On Wednesday, Moscow said goodbye to composer Alexander Gradsky, who passed away on the night of November 28 at the age of 72. In September, he suffered from COVID-19 and has been feeling unwell since then, but has continued to work. Colleagues did not manage to convince him to rest: this was the whole of Gradsky, they said at parting.
Farewell to Alexander Gradsky took place in the theater that bears his name, “Gradsky Hall”. In the morning, people with bouquets of flowers emerged from the overcrowded carriages at the Dobryninskaya metro station, climbed the escalator with them and carried them to the theater through the snow-covered street. Thousands of Gradsky fans gathered at the gate. In a slow line they passed into the lobby, and from there into the hall. At the funeral, no camera clicks were heard: at the request of a family, journalists with equipment were not allowed into the hall.
There was a coffin with the body of a musician on the stage. It was surrounded by wreaths, and around the edges, like soldiers, in black clothes stood theater artists – pupils of the famous composer. Known for his explosive temperament, Alexander Gradsky lay peacefully surrounded by wreaths and flowers; his white hair fell over the pillow, and his eyes were covered with tinted glasses.
As the composer’s friends recalled at parting, in the Soviet years not a single influential person from the cultural authorities was able to force Gradsky to get rid of his “informal” hairstyle and dandy glasses.
They had to put up with his “western” image, recognizing his outstanding talent. Likewise, his entourage had to come to terms with the difficult character of the composer; working with such a person is already a reward. All of Moscow came to parting with Gradsky: famous artists and show business figures were lost against the background of the most ordinary people – listeners, spectators, fans … Against the background of the public.
Konstantin Ernst, Director of Channel One, spoke about the merits of “one of the most living people”. “All his deeds will remain after him,” said Mr. Ernst in silence. “This is a man who made the highest demands on himself, on those around him. Actually, he is not lifeless and never will be. “
Composer Alexei Rybnikov – now the interim artistic director of the Gradsky Hall Theater – made a speech that the talent of Alexander Gradsky did not fit into any musical genre: “They write that he was an opera singer, that he was the founder of Russian rock … He was higher all this. He was Alexander Borisovich Gradsky. Who, thanks to his genius, filled each genre with his talent, the flight of his soul. “
“How we loved Sasha dearly and heartily,” Lev Leshchenko did not hide his grief. Moral, creative guide. He defined our era with his creativity. And now a vacuum has formed, an emptiness. And it’s not clear what to focus on ”.
Lev Leshchenko wanted everyone to remember the important thing: “Now we do not say“ creator ”, but“ product ”. But he was a creator! And for all of us, his friends, an ordinary person, Sasha Gradsky. But he was not Sasha Gradsky, he was Alexander Borisovich Gradsky. He has earned the right to be called the people’s favorite. He was a grandiose person, passionate. “
The pianist and conductor, colleague of Alexander Gradsky on the TV show “The Voice” Sergei Zhilin regretted with grief that the musician “could not be saved”, although “everyone saw what was happening to him.” “We had no idea that this could happen. There was a feeling that he was getting better. In our life, it is not assumed that a person will not be able to work. But he was courageous and worked to the end. For the sake of music, he did everything, ”he confessed from the stage.
The words about the father were spoken by the composer’s children Maria and Daniel. “He had a difficult, explosive character, but an infinitely huge heart. He had an amazing sense of humor, he was incredibly ironic. He always stood his ground, it was difficult for everyone to fight him, and we fought to the last … Now we saw how many people came to say goodbye to him, saw that we were not alone. Thanks to everyone who came, thought, and prayed. Thanks from our family, ”said Maria. He and his brother asked to support the artists of the theater, for the creation of which Gradsky “fought since 1991 and only managed to work in it for six years.” “He loved to give, he always said – give more, then he will come back,” recalled Daniel. “We do not know if we will be able to preserve the unique troupe. The theater actors are also the children of our father, and they are now orphaned, they are in grief, just like us. “
Each of the young artists of the Gradsky Hall Theater said warm words about his mentor. Which, they claimed, was more to them than a leader.
Throughout the farewell ceremony, songs of Alexander Gradsky sounded from the speakers – and only now it suddenly became obvious how much in his work there were reflections on death, on the trail that a person leaves. But also about a new life.
“It will certainly be, either late or early, spring will come after the winter. Gradually, gradually, the wound in my heart will heal, and they will wake me up from my sleep, ”- thousands of mourners in the hall heard these words, and gradually their pain went away.
The coffin with the body of Alexander Gradsky was carried on his last journey to endless applause. He was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery.
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