Vadim Kozin
Encyclopedia
Vadim Kozin (March 21, 1903 – December 19, 1994) was a Russia
n tenor
.
Vadim Alexeych Kozin was born the son of a merchant in Saint Petersburg to Alexei Gavrilovich Kozin and Vera Ilinskaya in 1903. His mother was a gypsy and often sang in the local gypsy choir. Their house was frequently full of musicians, exposing Vadim to tradition from an early age.
He began to sing professionally in the 1920s, and gained success almost immediately. In the 1930s he moved to Moscow and began playing with the accompanist David Ashkenazi
.
During World War II
he served in the entertainment brigade and sang for the Russian troops.
In 1944, shortly before the birthday of Stalin
, the police chief Lavrenty Beria called him up and asked why his songs didn't involve Stalin. Kozin famously replied that songs about Stalin were not suited for tenor voices. In late 1944 Kozin was sentenced to 5 years in jail as part of the repression campaign against prominent Soviet performers and was sent to Magadan
. It was rumored however that the official reason to exile Kozin was a pretext to eliminate him from Soviet stardom because he allegedly was homosexual.
Although he was initially released in 1950 and was able to return to his singing career. Though released once again several years later, he was never officially rehabilitated and remained in exile in Magadan until his death. Speaking to journalists in 1982, he explained how he had been forced to tour the Kolyma
camps: "The Polit bureau formed brigades which would, under surveillance, go on tours of the concentration camps and perform for the prisoners and the guards, including those of the highest rank."
In 1993, being interviewed by Theo Uittenbogaard
in the TV documentary GOLD lost in Siberia, he remembered that he was released from exile temporarly and flown-in to Yalta
for a few hours, because Winston Churchill
, being unaware of Kozins' forced exile, had asked Stalin for the famous singer Vadim Kozin to perform, during a break in the Yalta Conference
, held February 4–11, 1945
His prison sentence deeply traumatized Kozin, leading to the cessation of his singing career. He even began burning his own records, to the point where his friends were forced to hide their own copies from him in order to preserve them. The Soviet government never officially rehabilitated him and his 90th birthday was celebrated in private among friends in Magadan. He died at the age of 91 in 1994.
Marc Almond
recorded the album Orpheus In Exile – Songs Of Vadim Kozin in which he covers Vadim Kozin's songs. The album was released on September 7, 2009 to wide critical acclaim.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
.
Vadim Alexeych Kozin was born the son of a merchant in Saint Petersburg to Alexei Gavrilovich Kozin and Vera Ilinskaya in 1903. His mother was a gypsy and often sang in the local gypsy choir. Their house was frequently full of musicians, exposing Vadim to tradition from an early age.
He began to sing professionally in the 1920s, and gained success almost immediately. In the 1930s he moved to Moscow and began playing with the accompanist David Ashkenazi
David Ashkenazi
David Ashkenazi was a Russian pianist, concertmaster and composer.Ashkenazi was born on 25 December 1915 in Nizhny Novgorod. He studied piano at the local music college and in the Moscow Conservatory...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in the entertainment brigade and sang for the Russian troops.
In 1944, shortly before the birthday of Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, the police chief Lavrenty Beria called him up and asked why his songs didn't involve Stalin. Kozin famously replied that songs about Stalin were not suited for tenor voices. In late 1944 Kozin was sentenced to 5 years in jail as part of the repression campaign against prominent Soviet performers and was sent to Magadan
Magadan
Magadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...
. It was rumored however that the official reason to exile Kozin was a pretext to eliminate him from Soviet stardom because he allegedly was homosexual.
Although he was initially released in 1950 and was able to return to his singing career. Though released once again several years later, he was never officially rehabilitated and remained in exile in Magadan until his death. Speaking to journalists in 1982, he explained how he had been forced to tour the Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
camps: "The Polit bureau formed brigades which would, under surveillance, go on tours of the concentration camps and perform for the prisoners and the guards, including those of the highest rank."
In 1993, being interviewed by Theo Uittenbogaard
Theo Uittenbogaard
Theo Uittenbogaard is a Dutch radio & TV-producer, who worked for almost all nationwide public networks in The Netherlands since 1965. His training was on-the-job, since no school or academy geared to that profession existed in The Netherlands those days. He started as a 19-year old apprentice...
in the TV documentary GOLD lost in Siberia, he remembered that he was released from exile temporarly and flown-in 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...
for a few hours, because Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, being unaware of Kozins' forced exile, had asked Stalin for the famous singer Vadim Kozin to perform, during a break in the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
, held February 4–11, 1945
His prison sentence deeply traumatized Kozin, leading to the cessation of his singing career. He even began burning his own records, to the point where his friends were forced to hide their own copies from him in order to preserve them. The Soviet government never officially rehabilitated him and his 90th birthday was celebrated in private among friends in Magadan. He died at the age of 91 in 1994.
Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
recorded the album Orpheus In Exile – Songs Of Vadim Kozin in which he covers Vadim Kozin's songs. The album was released on September 7, 2009 to wide critical acclaim.
Footnotes
- http://vadimkozin.narod.ru/ – Vadim Kozin site
- In July 1993 Vadim Kozin told his story, sang and played his piano probably for the last time in the documentary on the Gulag in the far east of Siberia GOUD Vergeten in Siberië aka GOLD Lost in Siberia www.imdb.com http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0827767 by Dutch author Gerard Jacobs and filmmaker Theo UittenbogaardTheo UittenbogaardTheo Uittenbogaard is a Dutch radio & TV-producer, who worked for almost all nationwide public networks in The Netherlands since 1965. His training was on-the-job, since no school or academy geared to that profession existed in The Netherlands those days. He started as a 19-year old apprentice...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2320931/ - Druzhba (Friendship) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wer6xJC56A