Leonid Ovrutsky: biography, personal life, photo. Quattro group (kvatro) Quattro quattro composition anton sergeev

Much is known about the fact that classical music develops spirituality and intellect. But when it comes from the mouth of a handsome, stylish young man, its power takes on an incredible effect. The name of this musician is Leonid Ovrutsky, and what he is doing now for the Russian stage can hardly be overestimated.

Golden baritone of Russia, the leader of the coolest group today, according to Ivan Okhlobystin, under the Quatro label, an excellent organizer of bright cultural events of the classical level. Everything that Leonid touches today becomes a separate art. However, his seemingly simple biography did not develop as freely as it might seem.

If there is music in the house since childhood

The life of a young Leningrader Igor Ovrutsky was remembered by him in 1982 for two important events. First, he graduated from the Leningrad State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in piano. Secondly, on August 8, 1982, he and his wife, a piano student of the same course, had a son. The couple lived in Moscow at the time.

The boy was named Lenya, Leonid. From ancient Greek, this word means "like a lion." Did the parents specifically name their son by that name, because according to the horoscope his birthday falls under the sign of Leo, but the descendant of musicians took over the high qualities from childhood. The boy was vied with each other called unusual from the very kindergarten - curious, talented, musical. Today, the artist laughs that curiosity often led him to a banal acquaintance of the tongue with iron in the cold. But still, he was indeed gifted.

Leonid Ovrutsky in childhood. Photo www.instagram.com/kvatromusic

Musical parents did not hesitate what to do with their talented baby. From the age of 6, Leonid was already seriously involved in music. Piano, vocals, choral singing. At the age of 7 he was selected and enrolled in the Sveshnikov Academy of Music, now the Popov Academy. At the age of 9, he already went on his first solo tour, accompanied by his father and mother, there were among the cities and abroad. Rehearsals, competitions, concerts, trips have become a part of the young artist's life.

Parents did not get enough of their son, completely giving him all the knowledge and skills that they had acquired in their own musical field. And their son did not disappoint. On the basis of the Choir Academy, he went through the entire path of training as a musician - from high school to a diploma of higher education in the specialty "choral conducting, classical vocals." Education completed with honors.

And yet, there was one moment that could change the life of a talented baritone in a completely different direction. Somewhere at the turn of the 10th grade, 16-year-old Leonid Ovrutsky decided to leave music. It seemed that the classical singing of unfashionable songs among ordinary people would not give the necessary income. And hanging on the neck of the parents is a taboo. Lenya went to Plekhanov University - Plekhanov Russian University of Economics - to prepare to study as an economist.

After observing the applicants and looking at the tasks of the mathematical exam, Leonid realized that let mathematicians do mathematics, and to cross out the vast knowledge and experience already gained for the sake of the next development of a new path is an unacceptable waste of time. Both my own and my teachers. Especially father and mother. It is better to do smarter - turn an unfashionable repertoire into a fashionable one, and secure a good job for yourself where you are already a leader.

Birth and flight of "Quattro"

Among the students of the Choir State Academy, it is considered good form to unite in voice groups and train their skills together. The students of Viktor Sergeevich Popov, the same one who created the Great Children's Choir of the All-Union Radio and Television of the USSR, Denis, two Anton and Lenya Ovrutsky, also decided to improve together.

The chanting was done after school, fortunately, the kind watchman of the school opened children's classes for classes. At first, there were no thoughts to conquer the stage in the form of a quartet, they simply sought to develop their voices in order to be the best in front of the teachers. But time passed, the rehearsals were held together by a strong friendship, and by the age of 20 the young musicians sang so well that they decided it was time to go out to the audience.

Since 2003, the team began its existence under the name "Quattro" and under the supervision of Lenya Ovrutsky. It was he who became the main mover and inspirer of the four. They chose an unusual repertoire: classical compositions by Bach, Chopin, Grieg a cappella, tinged with fiery Soviet and foreign hits in the same highly professional performance, romances and sacred music.

Photo https://www.instagram.com/kvatromusic

The guys had a special relationship with sacred music. Everyone once sang in the church choir, Lenya had this high experience too. His place of service was the choir of the Tretyakov Gallery, now it is the Moscow Synodal Choir. Having united in a quartet, the friends devoted a lot of time to serving the religious ideas of uniting the Orthodox and Catholic churches, as well as the return of foreign churches to their homeland.

Leonid believes that it was this spiritual experience that led to the fact that after the big church international tour of 2007, the first real worldly success came to Quatro. It happened in 2008 at the 5 Stars-Intervision competition under the leadership of the state-owned Channel One. The quartet then took first place according to the jury, despite the complete non-format - the competition was calculated for singers of light music.

However, the young classics wiped their noses at pop-music performers and woke up famous the very next day. Today it is the only one of its kind and the most sought-after classical group that has already performed at the London Albert Hall and at joint concerts with the famous Dmitry Hvorostovsky, Iosif Kobzon, Michael Bolton, Placido Domingo. The asset also includes participation in preparations for Eurovision (2009), Presidential receptions in Russia and the CIS countries, Russian balls and City Days.

Star life

By the time the Quattro took off, Leonid had already visited:

• the right hand of Kirill Serebrennikov;
• soloist of the theater "Helikon-Opera";
• trainee conductor in the Spivakov Orchestra;
• a participant in the Mariinsky project "Falstaff" after Verdi, Giuseppe;
• laureate of the "Student Debut" award;
• laureate of the award "Best role in the musical theater, vocals".

Now Leonid Igorevich Ovrutsky:

• producer and organizer of major intra-capital and federal celebrations - Eternal Music for the Eternal City, Boring Opera, Grandchildren for Veterans;
• author and composer of almost all of Kvatro's own compositions;
• Deputy Director and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center "Zelenograd";
• organizer of the main cultural events of the capital and Russia, focused on classical professional performance.

And of course, as before, the permanent soloist, producer and dad of his group.

Leonid's work schedule is scheduled by the minute. Quatro has already released 6 albums, by 2018 the 7th is on its way. Musicians actively perform at well-known venues, travel around cities on tours, direct and produce performances. But if friends on the stage do not suffer from this, their personal lives stand apart from Lyonya.

Personal life of Leonid Ovrutsky

Leonid is not married as of 2018. Not in a serious relationship. He is not constantly alone, there are many women around him, and he is not against romantic meetings. However, there is no single one yet.

In 2017, Lenya made an attempt to find a bride using the Starfon entertainment program. But the venture was not crowned with success. Lenya is a confident, well-mannered and intelligent young man. And his chosen one should have similar qualities. To be self-sufficient, developed, not to dissolve without a trace in a partner, but also not to limit him with your pride. Such a girl was not found during a random search.

At the same time, the artist is sure that there will be love, and he will have a family. When asked whether his children will also be musicians, he replies that it will depend only on the children themselves. Also, the musician often says that brunettes would be more preferable than blondes. But in general, the inner content of a woman is much more important for a singer. From the future wife expects decency, intelligence, depth. He does not like sluggish people who do not know what to do and say.

In his free time, Lenya likes to relax by the sea or in silence. At the same time, his passion is extreme sports. Surfing, skiing, boxing. As a child, he was fond of basketball. Practiced yoga. Leonid's favorite season is autumn, his favorite country for recreation is island Thailand, and everything that the sea offers. But this is not all interesting facts from the life of a star.

It is interesting to know that:

1. The musician's pedigree includes a famous relative - the composer Vasily Pavlovich Solovyov-Sedoy, the author of the cult "Moscow Nights".
2. The artist’s father, Igor Arkadyevich Ovrutsky, is the creator of Nostalzhi radio, director of the Russian state radio station Orpheus from 2005 to 2018 and head of the Russian State Musical Television and Radio Center since 2018. In 2017, he celebrated his 60th birthday.
3. The most velvety baritone in Russia collects teaspoons.
4. Sister Lenya has mastered the French language and now lives with her family in Paris.
5. In addition to his favorite piano, the singer also plays the guitar.
6. He does not like politics, and does not follow it.
7. He does not like social networks, but at the insistence of friends, he has recently become more active in Instagram, posting current photos there.
8. As a child, he was terrified of the stage, for which he first received triples in vocals. He set himself the goal of correcting the disease and coped with it perfectly. The main secret, according to the musician, is many hours of daily practice.
9. Does not like obsessive fans.
10. The oldest of all Quatro members at the moment.
11. Height - 183 cm, weight - 72 kg.

Among the notable memories of the artist's youth is the case when all the beginning four were almost expelled from the academy for trying to earn extra money as street musicians in France.

It happened by chance, during a rehearsal. The artists sang so well that onlookers began literally throwing coins at them and applauding. Suddenly, one of the clappers came up to the guys and pointed to the next table. Vladimir Spivakov himself sat and dined there. And the leader, Viktor Popov, warned the guys. Young singers approached the master and heard that they, the disgrace of the country, would not see diplomas.

Being already in Moscow, Vladimir Teodorovich changed his anger to mercy, and talented performers, nevertheless, graduated from their studies. Since then, many years have passed, and the "street musicians" have become real stars, the brightest of which is Leonid Ovrutsky.

The group "KVATRO" is one of the most promising musical groups of the Russian stage. Lineup: Anton Sergeev, Leonid Ovrutsky, Anton Boglevsky and Denis Vertunov.

The group "QUATRO" was created in 2003 by graduates of the Academy of Choral Art A.V. Sveshnikov. The vocalists of the group have excellent vocal abilities and a refined musical taste, they studied in Italy for several years. The genre in which young singers work can be called "pop-opera", their repertoire includes works of very different styles - from classics in modern processing and romances to golden hits of Soviet and foreign pop music. QUATRO are frequent guests at events of the highest level, they performed on the same stage with Placido Domingo and Dmitry Hvorostovsky.

National fame came to the Quatro group after it became a worthy representative from Russia in the Five Stars Intervision competition, according to which it won first place. And the team won nationwide recognition in the qualifying round of Eurovision 2009, entering the top three leaders of the national selection.

Anton Sergeev was born in 1983 in the city of Norilsk. Graduated with honors from the Moscow Academy of Choral Art in choral conducting and classical vocal (tenor). Anton began to get involved in music at an early age. Parents noticed their son's extraordinary abilities, which later turned out to be absolute pitch. The end of adolescence coincided with Anton's passion for ensemble singing. Anton tried out as a symphony conductor with Vladimir Spivakov and really wanted to be an opera singer - tenor.

Leonid Ovrutsky was born in 1982 in Moscow. Graduated with honors from the Moscow Academy of Choral Art in choral conducting and classical vocal (baritone). Leader of the QUATRO group. Leonid grew up in a musical family, his parents graduated from the conservatory in piano, and Leonid himself received a vocal and conductor education. Prior to the creation of the group, he worked as an assistant to director Kirill Serebrennikov, sang for several years at the Helikon Opera, trained as a conductor in Vladimir Spivakov's orchestra, and participated in the Mariinsky Theater's production of Faster, Giuseppe and Verdi.

Anton Boglevsky was born in 1983 in Moscow. Graduated with honors from the Moscow Academy of Choral Art in choral conducting and classical vocal (tenor). He grew up in a family of musicians. Despite the fact that all his conscious life he studied exclusively classical music, in ordinary life he listened to everything except classical music. Anton writes songs himself and feels the rhythm of the music best of all in the group, has perfect pitch.

Denis Vertunov was born in 1977 in Moscow. Graduated with honors from the Moscow Academy of Choral Art in choral conducting and classical vocal (bass). Denis is the oldest and most experienced in the group. He managed to participate in five jazz a cappella bands, including the vocal group "COOL & JAZZY".

Photo from official. VKontakte pages

Anton Sergeev: The four of us graduated from the Sveshnikov Music College in the class of choral conducting and vocals. Now it has been renamed the Popov Academy. Most of the graduates are choir conductors, there are a few singers, but they work in the operatic genre. We are the first case when someone began to engage in pop music. This direction is close to us, but this is not a pure stage, it is "burdened" with the luggage of the classics. (Laughs.)

How would you describe the style in which you sing?

AS: It's hard to say. They say that a person with education can do anything. We do not drive ourselves into limits - we sing both opera and pop music, we can even record something club sometimes. I like to give classical arias a modern twist. We prefer not to push ourselves into certain limits.

Leonid Ostrutsky: I sang at the Helikon Opera at the age of 19 and quickly realized that it was not for me. At the same time, I was engaged in conducting, and it was closer and more interesting to me. And in my opinion, the theater is in a deplorable state. I understood that I could not influence the situation in any way, when the soloists of the theater receive the same amount for their work as the cleaner in the office. And this is the payoff for 15 years of hard work?

A.S.: We are a less serious people compared to opera performers. Our performances are accompanied by jokes.

L. O .: We remain children and continue to play, as in childhood.

Best of the day

How do you differ from a classical ensemble, such as the Turetsky Choir?

L. O .: I have experience of cooperation with the Turetsky Choir. The main difference is that the choir has a leader and no personalities, the choir is an instrument. In our ensemble you see four people, and everyone contributes, creates something. The chorus is the result of the leader's work. We sometimes perform a repertoire similar to the "Choir" - well-known arias, popular Soviet hits, but we are from a different generation, and we see them differently. This is neither good nor bad, it's just different - someone likes the "Turetsky Choir", and someone likes "Quattro".

Are there bands like you abroad?

AS: It seems to me that the closest analogue is the English quartet El VIVO, but we are not 100% alike. Their style, so to speak, is more "brutal" - they are happy to demonstrate their voices. Their show is built on the beauty of arrangements, voices, and we take it with emotions.

Do you perform your own songs?

AS: Leonid writes music. Recently, for the anniversary of Vladimir Dobronravov, Leonid wrote music to his poems, and we performed it with pleasure. Dobronravov really liked it - he only asked to change the name from "I pray for you!" to "You are mine."

There are four of you - is there a leader in the team?

A.S.: We did not plan anything on purpose, everything happened by chance. In a team of four, it is difficult to distribute responsibilities. Basically, Leonid and I organize everything - we are active figures, and the guys trust us.

Would you like to participate in Eurovision next time?

AS: During the qualifying round, we took third place. At that time we were in a difficult situation - we worked with the former producer and performed what we said. But it turned out that a few days before the performance we did not have a song - we had to improvise.

L. O.: I composed a song. It is clear that venerable composers could do something better. It is a pity that we had to work in a hurry, we were on our nerves. We didn't do 100% what we could have done, but we got a lot of audience support and good reviews nonetheless. Participation in the competition is always an incentive for development. Eurovision is a special competition. If we had a Eurovision song, we would love to go.

What kind of music do you like to listen to yourself?

L. O.: A lot of composers were “crammed” into us from childhood, but I fell in love and understood music later. I think that the main thing is the mood. If I'm in high spirits, I can listen to the positive sunny music of Stevie Wonder, and if I think about what excites me, I'll put on Brahms' Fourth Symphony. After all, the range of musical genres allows you to display all the feelings.

It's like a huge amount of colors - the larger your palette, the richer the image. I could never say: my favorite group is such and such.

AS: But in the car, I usually monitor the market - I listen to Russian Radio, Europe Plus - this is work.

L. O .: By the way, for many, music is a background. We think we listen to music when we hear a melody out of the corner of our ear while cleaning or cooking. It is difficult to convince the modern average person to sit down and listen to a four-minute composition - let alone a classical concert.

Who is your audience?

AS: These people are from thirty to sixty. This is also because of the repertoire - we perform a lot of old hits. But the presentation of the material is closer to older people. We are often told: my mother loves you. It's nice.

L. O .: We also perform modern songs, and we choose the old ones because people put more serious emotions into them.

And why are there four of you in the team?

AS: This is the merit of our teacher at the academy. In the ensemble singing class, we gathered as an a cappella group - tenor, high tenor, baritone and bass. The quartet is, one might say, the gold standard for a male ensemble.

"Ytro": Tell us how it all began. How did you meet and decide to form a band?

Group "Quattro": In 2000 or 2001, we, as part of the choir (Academy of Choral Art named after A.V. Sveshnikov), were on tour in France, in Colmar, where a festival was held with the participation of Spivakov. We decided to earn extra money to get to Garu's concert. We had no money, we did not want to borrow. The solution to the problem arose by itself: many musicians performed on the streets of the city, and then we decided to try to sing. And just when they started throwing money at us, distinct loud pops were heard behind us. These were our artistic director and Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov. As a result, we got to Garu's concert, but this was of little interest to us, since we knew that we were being kicked out of the academy for this performance. So, once on the street, we understood what we were going to do. True, we still graduated from the academy, and with honors.

"Y": The name "Quattro" was also born in France?

"TO": For a long time we did not have a name, moreover, we did not want to be called anything. For some time we were presented as a quartet "Quartet", but it sounds strange. Nothing else could come up with. When we went to Italy, there was an almost criminal story - we were taken away by the police.

"Y": For singing in the street?

"TO": Quite right! We were walking around the city, and Anton shouted: "Look! This is the house where Placido Domingo lives! Let's sing to him!" We sang O Sole Mio, but no one came out to us. But a police car arrived and took us to the police station. I must say that in Italy everyone loves to sing. The section chief was no exception. We also sang O Sole Mio with him. During our entire stay with the police, we were called "quatro rogazzi" (four young men), and we decided that the word "quatro" was quite suitable for the name of the group.

"Y": How do you define the musical direction in which you work?

"TO": We call this genre "beautiful music", we also sing arias, opera classics, we perform at balls. In fact, the direction is not important at all - we can work in any genre, up to rap. We just sing any direction in our own way, and then we just have to add the word "classic" to the word "rap". For example, the song "I love you" that we released recently is classic pop. The main thing that unites the music we sing is the soul. If an artist is given a huge audience and the opportunity to carry an emotion, a thought, then we choose sincerity and love. Our work is based on this.

Now there is little music that affects a person. There is a background that everyone is used to, that no one likes, but everyone is forced to listen to. This is what we strive to avoid in our work. With our music, we want to take people to an era in which there were real feelings and emotions, and not plastic love and naked bodies that everyone was tired of.

"Y": What is the most important component of success for you?

"TO": The main thing is that the artist has a close-knit team, absolute trust, only then there will be success. Therefore, we are grateful to the close people who surround us.

"Y": The fact that you entered the top three of the national selection of Eurovision - a big breakthrough for the group?

"TO": Yes, and we are very happy that so many people voted for us.

"Y": Did you expect such success? Which place among the 16 participants did you expect to take?

"TO": We hoped that we would enter the top five, but we entered the top three. It seemed to us that the viewers did not know us very well, because although we have existed for a long time, we are not on the big stage. We appeared on the big stage thanks to women, because they wanted to hear us and we think that it was they who voted for us in the national selection. Women know very well the value of the music we sing. If the men "listened" to us, then we would be in the first place. (Smiling.)

"Y": Were you satisfied with your performance?

"TO": No, we set the bar much higher, so we didn't really like the way we sang.

"Y": And next year will you participate in the selection to represent our country at the competition?

"TO": I don't want to guess. But we really like to take part in various competitions, for us it has become a kind of drug, and we cannot get rid of it. Based on this, of course, we can make an assumption that we will participate in the selection, but, again, I would not like to guess.

"Y": Let's go back to the final of the national preselection. While the judges were deciding who will represent Russia, you were asked who you see as the finalist. You answered: Anastasia Prikhodko. Why do you like her song so much?

"TO": The song "Mom" is wonderful. It carries a fairly strong emotional charge, it is sensual, it has simplicity. That's what grabs her.

"Y": Tell us about your plans for the near future.

"TO": We will have concerts in Nicaragua, Portugal, Great Britain, Spain. Despite the fact that we do not represent Russia at Eurovision this year, we are starting a Eurotour. We are planning to give the first solo concert in Moscow, the debut album is being prepared for release. We really hope that we will please our listeners with original songs.

Leonid Ovrutsky is a soloist of the Moscow vocal group "QUATRO", in which four graduates of the Academy of Choral Art named after. A. V. Sveshnikova. It was formed in 2003 and rose to prominence in 2008 when it won first place in the Five Stars competition. A year later, the young team participated in the qualifying round of candidates for Eurovision 2009 and entered the top three. The producer and composer of "QUATRO" is Leonid. He enjoys the great interest of fans who would very much like to know if Leonid Ovrutsky has a wife.

All four of them graduated from the Academy with honors and organized their group in such a way that their voices fill the full range of sounds and allow them to sing a work of almost any complexity. Leonid Ovrutsky has a baritone, Anton Sergeev and Anton Boglevsky have a tenor, Denis Vertunov has a bass. In the performance of this unique group, both classics, and romances, and modern hits, and an author's song are equally good at hearing - the impossible does not exist for them.

Concerts of "QUATRO" captivate listeners and especially women. All the fair sex from 12 to 80 years old instantly fall in love with these young men. Such popularity can not only flatter, but also annoy. Only the marital status of Anton Sergeev is reliably known: he has a little daughter, and, of course, a wife. There are rumors that Anton Boglevsky is also not free, but his girlfriend or wife is not openly discussed. Denis and Leonid do not advertise their hobbies.

Once Ovrutsky let slip that falling in love helps him both sing and live, and when asked what kind of girls he likes, he jokingly recalled the case of two sexy-dressed beauties who almost disrupted their concert with their seductive appearance. Declared by online magazine "Marie Claire" one of the most eligible suitors of 2016, Leonid has a very clear idea of ​​​​who could become his girlfriend: "I know for sure that we will find each other and immediately understand it."

The future wife of Leonid Ovrutsky, according to his ideas, should be wise and able, without encroaching on his freedom, to free them from the routine and chaos of everyday life. Become not its faceless shadow, but its continuation, having its own personality and opinion. No matter how his beloved looks, the main thing that he will focus on in their union is the spiritual and moral fusion of two people who are ready to understand and take care of their soul mate. This is how, approximately, the minimum program looks like for lovers in love and those who want to try their luck.