Pyotr Leshchenko was born in the village of Isaevo, which is located in the Odessa region. Mother - Maria Kalinovna Leshchenkova gave birth to a son out of wedlock, and he never recognized his biological father. As an illegitimate Peter, he was not given a birth certificate, and the first document was a baptismal certificate, which took place on July 3, 1898. Peter had younger half-sisters Valentina and Ekaterina.

9 months after the birth of her first child, Maria Kalinovna leaves with her parents for Chisinau. Until the age of 8, the boy was raised at home by his mother, grandmother and stepfather Alexey Vasilyevich Alfimov, who was a dental technician. Maria had absolute musical ear, loved and knew how to sing, knew many folk songs by heart. These abilities were inherited by Peter, who in 1906, for his demonstrated abilities in the field of vocals and dances, was accepted into the soldiers' church choir, and a few months later he was enrolled in the 7th People's Parish School in Chisinau. Thus, at the age of 17, Pyotr Leshchenko graduated from both general education and music school.

Then the young man is taken to the front. First, he served for a year in the 7th Don Cossack Regiment, and then, after graduating from the Kyiv infantry school for warrant officers, in the Odessa 40th reserve regiment as a warrant officer, and even later as a platoon commander of the Podolsk infantry regiment. At the end of the summer of 1917, he was shell-shocked, seriously wounded and was sent for treatment to a Chisinau hospital. The recovery was delayed, and Leshchenko left the hospital after the October Revolution. And since Bessarabia went to Romania, the future singer turned out to be a Romanian subject.

After the army he worked in different directions- was a turner, held various positions in the church, sang in a vocal quartet, danced in the theater and sang at the Kishinev Opera House.

At the end of 1919, Pyotr Leshchenko switched exclusively to variety activities. Tours a lot with dance group"Elizarov", with the balalaika ensemble "Guslyar", performs as a solo singer and in a guitar duet. Once in Paris, he entered the then famous Trefilova ballet school, after graduating from which he worked in the prestigious Normandy restaurant performing dance and vocal performances.

Music

Since 1926, he has been touring Europe and the Middle East for two years. After the tour, Peter returns to Romania and works for some time at the Teatrul Nostra theater, but soon leaves for the Baltic states, then to Ukraine, where he performs in various restaurants. His voice becomes recognizable.

At the end of 1931, the singer met the prominent composer Oscar Stroke, who wrote popular melodies in the style of tango and foxtrot, as well as pop songs and soulful romances. At Strok's suggestion, Petr Leshchenko records his voice for the first time. Gramophone records were published with the songs “Black Eyes”, “Blue Rhapsody”, “Tell Why”, and later “Tatyana”, “Miranda” and “Nastya the Berry”.

The success of these songs leads to the fact that the performer is offered a contract by the Romanian branch of the English recording company Columbia, with which he recorded more than 80 records. His recordings were also published by other record companies - the German Parlophone Records, the Romanian Electrecord and the Latvian Bellaccord. In total, Pyotr Leshchenko managed to record about 180 records during his life.

The sound recording raises the fame of Pyotr Leshchenko, and he tours a lot not only in Bessarabia, but also performs in the best halls Vienna, Bucharest, London.

At the end of 1941, the vocalist gave a series of concerts in Odessa, occupied by Romanian troops, in the central hall of the Bristol Hotel.

Personal life

While studying at a ballet school in France, Pyotr Leshchenko met Latvian Zhenya Zakitt, who came to study at the same school from Riga. That same year they officially registered their marriage. The couple went on all tours together and performed a lot as a duet. In this union, their son Ikki Leshchenko was born in January 1931.

During the Second World War, while on tour in Odessa, Pyotr Konstantinovich met 19-year-old conservatory student Vera Belousova. On one of the first evenings, he proposes to the girl and leaves for Bucharest to file a divorce from Zakitt, with whom he was still officially married. Due to the war and threats of mobilization, the wedding was postponed for a long time. Only in 1944 were Leshchenko and Belousova able to register their marriage.

Pyotr Leshchenko was fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, French and German.

Death

Collaboration with a German recording studio and tours in Western countries did not go unnoticed Soviet power. The socialist system, which Romania also joined after the Second World War, considered the singer unreliable, inadmissibly vulgar and even anti-communist. He was also accused of forcing Soviet citizen Belousova to move to Romania, who after her marriage to Leshchenko was officially considered a traitor to the motherland in the USSR.

By direct order from Moscow, authorities state security Romanians arrest Petr Leshchenko right during the intermission of a concert that took place in the city of Brasov at the end of March 1951.

For three years he was transferred from one prison to another. Leshchenko was in Zhilava, Capul Midia, Borgesti, and in 1954 he was transferred to the Targu Ocna prison hospital, as he had an old stomach ulcer. An operation was performed, but he was never discharged from the hospital. A new exacerbation and an organism weakened by imprisonment caused the death of Pyotr Konstantinovich Leshchenko on July 16, 1954.

Famous songs

• Black eyes
• My last tango
• Tell me why
• At the samovar
• Nastya-berry
• Sing gypsy, cry gypsy
• Tatiana
• Miranda
• Faceted cups
• Rhapsody Blue

On May 22, 2017, Channel One aired an eight-episode television film directed by Vladimir Kott “Peter Leshchenko. Everything that happened...", filmed back in 2013. Main role- singer Pyotr Leshchenko (1898-1954) - played by actor Konstantin Khabensky. First episode historical drama aroused enormous interest among the audience.

The plot of the biographical series tells about almost the entire life of the most popular Russian songwriter, whose fate was tragic: about his youth, battles in the First World War, career, love and death in a Romanian prison.

The portal 7days.ru decided to introduce readers to the most interesting facts from the life of Peter Leshchenko.

1. Born out of wedlock

Pyotr Leshchenko was born on June 14, 1898 in the village of Isaevo, Kherson province. According to archival records, his mother’s name was Maria Kalinovna Leshchenkova, and in the “father” column there was an entry: “illegitimate.” When the future singer was nine months old, the family moved to Chisinau, where the mother entered into a second marriage with dental technician Alexei Vasilyevich Alfimov.

2. Extraordinary musical abilities showed since childhood

Peter's mother had an absolute ear for music and sang beautifully. From childhood, she instilled in her son a love of music and taught him folk songs. For his extraordinary abilities in the field of vocals and dancing, the talented boy was first accepted into the soldiers' church choir, and then enrolled in the 7th People's Parish School in Chisinau.

3. Left the choir for the front due to a change in voice

Having received the general and music education, Peter dreamed of staying in the choir, but his voice began to break, the timbre changed - and the 17-year-old boy was left without a livelihood. He went to the front and got a job as a volunteer in the 7th Don Cossack Regiment. However, on the territory of Romania, Leshchenko was seriously wounded and spent almost six months in the hospital.

4. Began his career as a dancer and singer as part of various artistic groups

After being discharged from the hospital, Peter got a job as a turner, then served as a psalm-reader in the church at the Olginsky shelter. He began performing as a dancer and singer in various artistic groups that toured Romania.

Leshchenko constantly improved his dancing skills, and, having moved to Paris in 1925, he entered the famous Trefilova ballet school. There he met the Latvian artist Zheni Zakitt, who became not only his performance partner, but also his wife.

5. He became famous for performing romances by composer Oscar Stroke

The couple's performances quickly gained popularity, but when Zhenya became pregnant, they dance duet fell apart. To earn money, Peter began singing in restaurants and cafes. And soon he made a fateful acquaintance with the composer Oscar Stroke, the creator of the most popular tangos, romances, foxtrots and songs.

Leshchenko performed many compositions that became legendary over time: “Black Eyes”, “Blue Rhapsody”, “Tell me Why” and other tangos and romances. However, most often the singer was asked to perform the composition “Chubchik”.

6. In the USSR, he was contemptuously called the “tavern singer” and considered a “traitor to the Motherland”

Leshchenko’s colossal popularity among emigrants did not go unnoticed. And when he continued to give concerts in Odessa, occupied by the Nazis, Soviet propaganda characterized him: “The most vulgar and unprincipled white emigrant tavern singer, who stained himself by collaborating with the Nazi occupiers.” His second wife Vera Belousova, whom he married in 1944, also received the label of “traitor to the Motherland.”

7. The artist’s burial place is still unknown

On March 26, 1951, Leshchenko was arrested by the Romanian state security authorities right during the concert, and a year later his wife was also arrested. Belousova was accused of treason and was sentenced to death, but then this sentence was commuted to 25 years in prison.

Two years later she was released with her criminal record cleared. Last days The outstanding singer spent his life in the Romanian prison hospital Tirgu Ocna. He died on July 16, 1954. The materials on Leshchenko’s case are still closed.

Correct tag: Peter Leshchenko
Leshchenko Peter Konstantinovich (July 3, 1898 - July 16, 1954) - Romanian singer of Russian origin; supervisor variety ensemble. One of the most popular Russian-speaking performers of the 1930s.
Leshchenko was born on July 3, 1898 in the village of Isaevo, Kherson province (now Odessa region of Ukraine). He studied at a rural school, sang in the church choir, and got involved in work early. His stepfather saw artistic inclinations in him and gave him a guitar. At the age of sixteen he entered the Chisinau school of warrant officers, but he was mobilized ahead of schedule to help the Romanian army and was sent to the front. After being seriously wounded, he was taken to the hospital, where he was found October Revolution.
In connection with the separation of Bessarabia from Russia (January 1918), he unexpectedly became an emigrant. He worked as a carpenter, a singer, an assistant to the cathedral regent, a dishwasher in a restaurant, and worked part-time in cinemas and cafes. Feeling lacking vocational training, in 1923 he entered the ballet school in Paris. There he married a nineteen-year-old dancer and classical ballerina Zinaida Zakis, a Latvian who came to France from Riga with a choreographic ensemble. They prepared several song and dance numbers.
In the summer of 1926, they toured the countries of Europe and the Middle East and gained fame. In 1928 they returned to Chisinau. Solo career Leshchenko started at almost 32 years old and, nevertheless, unexpectedly found stunning success.
The singer became friends with the famous composer Oscar Stroke, the creator of the most popular tangos, romances, foxtrots and songs. It was Strok who managed to combine the intonations of the burning Argentine tango with the melody and sincerity of Russian romance.
Leshchenko performed and recorded best works famous composer: “Black Eyes”, “Blue Rhapsody”, “Tell Why” and other tangos and romances of the maestro. He also worked with other talented composers, in particular with Mark Maryanovsky, the author of “Tatyana”, “Miranda”, “Nastya-Yagodka”. In 1932, two Englishmen were captivated by his vocal abilities and, with their help, Leshchenko recorded several works in London. In 1933 he moved permanently to Bucharest. In 1935-1940 he collaborated there with the Bellacord and Columbia recording companies and recorded more than a hundred songs of various genres. In 1935, he again traveled to England, performed in restaurants, in 1938 - in Riga, in 1940 - in Paris...
In the homes of ordinary Soviet citizens, Leshchenko's cheerful and languid songs and tangos were endlessly played. But few Soviet citizens were aware that the voice of Leshchenko himself was not heard from the records (his records were confiscated by Soviet customs and therefore only state security officers had the originals).
A. Vertinsky called him a “restaurant singer” and treated Leshchenko’s work with extreme disdain.
Once Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin himself dropped by Leshchenko’s restaurant in Bucharest. The owner sang all night for the distinguished guest, and then asked how he found his singing. “Yes, you sing stupid songs well!” - Chaliapin answered impressively.
In 1941, Romania, together with Germany, entered the war against the USSR. Leshchenko was on tour in Paris at that time. With great difficulty, he managed to return to Bucharest, where he continued performing in his restaurant.
The question of conscripting Leshchenko into the Romanian army was not raised, but there was talk of giving a series of concerts in occupied Soviet territory. Pyotr Konstantinovich agreed, not knowing what this would mean for him both in the very near and in the more distant future.
In May 1942, he arrived in Odessa, occupied by the Nazis, where he held a triumphal concert. At one of the concerts he saw a dazzling beautiful girl. After the concert they started talking. The girl's name was Vera Belousova, she studied at the Odessa Conservatory. Their romance developed rapidly, despite the fact that Peter was 25 years older than Vera.
Leshchenko returned to Bucharest with Vera. Zinaida Zakis was categorically against this union and against her divorce. According to Vera Belousova, she made a lot of efforts to send her unfaithful husband to the front, and she succeeded. From October 1943 to March 1944, Leshchenko worked as an entertainment organizer for German officers vacationing in Crimean sanatoriums. And this, of course, discredited him in the eyes of the Soviet command.
In May 1944, he divorced Zinaida Zakis and registered his marriage with Vera Belousova. In September 1944, after the liberation of Bucharest by the Red Army, Leshchenko gave concerts in hospitals, military garrisons, and officers' clubs. He performed patriotic songs he composed about Russian girls - “Natasha”, “Nadya-Nadechka”, sang “Dark Night” by Nikita Bogoslovsky, popular Russian songs. He also performed with him new wife. Major military leaders - Marshals Zhukov and Konev - also came to his restaurant.
In 1944-1945, Leshchenko changed his repertoire and a sad tonality began to dominate in his songs: “Tramp”, “Bell”, “Mother’s Heart”, “Evening Rings”, “Don’t Go”.
Since the summer of 1948, the couple performed in various cafes and cinemas in Bucharest. Then they found work at the newly created Variety Theater.
Leshchenko was looking into the possibility of returning to Soviet Union, contacted the “competent authorities”, wrote letters to Stalin and Kalinin asking for Soviet citizenship. It is difficult to say what guided him in this, because he was immediately told that Vera Belousova was considered a traitor in the USSR. However, he managed to get a visa for her too. Everything fell apart last moment. At a farewell dinner, Leshchenko told his friends that he was leaving his heart here, with them. His new homeland did not forgive him for this “betrayal”, and his visas were cancelled.
Official Soviet propaganda during the time of Stalin characterized him: “The most vulgar and unprincipled white emigrant tavern singer, who stained himself by collaborating with the Nazi occupiers.” On March 26, 1951, on the direct orders of the USSR Ministry of State Security, Leshchenko was arrested by the Romanian state security authorities during the intermission after the first part of the concert in Brasov and taken to prison near Bucharest. On August 5, 1952, Belousova, who, like Leshchenko, was accused of treason (speeches in occupied Odessa), was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 1953 she was released for lack of evidence of a crime. Many years later, his wife found out: Peter Konstantinovich became one of the thousands of builders of the Danube Canal in Romania and died on July 16, 1954 at the age of 56, either from a stomach ulcer or from poisoning. The location of his grave is unknown. The archives of the Soviet and Romanian KGB on the Leshchenko case have not yet been examined.
For my creative life the singer recorded over 180 gramophone discs, but until 1988, none of these recordings were reissued in the USSR. The first record from the “Petr Leshchenko Sings” series was released by Melodiya for the 90th anniversary of the singer’s birth in 1988 and in the same year took first place in the TASS hit parade.

Birth, studies, front (1898-1918)

Leshchenko was born on July 3, 1898 in the village of Isaevo, Kherson province (now Odessa region of Ukraine). His mother gave birth to him out of wedlock. In the registry book of the district archive there is an entry: Leshchenkova Maria Kalinovna, the daughter of a retired soldier, gave birth to a son, Peter, on 06/02/98. Peter was baptized on 07/03/98, and subsequently the date of baptism appeared in Peter Leshchenko’s documents - July 3, 1898. In the “father” column, the entry is: illegitimate. Godparents: nobleman - Alexander Ivanovich Krivosheev and noblewoman - Katerina Yakovlevna Orlova.

Petr Leshchenko about himself:

Bessarabia was declared Romanian territory in 1918 and Petr Leshchenko was discharged from the hospital as a Romanian citizen.

Emigrant, Paris, marriage (1918-1926)

After leaving the hospital, he lived with his relatives. By that time, my mother had married a dental technician, Alexey Vasilievich Alfimov, and lived in Chisinau. Until 1919, he worked as a turner for a private owner, then served as a psalm-reader in the church at the Olginsky orphanage, and as a subregent church choir in the Chuflinskaya and cemetery churches. In addition, he participated in a vocal quartet and sang at the Chisinau Opera, the director of which was a certain Belousova.

From the fall of 1919, as part of the dance group “Elizarov” (Danila Zeltser, Tovbis, Antonina Kangizer), he performed for four months in Bucharest at the Alyagambra Theater, then with them throughout 1920 - in Bucharest cinemas.

Until 1925, as a dancer and singer in various artistic groups, he toured Romania. In 1925, he left for Paris with Nikolai Trifanidis, where he met Antonina Kangizer. With her, her 9-year-old brother and mother, Trifanidis, performs in Parisian cinemas for 3 months.

In February 1926, in Paris, Leshchenko accidentally met Yakov Voronovsky, an acquaintance from Bucharest. He was going to leave for Sweden, offering Leshchenko his place as a dancer at the Normandy restaurant. Until the end of April, Leshchenko performs in this restaurant. Here he meets Zhenya Zakitt from Riga, a Latvian, an artist by profession.

Tour. Publishing records. First success.(1926-1933)

Polish musicians who previously worked in a restaurant in Chernivtsi and had a contract with a Turkish theater in the city of Adana invite Peter Leshchenko and Zakitt to go on tour with them. From May 1926 to August 1928, the family duo toured the countries of Europe and the Middle East - Constantinople, Adana, Smyrna (here Leshchenko married Zakitt in July 1926), Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, Athens, Thessaloniki, Constantinople.

In 1928 they returned to Romania and entered the Bucharest Teatrul Nostra. Then they went to Riga on the occasion of the death of his wife’s father, where they stayed for two weeks and moved to Chernivtsi and worked at the Olgaber restaurant for three months.

Moving to Chisinau and until the winter of 1929 they performed at the London restaurant, at the Summer Theater and cinemas. Then - Riga, until December 1930 he worked alone in the AT cafe. He only left for a month at the invitation of the Smaltsov dancers to Belgrade.

In January 1931, a son was born - Igor (Ikki) Leshchenko.

Theater agent Duganov arranged for Leshchenko to go to concerts in Libau for a month. At the same time, Leshchenko enters into a contract with the summer restaurant “Jurmala”. He spent the entire summer of 1931 with his family in Libau. Upon returning to Riga, he again works at the AT cafe. At this time, the singer met the composer Oscar Strok, the creator of tangos, romances, foxtrots and songs. Leshchenko performed and recorded the composer’s songs: “Black Eyes”, “Blue Rhapsody”, “Tell Why” and other tangos and romances. He also worked with other composers, in particular with Mark Maryanovsky, the author of “Tatyana”, “Miranda”, “Nastya-Yagodka”.

The owner of a music store in Riga named Yunosha in the fall of 1931 invited Leshchenko to go to Berlin for ten days to record songs at the Parlafon company owned by Lundström. Leshchenko also enters into a contract with the Romanian branch of the English recording company Columbia (about 80 songs have been recorded). The singer's records are published by Parlophon (Germany), Electrecord (Romania), Bellacord (Latvia).

Since the spring of 1932, he again works together with Zakitt in Chernivtsi, in Chisinau.

In 1933, Leshchenko and his family decided to settle permanently in Bucharest and went to work at the Rus pavilion. In addition - a tour of Bessarabia, a trip to Vienna to record at the Columbia company. In 1935, together with Kavura and Gerutsky, he opened the Leshchenko restaurant at 2 Kalya Victoria Street, which existed until 1942. Leshchenko performs in his restaurant with the ensemble “TRIO LESHCHENKO” (the singer’s wife and his younger sisters- Valya and Katya).

In 1935, Leshchenko traveled to London twice: he spoke on the radio, recorded at a recording studio, and, at the invitation of the famous impresario Holt Leshchenko, gave two concerts. In 1937 and 1938 summer season I went to Riga with my family. He spends the rest of the time before the start of the war in Bucharest, performing in a restaurant.

Touring in occupied Odessa, second marriage (1941-1951)

In October 1941, Leshchenko received a notice from the 16th Infantry Regiment, to which he was assigned. But under various pretexts, Leshchenko tries to evade service and continues concert activities. Only on the third call did Leshchenko arrive at the regiment in Falticeni. Here he was tried by an officer's court, warned that he had to appear when summoned, and was released.

In December 1941, Leshchenko received an invitation from the director of Odessa opera house Selyavin with a request to come to Odessa and give several concerts. He refused due to a possible re-call to the regiment. In January 1942, Selyavin announced that the date of the concerts had been postponed indefinitely, but, nevertheless, all tickets had been sold. In March 1942, Leshchenko received permission from the cultural and educational department of the Governorate, signed by Russ, to enter Odessa.

He left for Odessa, occupied by Romanian troops, on May 19, 1942, and stayed at the Bristol Hotel. In Odessa, on June 5, 7 and 9, Leshchenko held solo concerts.

At one of his rehearsals, he meets nineteen-year-old Vera Belousova, a student at the Odessa Conservatory, musician and singer. He proposes to Belousova and leaves for Bucharest to file a divorce from Zakitt.

Scandals, showdowns with ex-wife ended with the receipt of regular notifications from the 16th Infantry Regiment. Leshchenko managed to obtain a document on mobilization for work on site, thus temporarily avoiding being sent to the active army. But in February 1943, he received orders to hand over this document and immediately report to the 16th Infantry Regiment to continue his military service.

A garrison doctor he knew suggested Pyotr Leshchenko treatment in a military hospital. Ten days did not solve the problem: a new notice arrives to report to the regiment. Leshchenko decides to have his appendix removed, although this was not necessary. After surgery and 25 days due vacation is not on duty. Leshchenko manages to get a job in the military artistic group of the 6th division. Until June 1943 he performed in Romanian military units.

In October 1943, a new order from the Romanian command: send Leshchenko to the front in Crimea. In Crimea, until mid-March 1944, he was at the headquarters, and then the head of the officers' canteen. Then he gets a vacation, but instead of Bucharest he comes to Odessa. He learns that the Belousov family is to be sent to Germany. Petr Leshchenko takes away his future wife, her mother and two brothers to Bucharest.

In May 1944, Leshchenko registered his marriage with Vera Belousova. In September 1944, after the Red Army entered Bucharest, Leshchenko gave concerts in hospitals, military garrisons, and officers' clubs for Soviet soldiers. Vera Leshchenko also performed with him.

Arrest, prison and death (1951-1954)

On March 26, 1951, Leshchenko was arrested by the Romanian state security authorities during the intermission after the first part of the concert in the city of Brasov.

From Romanian sources: Petr Leshchenko was in Zhilava from March 1951, then in July 1952 he was transferred to the distribution center in Cape Midia, (Capul Midia), from there on August 29, 1953 to Borgesti, province of Moldova. On May 21 or 25, 1954 he was transferred to the Targu Ocna prison hospital. He underwent surgery for an open stomach ulcer.

There is a protocol of the interrogation of Pyotr Leshchenko, from which it is clear that in July 1952, Pyotr Leshchenko was transported to Constanta (near Cape Midia) and interrogated as a witness in the case of Vera Belousova-Leshchenko, who was accused of treason.

P. K. Leshchenko died in the Romanian prison hospital Targu Ocna on July 16, 1954. The materials on Leshchenko’s case are still closed.

In July 1952, Vera Belousova-Leshchenko was arrested. She was accused of marrying a foreign national, which was qualified as treason (Article 58-1 “A” of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, criminal case No. 15641-p). Vera Belousova-Leshchenko was sentenced to death on August 5, 1952, which was replaced by 25 years of imprisonment, and was released in 1954: “Prisoner Belousova-Leshchenko is to be released with her criminal record cleared and travel to Odessa on July 12, 1954,” an order with reference to the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the USSR, the first reference to reduce the term to 5 years was to the Resolution of the Supreme Court of June 1954, and the second “to be released from custody.”

Leshchenko's widow managed to obtain the only information from Romania:

LESCENCO, PETRE.ARTIST. ARESTAT. A MURIT?N TIMPUL DETENIEI, LA. PENITENCIARUL T?RGU OCNA. (LESHCHENKO, PETER. ARTIST. PRISONER. DIED WHILE STAYING IN TIRGU WINDOWS PRISON).

(From the “Book of the Repressed,” published in Bucharest)

The biography was compiled according to the interrogation protocols of Pyotr Leshchenko and archival documents provided by the widow of Pyotr Leshchenko, Vera Leshchenko.

Revival of popularity in 1988

There was no official permission for the voice of Pyotr Konstantinovich to appear on air at the end of the 80s of the last century; they simply stopped prohibiting it. Recordings of songs performed by Leshchenko began to be heard on Soviet radio. Then programs and articles appeared about him. In 1988, the Melodiya company released the album “Petr Leshchenko Sings,” which was called the sensation of the month. In May, the disc took 73rd place in the all-Union hit parade, and within a couple of weeks it came out on top in popularity among the giant discs. For the first time legally, Petr Leshchenko was named the best.

“A sensation began to brew when our correspondents from many cities in the country began to receive information about the enormous interest of music lovers in the record of Pyotr Leshchenko, a famous chansonnier of the 30s. Few could have imagined that the disc, which took 73rd place in May, would rapidly move up to the top of popularity in June, and would eventually take first place in the All-Union hit parade...

This is what the top ten of the popularity table among giant disks looks like (last month’s position is indicated in brackets):

1. (73) P. Leshchenko.
2. (8) Group “Alice”, disc “Energy”.
3. (5) Rainbow Group.
4. (15) Group “Bravo”.
5. (-) Archive popular music. Issue 4 (Rolling Stones).
6. (13) Group “Aquarium”, disc “Equinox”.
7. (-) Yuri Loza.
8. (-) Oscar Peterson.
9. (2) Leningrad rock club.
10. (9) Laima Vaikule sings.”

During his creative life, the singer recorded over 180 gramophone discs.

Discography

Gramophone records (78 rpm)

• For guitar picking (romance, folk music) / Sing, gypsies (romance) (Columbia orchestra)
• Confess to me (tango, music by Arthur Gold) / Sleep, my poor heart (tango, O. Strok and J. Altschuler) (Columbia orchestra)
• Stay (tango, music by E. Hoenigsberg) / Miranda (tango, music by M. Maryanovsky) (Hoenigsberg - Hecker orchestra)
• Anikusha (tango, Claude Romano) / Mercy (“I forgive everything for love”, waltz, N. Vars) (Hoenigsberg - Hecker orchestra)
• Don't go (tango, E. Sklyarov) / Sashka (foxtrot, M. Halm) (Honigsberg - Hecker orchestra)
• I would love to love so much (tango, E. Sklyarov - N. Mikhailova) / Misha (foxtrot, G. Vilnov) (Hoenigsberg - Hecker orchestra)
• Boy (folk) / In the circus (everyday, N. Mirsky - Kolumbova - P. Leshchenko) (Honigsberg orchestra - Hecker)
• Near the Forest (gypsy waltz, Hoenigsberg-Hecker orchestra) / Ditties (harmonica accompaniment - brothers Ernst and Max Hoenigsberg)
• Andryusha (foxtrot, Z. Bialostotsky) / Troshka (household) (Honigsberg - Hecker orchestra)
• Who are you (slow fox, M. Maryanovsky) / Alyosha (foxtrot, J. Korologos) (J. Korologos orchestra)
• My Friend (English Waltz, M. Halme) / Serenade (C. Sierra Leone) (Columbia Orchestra)
• Heart (tango, I. O. Dunaevsky, arrangement F. Salabert - Ostrowsky) / March from the film “Jolly Fellows” (I. O. Dunaevsky, Ostrowsky) (orchestra)
• Tatiana (tango, M. Maryanovsky, Hoenigsberg orchestra) / Nastenka (foxtrot, Traian Cornea, J. Korologos orchestra)
• Cry, gypsy (romance) / You're driving drunk (romance) (Honigsberg orchestra)
• Mother's Heart (tango, music by Z. Karasiński and S. Kataszek, Hönigsberg Orchestra) / Caucasus (oriental foxtrot, music by M. Maryanowski, J. Korologos Orchestra)
• Musenka (tango, lyrics and music by Oscar Strok, Hoenigsberg Orchestra) / Dunya (“Pancakes”, foxtrot, music by M. Maryanovsky, J. Korologos Orchestra)
• Forget you (tango, S. Shapirov) / Let's say goodbye (tango romance) (Honigsberg orchestra)
• Capricious, stubborn (romance, Alexander Koshevsky, Hoenigsberg orchestra) / My Marusechka (foxtrot, G. Vilnov, J. Korologos orchestra and balalaika quartet “Baikal”)
• Gloomy Sunday (Hungarian song, Rézső Szeres) / Blue Rhapsody (slow fox, Oskar Strok) (Honigsberg Orchestra)
• Komarik (Ukrainian folk song) / Brown eyes ( Ukrainian song) - in Ukrainian language, guitar, with accomp. Orchestra of Hoenigsberg
• Misty in the Soul (E. Sklyarov, Nadya Kushnir) / March from the film “Circus” (I. O. Dunaevsky, V. I. Lebedev-Kumach) (orchestra conducted by N. Chereshni)
• Don’t Leave (tango, O. Strock) / Vanya (foxtrot, Shapirov - Leshchenko - Fedotov) (orchestra conducted by N. Chereshny)
• Ancient waltz (words and music by N. Listov) / Glasses (words by G. Gridov, music by B. Prozorovsky) (orchestra conducted by N. Chereshny)
• Captain / Sing to us, wind (songs from the film “Children of Captain Grant”, I. O. Dunaevsky - V. I. Lebedev-Kumach, orchestra conducted by N. Chereshny)
• How good / Ring (romances, Olga Frank - Sergei Frank, arr. J. Azbukin, orchestra conducted by N. Chereshny)
• Vanka dear / Nastya sells berries (foxtrots, music and lyrics by M. Maryanovsky, orchestra conducted by N. Chereshny)
• Blue Eyes (tango, lyrics and music by Oscar Strok) / Wine of Love (tango, lyrics and music by Mark Maryanovsky) (Frank Fox Orchestra)
• Black Eyes (tango, lyrics and music by Oscar Strok) / Stanochek (folk song, lyrics by Timofeev, music by Boris Prozorovsky) (orchestra by Frank Fox)
• Why is it sad for me ( gypsy romance) / Gypsy life (camp, music by D. Pokrass) (Frank Fox orchestra)
• A glass of vodka (foxtrot on a Russian motif, words and music by M. Maryanovsky) / A song is flowing (gypsy nomadic, words by M. Lakhtin, music by V. Kruchinin) (orchestra by Frank Fox)
• Chubchik (folk) / Farewell, my camp (Frank Fox orchestra)
• Bessarabian ( folk motive) / Buran (tabornaya) (Frank Fox Orchestra)
• Marfusha (foxtrot, Mark Maryanovsky) / You've returned again (tango) (Honigsberg orchestra - Albahari)
• At the samovar (foxtrot, N. Gordonoi) / My last tango (Oscar Strok) (Honigsberg orchestra - Albahari)
• You and this guitar (tango, music by E. Petersburgsky, Russian text by Rotinovsky) / Boring (tango, Sasa Vlady) (Hoenigsberg orchestra - Albahari)

• Farewell, my camp (Russian gypsy song) / Chubchik (Russian folk song) (Frank Fox orchestra)
• Buran (taboraya) / Bessarabyanka (folk tune) (Frank Fox orchestra)
• Gypsy life (camp life, music by D. Pokrass) / What sorrow is mine (gypsy romance)
• The song flows (gypsy nomadic, lyrics by M. Lakhtin, music by V. Kruchinin) / Stanochek (folk song, lyrics by Timofeev, music by B. Prozorovsky) (Frank Fox orchestra)
• Boring (tango) / You and this guitar (tango) (Honigsberg orchestra - Albahari)
• My last tango? / At the samovar (foxtrot) (Honigsberg orchestra - Albahari)
• Marfusha (foxtrot) / You've returned again (tango) (Honigsberg orchestra - Albahari)
• Near the forest / Black eyes
• My friend (waltz, Max Halm) / Serenade (C. Sierra Leone)
• Don't go (tango, E. Sklyarov) / Sashka (foxtrot, M. Halm) (Honigsberg - Hecker orchestra)
• My Marusechka (foxtrot, G. Villnow, with accompaniment of orchestra and balalaika quartet) / Let's say goodbye (tango, Hoenigsberg orchestra)
• Ring / How good (romances, Olga Frank - Sergei Frank, arr. J. Azbukin, orchestra conducted by N. Chereshny)
• Confess to me (tango, Arthur Gold, Columbia orchestra) / You're driving drunk (romance, Hoenigsberg orchestra)
• Heart (tango, I. O. Dunaevsky, arrangement F. Salabert - Ostrowsky) / March cheerful guys(I. O. Dunaevsky, Ostrowsky) (Honigsberg orchestra)
• Wine of love (tango, M. Maryanovsky) / Blue eyes (tango, Oscar Strock) (Frank Fox orchestra)
• Musenka dear (tango, Oscar Strok, Hoenigsberg orchestra) / Dunya (“Pancakes”, foxtrot, M. Maryanovsky, Korologos orchestra)
• Caucasus (foxtrot, M. Maryanovsky) / Tatyana (tango, M. Maryanovsky, Hoenigsberg orchestra)
• Vanya (foxtrot, Shapirov - Leshchenko - Fedotov) / Don’t leave (tango, Oscar Strok) (N. Chereshny orchestra)
• Miranda (tango, M. Maryanovsky) / Stay (tango, E. Hoenigsberg) (Hoenigsberg - Hecker orchestra)

• Komarik (Ukrainian folk song) / Karii ochi (Ukrainian song) - in Ukrainian. language, guitar, with accomp. orchestra

• Moody / Misty at heart

• Blue handkerchief (sung by Vera Leshchenko). dark night
• Mom (Vera Leshchenko sings). Natasha
• Nadya-Nadechka. Beloved (duet with Vera Leshchenko)
• My Marusechka. Heart
• Tramp. Black braids
• Black eyes. Andryusha
• Kate. Student
• Parsley. Mom's heart
• Horses, Sashka
• A glass of vodka, Don't go
• Marfusha, listen to what I say
• Evening ringing, the bell rattles monotonously

• Tell me why (tango) / Go away (tango)
• Don't go (tango) / Sashka (foxtrot)
• Bessarabyanka / Buran
• Farewell, my camp (gypsy song) / Chubchik
• You're driving drunk / Confess to me

LP records (331/3 rpm)

• Chants Tziganes de Russie par Pierre Lechtchenko, baryton (orchestre de Frank Foksa)
• Peter Lescenco sings / Songs performed by Peter Lescenco
• P. Leshchenko (on the sleeve), P. Leshtchenko (on the record)
• Peter Lestchenko. Russian songs
• Russian tangos, vol. 2. Peter Leshtchenko and his Orchestra
• Sentimental Russian songs. Songs of old Russia. Peter Leshtchenko and his Orchestra)
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