Pesnya goda

Pesnya goda (Russian: Песня года), meaning "Song of the Year" was a Soviet televised music festival that subsequently became a Russian festival. First held in 1971, it became the main event of the year for Soviet singers and musical groups, akin to the American Grammy. During the year, popular songs were selected each month for inclusion in the festival. Each December, a concert was filmed featuring live performances of the finalists chosen from the selected songs, although many performers lip synched their songs to ensure a perfect recording. The concert was aired on television in early January, as part of the New Year's festivities.

History

In many ways, the history of "Pesnya goda" mirrored the history of the former Soviet Union. The songs selected for the initial festivals were strictly censored and required to be consistent with the social norms established by the Communist Party. The performers were all conservatory graduates in good standing with pristine reputations and conservative looks. Over time as Soviet society became more liberal and in the 1980s during the era of perestroika, the festival began to include a broader range of musical styles, song lyrics, and performers.

In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, "Pesnya goda" was reborn and became part of the new society's New Year's tradition, providing an escape from the harsh socioeconomic realities of life in Russia in the 1990s. In the 2000s, the festival became a television extravaganza featuring the most commercially successful and popular artists of Russian pop and rock music.

All performers included in the televised final of the festival are considered "winners" and referred to as such in the media. The two performers that have received the most inclusions in Pesnya goda are Sofia Rotaru, who was in the festival each year from 1973 to 2012, except for 2002, and Lev Leshchenko who was in the festival each year from 1971 to 2012, except for 1989, 2005, and 2007. Other artists that have been perennial Pesnya goda winners include Iosif Kobzon, Valentina Tolkunova, Edita Piekha, Laima Vaikule, Igor Nikolayev, Irina Allegrova, Valery Leontiev and Alla Pugacheva.

The best known hosts of the festival are Angelina Vovk and Evgueny Menishov, who hosted it from 1988 until 2006, Anna Shilova and Igor Kirillov, who hosted it from 1971 until 1975, and Svetlana Zhiltsova and Alexander Maslyakov, who hosted it from 1976 until 1979. The most recent hosts are Lera Kudryavtseva and Sergey Lazarev, who have been hosting it since 2007.

Records and statistics

Appearances in finals

NO.	Name	Finals
1	Sofia Rotaru	42
1	Lev Leshchenko	42
2	Joseph Kobzon	38
3	Valery Leontiev	33
4	Valentina Tolkunova	25
5	Philipp Kirkorov	24
5	Laima Vaikule	24
5	Igor Nikolayev	24
5	Irina Allegrova	24
6	Edita Piekha	22
7	Larisa Dolina	21
7	Anzhelika Varum	21
7	Leonid Agutin	21
8	Vyacheslav Dobrynin	20
8	Aleksander Serov	20
8	Valery Meladze	20
9	Alla Pugacheva	19
9	Oleg Gazmanov	19
10	Alexander Buinov	18
11	Kristina Orbakaitė	17
12	Dmitry Malikov	16
12	Alsou	16
13	Natasha Koroleva	15
13	Diskoteka Avariya	15
14	Nadezhda Babkina	14
14	Alexander Malinin	14
14	Boris Moiseev	14
14	Valeriya	14
14	Nikolay Baskov	14
15	A-Studio	13
16	Muslim Magomayev	12
16	Big Children's Choir	12
16	Lyube	12
16	Tatiana Ovsiyenko	12
16	Jasmin	12
17	Dima Bilan	11

References

• http://pesnyagoda.my1.ru/main.html
• http://www.pesnya-goda.ru
• http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1997/05/25/1997-05-25_bring_in__da__music__radio_c.html

See also

• Red stars : Personality and the Soviet Popular Song, 1955-1991 author: David MacFadyen, editor: Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, ©2001.

See also

• List of historic rock festivals

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Pesnya goda 1985
• Pesnya goda 1990
• Pesnya goda 2000
• Pesnya goda 2003 parte 1 Pesnya goda 2003 parte 2 and 3
• Pesnya goda 2004
• Pesnya goda 2014