Claudia Shulzhenko is a famous singer, winner of many awards, as well as a participant in the Great Patriotic War. For her outstanding contribution to musical art, she was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR and the Order of Lenin.
Biography
Claudia Ivanovna was born in 1906 in a small village near Kharkov. Her creative career began in the homeland with the singing of Ukrainian folk songs. The debut on the big stage happened when she was 17 years old. At that moment, the young artist was accepted into one of the theaters in Kharkov. A few years later, fruitful work began at the Mariinsky Theater in Leningrad and the Moscow Music Hall. The metropolitan audience appreciated the strength of the voice of the young singers.
In the 40s, Shulzhenko became seriously interested in jazz. At that time in the Soviet Union, this musical direction was not well known, and it was not particularly approved by the authorities. The actress acted as an innovator. She herself studied theory and selected performers for her jazz ensemble, which was the first in the USSR.
When the war began, Claudia Ivanovna began to go to the front with her musical collective, raising the morale of the soldiers. During the fighting, the artist gave more than a thousand concerts. She spoke at the forefront, risking her life, and in military hospitals. It Shulzhenko became the first performer of the song "Blue Handkerchief", which has become incredibly popular in the Union.
Claudia was a brave and confident woman. She became the first artist in the USSR, who dared to go on stage in a trouser suit. Shulzhenko loved to dress up and French perfume. Even during the war, she managed to keep her travel bag with perfume.
After the war, her concert activity did not end. Claudia Ivanovna visited Poland, Hungary, Germany. Her dream was a trip to France, to the grave of Edith Piaf. After all, it was with her that Shulzhenko was constantly compared when they talked about her talent and depth of voice. This dream was not destined to be fulfilled: the authorities did not let the artist go there.
The repertoire of Claudia Ivanovna has more than a hundred musical compositions. She collaborated with many famous composers, directors, artists and other creative personalities. Her discography has more than two dozen records. The artist’s favorite songs were “School Waltz”, “Letter to Mother”, “Friends-Fellow Soldiers”.
Personal life
The first and only official marriage took place in 1930 with Vladimir Coralli. He was a creative person, like his young wife. Two years later, the couple had a baby - son Igor. The artists lived together for 25 years, after which they came to a decision on divorce. The reason for this was the jealousy of partners.
Two years after breaking up with her husband, the artist meets new love. She begins a romantic relationship with cameraman Georgy Epifanov. At that time, Shulzhenko was already 50 years old, and her new partner was 12 years younger than her.
