Alexander Rosenbaum
Alexander Yakovlevich Rosenbaum PAR is a Russian bard from Saint Petersburg.
Among his most famous songs are the ones about Leningrad, the Soviet–Afghan War, Cossacks, and Odessa. Songs such as "Gop-Stop" and "Vals-boston" are popular across Russian social groups and generations.
Rosenbaum is an accomplished guitarist and accompanies himself on either a six- or twelve-string acoustic guitar, using the Open G tuning adopted from the Russian seven string guitar.
His attitude toward the criminal song genre can best be illustrated by his own words:
Early life
Rosenbaum graduated from the First Pavlov State Medical University of St. Peterburg in 1974, Rosenbaum worked in the medical field for four years. His musical education consists of piano and choreography courses at a musical school. In 1968, while still a student, Rosenbaum started writing the songs for which he is famous. His early songs were for student plays, but he soon also wrote for rock groups and started performing as a singer-songwriter in 1983, sometimes under the pseudonym "Ayarov".In the 1980s, during the Afghan war, he travelled to Afghanistan several times to sing for the Soviet troops. He dedicated one of his most famous songs, Black tulip, to the Soviet soldiers who participated in that war.
Political career
On December 7, 2003, Alexander Rosenbaum took office as a member of the Russian parliament for United Russia and deputy chairman of the State Duma Culture Committee. When asked by a journalist about what he had to sacrifice to be able to run for MP, Rosenbaum answered:He was not listed as an MP in the fifth Duma.
He is also a supporter of Yisrael Beiteinu Israeli political party and sang the theme tune for the party in the 2009 Israeli legislative election.
Rosenbaum expressed support for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, and stated, "Crimea is ours." For this he was banned from entering Ukraine.
Business ventures
Rosenbaum is co-owner of a growing network of beer-halls in Saint-Petersburg, called "Tolstiy Frayer". The name has a humorous, as well as gangster slang air to it and can roughly be rendered as "Fat patsy". The name is a reference to one of Rosenbaum's songs.Songwriting and performing characteristics
He has stated that his wide lyrical scope is due to his being a sort of medium. For example, he wrote many crime-related songs using their jargon, but he never lived the criminal life in reality. Similarly, many of his songs about the Cossacks were written without the benefit of ever having a single relative from that community.Rosenbaum's most popular and culturally relevant song to-date, and his greatest hit, is "Vals-Boston", which translates to "The Boston Waltz." The title refers to a dance called the American Waltz, or alternatively the Boston.
Legacy
On May 16, 2001, by president Putin's decree, Rosenbaum was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia, probably the highest title in the artistic field of activity in Russia.Discography
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- A. Rozenbaum i "Bratya Zhemchuzhniye" 11 let spustya
- Veshchaya sudba
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- Byloye i diski
- Antologiya 1.
- Antologiya 2.
- Antologiya 3.
- Antologiya 4.
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- Luchshiye pesni
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- Odinokiy volk
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- Ya lyublyu vozvrashchatsya v svoy gorod...
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Films about Alexander Rosenbaum
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- 1990 —
- 1994 —
- 1996 —
- 1997 —
- 1997 —
- 2003 — "The Philosophy of the Way" 20 years later
- 2004 —
- 2010 —
- 2011 —
- 2011 —
- 2016 —
- 2021 —
- 2021 —
- 2021 —