Mark Bernes' album "Mark Bernes Sings" and the main hits from it: "Where the Motherland Begins", "Dark Night", "The Enemies Burned the Motherland"...
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Mark Bernes is the most favourite artist of the Soviet Union, whose fame came in the period of 50s-60s... He is often called the outstanding Russian chansonnier, and it's really true! It was thanks to Bernays that the so-called "golden fund" of song classics was born on the territory of the USSR. But in today's article we will talk about one of the artist's albums, which is called "Mark Bernes Sings". Released on the Melodiya label, this record is remarkable for its content: it contained such timeless works as "Where the Motherland Begins", "Dark Night", "The Enemies Burned the Motherland"... And to this day, for many people it is the music of such a distant and so beautiful....
"Where the Motherland begins."
The 'A' side includes several instantly recognisable Bernays hits... Let's start with the composition 'Where the Motherland Begins'.
The work "Where the Motherland Begins", written by composer Veniamin Efimovich Basner to lyrics by Mikhail Matusovsky, was first performed in Vladimir Basov's film "Shield and Sword" in 1968. Subsequently, its title line became a popular cliché. And on the threshold of the 70s, schoolchildren even wrote an all-union essay on literature on the theme "Where the Motherland Begins"!
When listening to the song, one gets the feeling that everything in it has merged into a single whole... Poems cannot exist without music, just as music cannot exist without poems! As for the lyrics, they are addressed to one of the most important components of human life - the Motherland... It is not without reason that this composition has found such an ardent response in the hearts of millions of people! The audience of the film cried while this heartfelt hymn was playing... Images close to every Russian person, expressive musical form, Bernays' heartfelt voice... All this merged into a single masterpiece, which does not lose its relevance even after more than half a century.
In 1968, the composition became the main leitmotif of the film, and a little later - its main character. Time passed, and with it its popularity increased. It became a folk anthem, touching something intimate... "Where does the Motherland begin?" "What is the Motherland for you?" - Everyone answers these questions for himself.
"Dark Night."
An earlier lyric written by composer Nikita Bogoslovsky and poet Vladimir Agatov in the distant 1943. The song was created specifically for the film Two Fighters. Subsequently, like "Where the Motherland Begins", it became an independent anthem of the Soviet people! In addition, "Dark Night" is one of the most popular songs born during the Great Patriotic War... In 2015, more than half a century after its appearance, this composition was included in the top 30 most popular Russian classics.
And its story began with the fact that director Leonid Lukov could not manage to shoot a convincing shot of a soldier writing a letter... Then the man made a decision: he had to write a song. Yes, such that tears came to the eyes ... That for the soul took not only the viewer, but also the actor ... For help Lukov turned to Bogoslovsky, who literally on the fly came up with the right melody ... After they went to Agatov, who quickly wrote a text on it. And then the company went to Bernays right in the middle of the night! By morning the phonogram was ready. And the next day the episode was filmed: night, rain, a front dugout and a heartfelt song performed by Mark Bernes....
There is a rather curious story connected with this song. Even before the film was released, Leonid Utesov recorded it on a record without the knowledge of the authors of "Dark Night"... Because of this, the moment of surprise was lost. However, it is Bernes' interpretation, surprisingly sincere and heartfelt, that is considered a classic. Subsequently, many people performed "Dark Night": Basta, B-2, Dima Bilan, Boris Grebenshchikov, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Zemfira and many others.
"Enemies burned the native house" ("Praskovya")
The "B" side was adorned with the composition "The Enemies Burned the Native House", also known as "Praskovya". The song was written by composer Matvey Blanter and poet Mikhail Isakovsky. Many people remember it when it was performed by Mark Bernays, but it later became part of the repertoire of many other famous artists.
To this day, "Praskovya" remains the most significant and popular work about the Great Patriotic War. The lyric, like the music, is imbued with an acute dramatic, and even tragic mood....
In the 40s, the composition got on the radio, performed by Vladimir Nechaev, but... it was immediately banned due to "pessimistic moods". For a long time it lurked in the underground of Soviet pop music, until in 1960 Mark Bernes took the risk to perform it. And as it turned out - he made the right decision! After a standing ovation of the hall "Praskovya" again sounded all over the USSR! First on "Blue Light", and then at numerous concerts... Thus, the once forbidden composition became the artist's calling card!
According to many literary critics and poets, "Enemies burned the native hut" is the pinnacle of domestic military lyrics.
We will also enjoy other works from the album "Mark Bernes Sings". Although there is little information about them on the Internet, they are no less beautiful and significant in the history of Soviet culture:
"I Work Magic."
"Song About Belgrade"
"Poplars."
https://youtu.be/lk7YEp4iWUo
