Childhood
Lena was born on November 19, 1946 in the city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). Her maiden name is Kobzeva. In total, there were four children in the family, and in order to provide for them, clothe them, put them on shoes and feed them, the parents had to work from morning to night.
Mom said more than once that Lena should have been born a boy. Not only was she constantly drawn to risk, she was also very mischievous, rushing around barns and climbing trees. It happened that he would come home - his knees were broken, his clothes were torn, his hands were scratched. Mom looks and begins to reprimand: “Well, look at the neighbor’s girl, she plays music, she’s always clean and tidy. Who do you look like?” But Lena was not interested in girls’ hobbies for music; she needed the boys to let her ride a racing bike.
And when her older brother bought a motorcycle, Elena literally got excited about the idea of riding it. Once a crowd went to the river to swim, Lena was in wait when her brother climbed into the water, straddled the motorcycle and rushed off. Theoretically, it seemed to her that she knew everything and could handle the controls. But she was able to stop only when she got stuck between two pine trees.
In elementary school, Lena and a friend joined a theater and dance club. But the friend was all slender and sophisticated, she always got the roles of princesses or the Snow Maiden at the New Year's party. And tall, long-legged, slightly angular Lena was trusted to play horses in a harnessed troika. I had to jump with the words: “The troika is rushing, the troika is galloping!”
It’s good that there was a rhythmic gymnastics section next door. Teachers from the theater and dance club tactfully suggested that Lena change her occupation. At first she cried for a long time, but then, when the new team began to praise her, she calmed down and became truly interested in sports.
The childhood of Vladimir Presnyakov Sr. was spent in a creative atmosphere
The future artist and musician was born in the Ukrainian town of Khodorov, which is located in the Lviv region. The boy's parents were professional musicians, so their son grew up in a creative atmosphere. The future artist’s mother played various instruments and instilled in Vladimir a love of music.
Of course, the student attended a music school where he learned to play the clarinet. Vladimir decided to continue his studies at the Sverdlovsk Music College, where the saxophone became his favorite instrument.
Youth
When the girl was thirteen years old, a coach came to their section for classes to select gymnasts for competitions. He watched Elena for a long time and then said: “You have such mischievous eyes!” She then noted to herself that she really liked the young man’s words and took them as a compliment. But at that time she had no time for love topics. At school, Lena was considered a real tomboy, wore shirts and trousers, and was friends with only boys. When classmates had already started dating boys, all of Lenin’s potential gentlemen were included in her circle of bosom friends.
At the age of fourteen, Elena fulfilled the standards for a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics, but she was given an official certificate only two years later, when she turned sixteen. These were the rules at that time.
In high school, she began working part-time to help her parents financially - she unloaded cars with bread and washed staircases in the entrances. I just got so tired that sometimes I felt nauseous, and then fell asleep during class.
Childhood and adolescence
The future singer was born in post-war Sverdlovsk, into the large friendly Kobzev family.
Of four children, she was the youngest - the girl had two brothers and a sister, twenty years older than her. Lena grew up a real “tomboy” - she wore pants and shirts of her older brothers, raced with the boys in the yard and even jumped from the roof of the barn for a bet. Despite being lanky and somewhat stooped, she had excellent athletic abilities - the girl ran fast, jumped high and far, played volleyball and basketball well, and confidently skated and skied. Nimble and agile, Lena always wanted to be at the epicenter of events. She enjoyed attending various clubs and sports clubs, sang in the choir, was a star in summer camps, and studied ballet in elementary school. True, the girl failed to achieve outstanding results in dancing, and the choreographer advised her to try her hand at rhythmic gymnastics.
There things went much better, and by the age of fourteen Lena had passed the standards for a master of sports. The girl even thought about connecting her future life with professional sports, but a meniscus tear canceled out these ambitious plans. Lena spent a long time recovering from the injury and later began to experience fear of complex exercises.
Elena Presnyakova in her youth
Even at the peak of her sports career, our heroine found time to practice singing. She also sang when, having grown up, she had to combine schoolwork with work as a loader (unloading boxes of bread) and a cleaner. And in high school, Lena began performing in the school vocal and instrumental ensemble. Together with the chefs, students of the Ural Polytechnic University, the guys performed at various competitions and cultural events and even toured within the region.
Elena Presnyakova's height is 169 cm
After graduating from school in 1965, Lena wanted to enter the radio engineering faculty of UPI. But before that I auditioned for the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic. The artistic director of the local pop ensemble was her same year and hereditary musician Vladimir Petrovich Presnyakov. Hearing the girl sing, he immediately invited her to the position of soloist. From that moment their joint creative and life journey began, which has lasted for more than fifty years. In 1967, Elena became pregnant and they got married. In March of the following year, their son Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. was born.
The beginning of a musical journey
In high school, Lena began to take part in amateur performances at the Polytechnic Institute. There, her singing was noticed and invited to join the ensemble, led by Vladimir Petrovich Presnyakov. The girl agreed with pleasure, but her mother was categorically against it. She believed that her daughter should get a serious profession, and not wander like a gypsy from place to place. But Lena’s dad supported him and said: “Let him go.” And my mother had to come to terms with it.
Vladimir Petrovich played the saxophone, wrote music and led the pop ensemble of the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic “What the Guitars Sing About”. After the first rehearsal, Lena became a vocalist in the group. From now on, her life was inextricably linked with Presnyakov; together they later performed with the Georgian pop singer Gyulli Chokheli.
In 1973, Elena and Vladimir began working with the Moldovan pop group “Norok”. The guys recorded a mini-disc, which was a huge success in the Soviet Union and even in neighboring countries. The team performed quite successfully throughout the country until 1975.
But then the ensemble was accused of imitating the West, and a devastating article was published about the provocative behavior of the singers, their shaggy hairstyles, disgusting costumes and vile repertoire. The team was disbanded, and after such an article its members were not hired, even for amateur performances.
New stage in career
Vladimir Petrovich had to move to Moscow, but the artist never regretted it. The fruitful collaboration with the popular group lasted 12 long years. Presnyakov Sr. was not only the Gems’ saxophonist and arranger, but also composed new compositions for the group. Thanks to Vladimir Petrovich, dozens of famous songs appeared, including “Tamer”, “Dawn-Sunset”, “Salute” and “Summer, Summer, Summer”.
The artist wanted to leave the Gems in 1987. The reason for this decision was that the musician’s son began a solo career and offered his father a place as a saxophonist in his team. Presnyakov Sr. agreed and began performing with his son. At the same time, Vladimir Petrovich did not stop working with Gems and continued to create musical compositions for them.
Moreover, the artist created hundreds of songs for other Russian pop stars. The works of Presnyakov Sr. were included in the repertoire of Lev Leshchenko, Alla Pugacheva, Larisa Dolina, Kristina Orbakaite, Mikhail Boyarsky.
For his contribution to the development of musical art, the artist won dozens of different awards and titles. He not only became an Honored Artist of Russia, but also an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
"Gems"
Salvation came from Moscow, musician and composer Yuri Malikov called to Sverdlovsk, he was creating a new vocal and instrumental ensemble and invited Vladimir and Elena Presnyakov (by that time they were already husband and wife) to join it. So the couple became members of the Gems team. Vladimir stayed in the group until 1987, and when his son began to build a solo career, Presnyakov Sr. began working for him as a saxophonist. Elena still performs with Gems. With this group she traveled to the most remote corners of the Soviet Union and toured a lot abroad.
The best hits of “Gems” are also sung by the current generation:
- “How beautiful this world is”;
- “This will never happen again”;
- "Sign";
- “There, behind the clouds”;
- “My address is not a house or a street”;
- "Verba";
- “Everything I have in life.”
Elena still tours a lot with VIA “Gems” in Russia and abroad. Now, on a wave of nostalgia, people are again enjoying listening to Soviet-era hits.
Music
After the army he worked in the ensemble of the singer Chokheli Gyulli Nikolaevna. He leads several musical groups and performs as a saxophonist. The first pop group in Presnyakov’s creative biography was “Norok”, the repertoire of which is still popular today. By order of Furtseva, the ensemble was closed, but the team did not run away.
Vladimir Presnyakov and VIA “Norok”
On its basis, the VIA “What the Guitars Sing About” was organized. In it, Vladimir Presnyakov was the leader, composer and musician. His wife Elena also worked as a singer in the ensemble. The group toured the country with concerts and was popular.
In 1975, the Pravda newspaper published an article in which a certain Valentina Terskaya accused the ensemble of imitating the West, long hair, shaggy hairstyles, defiant behavior during the performance of songs, terrible costumes and all other sins. There was a reaction to the article from the Ministry of Culture, which eventually liquidated the group. It was a difficult time for Vladimir Petrovich; he could not get a job and did not see any prospects.
Vladimir Presnyakov and VIA “Gems”
In the fall, the situation was resolved thanks to Yuri Malikov, who invites the Presnyakovs to the renewed ensemble “Gems,” where a split occurs. The musicians create VIA “Plamya”, so Malikov is looking for new ones. It was then that he remembered the saxophonist and arranger Vladimir Presnyakov. From Yekaterinburg, he, along with his wife and son, moved to Moscow.
For “Gems” he wrote the songs “Paper Boat”, “Dawn - Sunset”, “Tell Me”, “Ali Baba”, “Salute”, “Tamer”, “Summer, Summer, Summer” and many others. The musician worked as part of the group until 1987. He played the saxophone, made arrangements, and composed songs until his son began his solo career.
Elena Presnyakova and Vladimir Presnyakov (senior)
Presnyakov Sr. leaves “Gems” to join his son and works for him as a saxophonist. The younger Presnyakov’s concert program also includes his father’s solo number – wonderful jazz compositions on the saxophone. Elena Presnyakova remains to work at Gems.
In 1994, he released a CD with instrumental versions of “The Beatles” - “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club” (solo by Presnyakov Sr.). He writes instrumental music, including jazz, as well as songs for singer Alexander Kalyanov.
Musical compositions by Presnyakov Sr. “Lie to Me” and “My Grandmother” appeared.
Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. - “Lie to Me”
Vladimir composed twelve songs for “Gems”. An album of his compositional works, “Horoscope,” is being released - a cycle of twelve songs performed by popular artists. A production of his rock musical “Street” is being staged at the Luzhniki Sports Palace, in which Presnyakov Jr., Sergei Minaev and Vladimir Markin are involved. At the beginning of 1997, he finished work on an album of songs performed by himself.
He is working on creating another Gems album. Still a jazz fan. The collection of CDs he collected is considered one of the largest in Russia. In 1998, a disc was released with popular compositions of the twentieth century performed by the elder Presnyakov on the saxophone. In the future, he continues to work with his son, still writes for “Gems” and collects a collection of albums of jazz compositions.
Vladimir Presnyakov (senior)
Participated in recordings of several hundred songs by various artists. In 2010, the album “Golden Collection of Romance” was released with Presnyakov’s compositions, which became the tenth in the musician’s discography. Vladimir Petrovich treats his work with a grain of skepticism, considering it just work. Presnyakov calls creativity the musical activities of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Niccolo Paganini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Vladimir Petrovich wrote hundreds of songs performed by pop stars. They are sung by Alla Pugacheva, Larisa Dolina, Lev Leshchenko, Alexander Gradsky, Kristina Orbakaite, Lyudmila Senchina, Alexey Glyzin, Mikhail Boyarsky, Vladimir Kuzmin and others.
Personal life
Lena met her husband Vladimir Petrovich Presnyakov in the last grades of school, when she became a member of his vocal and instrumental ensemble. She and her husband are the same age; Vladimir was also born in 1946, only in March. But it so happened that Lena called him “Petrovich” all her life (as the guys from VIA called their music director).
Mutual feelings quickly arose between Elena and Vladimir. Soon he discouraged all of Lenin's suitors and began to court her himself, even giving her a priceless gift at that time - Yugoslav stiletto pumps. They began dating, two years later Elena became pregnant, and Vladimir proposed to her. The young people got married in November 1967.
In March 1968, the couple had a son, who was named Volodka in honor of his father. At first, the Presnyakovs lived with Lena’s parents in a small storage room, because there were already nine people in the small two-room Khrushchev-era apartment. The son slept in a bathtub covered with a warm blanket. Only at first Lena’s mother and her older sister Masha, who worked in a kindergarten, were involved in raising the baby, since the young parents were constantly touring. Elena found out over the phone that her son had gone and then spoke. Her heart was torn between little Vovka and her favorite job.
The lack of attention was compensated by numerous gifts; they always brought something back from every trip. After a long summer tour in Sochi, before returning to Moscow, Lena went to a local flea market and bought a bunch of clothes for her son. And during a tour of Italy, Elena spent all the money on jeans and sweaters for Vova, and only bought herself a soft eyeliner pencil. When their son got older, the Presnyakovs got their own room in a communal apartment, and they began to take Volodka with them on tour. So the younger Presnyakov had no chance to choose a different path in life. He followed in his parents' footsteps and also became a singer and musician.
There were also discords in their family. One day Elena quarreled with Petrovich, took her son in her arms and went to her parents. Mom, seeing them on the threshold, took Vovka away and slammed the door in front of her daughter. Lena had nowhere to go, her friends would not understand such a night visit, and she wandered home. I walked in the cold through the whole of Sverdlovsk in pitch darkness, because the lights were turned off at night, and there was no time for conflicts at home, so I made peace with my husband. Only later did Lena realize how wisely her mother had acted.
Presnyakova herself has become just as wise over the years. The first time his son Volodka married the daughter of Alla Pugacheva, singer Kristina Orbakaite, in 1991 their son Nikita was born. Volodya and Christina lived together for ten years, but broke up in 1997. Vladimir’s second wife was singer Natalya Podolskaya. After ten years of marriage, in June 2020, their son Artemy was born. But Elena Presnyakova never interfered with Vladimir’s personal life with her advice and moral teachings. In any controversial or conflict situations, she always took the side of her daughters-in-law.
Now Elena and her Petrovich have lived to see their golden wedding. The secret of their family happiness lies in mutual respect. She never interfered in her husband’s affairs, if he wants to go to the studio - go, if he wants to play football - please, she never forbade anything. They are absolutely confident in each other and firmly know that they will be together until the end.
Personal life of Elena Presnyakova
Elena and Vladimir got married in the fall of 1967 in Sverdlovsk, and six months later little Vovka was born, the namesake of the head of the family. He, like his parents, began to show creative abilities early, and already at the age of eighteen he became famous throughout the Soviet Union.
Elena Presnyakova and her husband Vladimir Presnyakov
Elena and Vladimir were incredibly proud of the successes of their son, who later became related to Alla Pugacheva’s family by marrying Kristina Orbakaite, who in 1991 gave the Presnyakov couple a grandson, Nikita. When the guy continued the family dynasty and became a musician, their happiness simply knew no bounds.
Elena Presnyakova with her grandson Nikita
And the youngest grandson Tema (born 2015), the son of Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. and Natalya Podolskaya, is already demonstrating his artistry and musical abilities with might and main. The boy sings and dances well, and at the age of three he was not afraid to take part in his father’s anniversary concert.
Elena Presnyakova and her family
Elena, the mistress of this creative clan, feels incomparable pride in the successes of her children and grandchildren, and is very happy for her grandson Nikita - not so long ago he married his chosen one Alena Krasnova.
Forever young grandmother
In the early 1990s, the elder Presnyakov began performing with his son Volodka, and the head of “Gems” Yuri Fedorovich Malikov took up the career of his son Dmitry, and there was a moment when the VIA musicians felt abandoned. Many guys left the team and began creating their own groups. Lena, despite everything, remained in “Gems” and Mosconcert.
Her grandson Nikita helped her fill this creative pause. Elena completely dissolved in the baby. Daughter-in-law Kristina Orbakaite did not want to burden her, but Elena only enjoyed caring for her grandson. Together they went to the market and to the cinema, rode all the rides in Gorky Park, and bought animals at Ptichka.
This is the second grandmother, Alla Borisovna Pugacheva, who studied the humanities with Nikita, sang to him, read to him, drew, bought an easel, in general, gave him an education, as in a lyceum. And for Lena and Nikita, the main thing was the sports ground. They became not just a grandmother and grandson, but real friends; Nikita Presnyakov still calls her Lenuleya.
Personal life of Vladimir Presnyakov
The couple Vladimir Presnyakov - Kristina Orbakaite - in the 90s in Russia was similar to the couple Justin Timberlake - Britney Spears in America in the 2000s.
The only difference is that Presnyakov and Orbakaite walked their path to fame together. Subsequently, these two charismatic pop stars aroused frantic interest from the tabloid press and irrepressible fans. At the time of the start of cohabitation with Kristina Orbakaite in 1986, Vladimir was 18 years old, and his lover was only 15, however, despite such a young age, they received parental approval for a civil marriage.
In 1991, their son Nikita was born. However, in 1996 the idyll was destroyed. Despite the high-profile breakup with Christina, Vladimir managed to maintain friendly relations with the mother of his child. After the breakup, he helped his former lover in every possible way in raising his son.
Vladimir Presnyakov in the program “Secret to a Million”
According to people from his close circle, the moment of parting with Orbakaite became a real tragedy for Presnyakov. Having found solace in religion (according to some sources, he was pushed to this idea by
Secrets of youth and energy
Despite the fact that Elena is already over seventy, it is difficult to call this woman by her first name and patronymic. Everyone calls her Lena, and her loved ones call her Lenusik. She has so much energy that any young man would envy. She is always active and friendly, cheerful and with a constant smile on her face. And how she dances during performances! What he does on stage: jumps towards the audience, rides a motorcycle, does somersaults. Fans of the singer note: after the “Gems” concerts, it seems like you’ve attended a real healing session. Elena, no worse than famous psychics, charges you with strength and health, youth and positivity.
She gives so much physical effort at concerts that in her free time she does without sports. In the morning in bed he does exercises for the lazy - stretching, warming up his fists, shaking his legs in a spider pose, which fell on his back. All this helps normalize blood circulation. An hour before her first meal, she always drinks a glass of water. Elena's breakfast consists of oatmeal porridge steamed overnight with the addition of prunes and dried apricots.
The singer loves to solve crosswords and scanword puzzles, and can sit at them all night long. He also really likes to read detective stories by Alexandra Marinina and Daria Dontsova, devouring several books a week. Her favorite dish is fried potatoes, and her favorite drink is instant coffee. She values kindness in people, first of all, and hates it if someone tells lies about her husband, son, or grandchildren. Surprisingly, Lena, who always looks amazing, hates shopping. All her outfits are bought for her by her husband, son and daughter-in-law, or friends.
Elena's family is all long-livers. Her mother was only one year short of living to become a centenarian; she lived all her life in Sverdlovsk and refused to move to Moscow. Lenin's dad's brother passed away at the age of 103. When Elena was already over sixty, the popular show “Ice Age” began to be filmed on television, she, remembering her childhood passion for skating, decided to take part in the project. But her family dissuaded her in time, citing the fact that participants often get injured on the show.
The singer has excellent genetics, she inherited a good figure from her mother, and she did not have to do anything special in her life to maintain it. The main secret of youth and energy for Elena lies in the words that her mother taught her. A wise woman said: “If you feel bad, go to people.” This is what Lena Presnyakova has been doing for almost half a century.
Creative path
At first, the young family had to live in cramped conditions, in a 2-room apartment of Elena’s parents, where 9 people lived with them. The newlyweds and their child occupied the storage room. But they were happy - their own corner, a big friendly family and a favorite profession. When the Presnyakovs went on tour, Maria, Elena’s older sister, looked after little Vova. Later, the son began to travel with his parents.
Elena Presnyakova with her son Vladimir
For several years, Elena and Petrovich (as the musicians called Vladimir Presnyakov) worked at the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic, then performed with the group of the Georgian singer Gyulli Chokheli. In 1971, Elena and Vladimir joined the VIA “What the Guitars Are Singing About,” which was formed after the disbandment of the Moldovan rock ensemble “Norok”. But this group did not last long and was closed in 1973 due to non-compliance with Soviet cultural norms.
Elena Presnyakova and Vladimir Presnyakov in their youth
In 1975, there was a creative discord in the ranks of the then super-popular group “Gems”, due to which many members left the group. The director of the ensemble, Yuri Malikov, had to look for new musicians in record time so as not to disrupt the upcoming tour. He invited Vladimir to become an arranger and saxophonist, and Elena to take the place of a vocalist.
Since then, Presnyakova has been a permanent member of the team, which made her famous throughout the country. As a member of “Gems,” she traveled not only throughout the Soviet Union, but also near and far abroad, repeatedly became a laureate of prestigious music awards, and in 2002 she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Elena Presnyakova and Vladimir Presnyakov in VIA "Gems"
In 1992, the ensemble temporarily ceased to exist - many youth groups appeared, against the background of which “Gems” already seemed archaic. Petrovich went to the team of his son, Vladimir Presnyakov Jr., Elena also went on tour with her son, and in her free time she nursed her little grandson Nikita.
But in 1995, Malikov decided to revive the group, seeing how people of his generation missed the music they had loved since their Soviet youth. Elena happily returned to the ensemble, and since then has been the permanent soloist and decoration of “Gems”.
Vladimir Presnyakov Sr. now
Vladimir Presnyakov never complained about his health. But in the spring of 2018, the singer was hospitalized with a heart attack. The heart disease did not manifest itself in any way; the attack began unexpectedly. Thanks to timely medical care, Vladimir Petrovich managed without surgical intervention. The crisis was managed through therapeutic means. For some time, the musician was in a cardiology clinic, where his relatives visited him daily.
Now the artist is full of strength again and has already released another album, which he dedicated to his friend Alexander Novikov. Vladimir Petrovich also starred in a documentary film dedicated to his colleague in “Gems” Yuri Malikov.
