to bring an instrument of his choice, only to fit the house. For this piano, Tukhmanov recorded 101 songs. Composers didn’t teach me, and I don’t want to. Talent should concentrate on one thing. I’m surprised that now everyone is writing themselves. Once I was invited to the “Star Factory”, and I asked them which of them considers himself a composer and writes music, and everyone raised their hand, and who can write poetry – everyone raised their hand too. I told them that nothing would come of them. Now the producers themselves write songs, for example, Fadeev, and not bad, but Drobysh, in my opinion, not very well. Today’s stage is mostly producer.
– This is my office and my portrait. It was sent to me by a student from Orenburg, for whom I wrote a hymn and in which I spent my childhood during the war.
My figurine in a theatrical costume was made in a pioneer camp.
At the table, I did not write a single poem, but wrote everything on this sofa.
After he moved into the house, he did not write a single frivolous song, but only large works such as musicals, as well as six books of poems. The last book is a collection of “The best children’s songs in the world” in its own free translation. These 25 songs from different countries have been selected through the embassies.
Nearby is the two-volume book “Pushkin and Entin”, which I presented for Boyarsky’s 50th birthday: read these two solid volumes, Boyarsky, at home, the great Sergeichs work skillfully. Once, on a TV program with the actors, he asked: what do Pushkin, Boyarsky and Entin have in common? Gurchenko raised her hand: “You are all Sergeichi.” Me: “That’s right, Lucy. Sit down. “
– This is Marina’s office, this is her computer. Her book was published two years ago. It is about me and dedicated to me. This is interesting for those who remember Soviet times and how they had to fight for everything. The Bremen Town Musicians came out in millions of copies, and the author was paid 1,5 kopecks from the record, because the producer was the state. We lived very modestly. But God gave us everything we needed: we have an apartment in Moscow, we have this house. Of course, not three toilets per floor. We do not live at the level at which a rich man would live. Although no one else has written so many children’s songs, they have not created their aesthetics.
“It’s a half-joking museum on the lot next to the main house. The main exhibit is a denim suit in which I played in one of the performances based on our play Skazka.ru with Tukhmanov. Frames from films are hung on the walls: Gennady Gladkov – “The Bremen Town Musicians” and “Tell, Snegurochka, where was she”, Alexey Rybnikov – “Tortilla the Turtle” and “Buratino”, Maxim Dunaevsky – “I am a Water One” and “Chastushki Babok-Ezhek” , Evgeny Krylatov – “Zap-zhik, who’s new” and “Winged swing”, Vladimir Shainsky – “Chunga-changa” and “Antoshka”, David Tukhmanov – “Cricket cricket”, which was performed amazingly by Alexey Petrenko. I myself do not like to sing my songs, I never sing. When I composed “The Bremen Town Musicians”, no matter who I came to visit, everyone put on this disc, and I almost went crazy. Everyone thought that for some reason I should like it.
– The play “Topsy-turvy” is still performed at the Theater. Mossovet. The play “Hottabych” was performed at the Moscow Operetta Theater for 20 years in a row. Raikin had a play. Here is “The Blue Puppy” (I called him “The Drama with the Dog”), “The Baghdad Thief.” And this is the original, the only surviving poster of The Bremen Town Musicians, when the animated film came out. Three musicals were staged in Minsk, and fashion director Druzhinin staged The Flying Ship in Leningrad.
– I have had a lot of interesting people staying here. First of all, Tonino Guerra has been several times. He gave a long interview to an Italian newspaper, where he spoke in detail about our house, because he was recognized as one of the best wooden houses in Russia. Rolan Bykov, Gennady Khazanov and friends-composers also stayed there.
However, all my anniversaries – 50, 60, 70, 80 years old – I celebrated with only two friends: Vasily Livanov and Gennady Gladkov. No more guests. I don’t like big companies, I feel terribly uncomfortable in them. They both were witnesses at our wedding: Livanov – from Marina, and Gladkov – from mine. They always give interesting things. Gladkov presented a lamp that matched the tone of the house, and Livanov presented a once very fashionable suitcase-diplomat so that I would put my money there. It was the peak of fashion, and I did not part with this suitcase for a long time. I followed the fashion, and he even outwardly suited me.
– This is a house where it is always comfortable – both in summer and in winter. Repairs had to be done infrequently. It is built reliably enough. Amazing: 115 years old – and the house is in order. The tree was then somehow kept in some kind of water, stained. Of course, outwardly the house is peeling off, we will repaint again, but inside we have never changed anything. We just removed the partitions and opened some closed rooms, made a closet. The youngest items we have are an electric kettle and a coffee maker. Marina has an amazing talent as a designer, everyone is amazed how she furnishes the house and finds a place for everything.