The name of the brilliant Soviet legend is included in a special edition of the International Biographical Center of Cambridge "500 outstanding personalities of the 20th century." Valentina's charming and passionate voice, her extraordinary talent as a shining star will forever burn in the hearts of her many admirers … This is her destiny.
The creative path of being born to become a star
In 1984, the melodrama "Cruel Romance" by Eldar Ryazanov was released on Soviet screens, the work on which is now recognized by many critics as the best in the director's entire career. The proof of this is the long-term popularity of the picture, and the songs and music that sounded in it are not forgotten to this day. The amazingly sonorous, sensual voice of Valentina Ponomareva in the romance "And in the end I'll tell you" - the meaning and summary of the interpretation of the play by Alexander Ostrovsky "The Dowry". It was in the early 80s that the performer's fame was gaining momentum; by the time the aforementioned film was released, Valentina Ponomareva was already a star of gypsy songs, jazz parties, a participant in international competitions, a soloist of the legendary trio "Romen".
They say about such people: the family was written to become famous
Valentina was born on July 10, 1939 in Moscow, in a family of creative and musical people. Father - violinist Dmitry Ponomarev, mother - pianist Irina Lukashova. In the family tree on the father's side - an outstanding violinist, Russian gypsy, professor of the Moscow Conservatory - Erdenko Mikhail. The girl grew up in an atmosphere of rehearsals, to the sounds of a piano and violin, surrounded by people who were somehow connected with the world of music.
Therefore, it is not surprising that after school, Valentina enters the Institute of Arts and successfully receives an education in two areas at once - vocal and piano. After graduating from both courses as an external student, she first appears on the stage of the Drama Theater of the city of Khabarovsk as Mashenka, a gypsy from the play "Living Corpse" based on the play by Leo Tolstoy. So, in 1960, the successful takeoff of the career of an unusually talented singer and artist begins. Her voice, unique in timbre, ability to transmit the sounds of various instruments to them, gypsy artistry and bright appearance attract the attention of producers, artists and performers. It is not surprising that in 1967 Valentina became a soloist of the jazz orchestra under the direction of Anatoly Kroll. Jazz has long become her real passion: she loved jazz, she wanted to sing it, so working in tandem with an internationally famous bandleader brought her tremendous satisfaction.
Creativity - from romance to jazz
Love for jazz, not for some mainstream or gypsy ethnojazz, but for the coolest avant-garde and free jazz, almost played a fatal role in the artist's biography: there was an impulse to go abroad, to leave the country. But, fortunately, Valentina's father stopped her from this reckless step. The next wave of fame and glory covers Valentina Ponomareva during her solo years in the Romen trio. Tours in the country and abroad, releases of records, concerts and festivals, performances on radio and television! In total, she worked in the legendary group for 12 years.
In 1983, the star of the gypsy song and jazz got a job at the Intourist variety show, in the same year he received a fateful invitation from Eldar Ryazanov. The performance of romances in a famous film determines her future! Valentina Ponomareva seems to find her true destiny. This is facilitated by both experience and mental attitude: the performer says that her road did not accidentally lead to the romance, because her grandmothers and aunts performed them perfectly, and Valentina herself was not ready for them in her youth: the energy of youth, in full swing, took only rhythm and movement. It was necessary to come to the warmth and subtlety of the romance, and the road to it at Ponomareva really took place. “When I sang jazz, I felt pain, felt protest, I felt absolutely my fighting nature. I had to fight. In the romance I have absolute comfort,” says Valentina herself. No wonder her program, with which she has flown halfway around the world, was called “My soul is a romance”.
Concerts, concerts …
After the release of the painting "Cruel Romance", projects of texts, music, ready-made romances for performance from various authors fell on Valentina Ponomareva, as if from a cornucopia. A lot of material was collected, preparations began for concerts, rehearsals, recordings of songs, enchanting, in terms of success, tours. Soviet magazines and critics called her the Soviet star of romance. In addition, Valentina Ponomareva took an active part in organizing charitable competitions, was a member of the jury in actions - concerts of the Moscow House of Actors, auditioned and selected contestants for participation in the All-Russian "Romansiada". She always paid special attention to self-taught people, looking for new talents.
It cannot be said that the creative life of Valentina Ponomareva was the embodiment of the search for oneself. Not at all. Thanks to her unique capabilities, not a single event in her life is an accident. She is subject to any genres of performance: classical, jazz, rock, folk songs and romances. Due to divine talent, amazing initial data, she was destined to go through this amazing, beautiful, bright path! Little is known about the star's personal life. Even today, Valentina protects her from any outside interference, she agreed to interviews only on the condition of exclusively professional topics.
Her husband's wife
With her only husband, a professional guitarist, fate brought the performer together in 1983. This year has been incredibly significant in her life. There is an assumption that the romantic mood, the depth of feelings that Valentine was able to convey in the serenades of "Cruel Romance", became possible thanks to the meeting with the love of her life. Konstantin is 15 years younger than Valentina, he accompanied her at all her concerts. "Why exactly he?" - asked journalists in those days. “He looks like Jesus Christ,” she answered shortly.
Today Valentina Ponomareva and her husband live far from Moscow, in a remote village. They deliberately retired at once and left concert activity. They do not agree to interviews, Valentina never answers the phone, her husband always picks up the receiver, concisely and politely ending any conversation with reporters. The health of the talented diva of the Soviet years, according to her life partner, is quite satisfactory. If we had not left the concert activity, then the state of Valentina Ponomareva could only be worse, he adds.
Throughout her career, Valentina Ponomareva has released more than 18 solo albums, and the recorded collections and albums of various artists in which she took part are innumerable.
