"Po dikim stepyam Zabaikalya" () is a
Russian folk song, also known as "Brodyaga" (). It was published and recorded at the beginning of the 20th century and has since become part of the repertoire of various Russian and foreign artists.
History
According to popular belief, the song was composed by convicts in
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
towards the end of the 19th century. The revolutionary
Ivan Belokonsky insisted, though, that it was known in Siberia in the 1880s, but there was no indication of the author of the lyrics.
According to
Ivan Nazarov (and Alexander Smolik),
Ivan Kondratyev was the author of the lyrics, although the poem is not included in the latter's last published volume of poems, ''Under the noise of the Oak Groves''. In 1906, Swedish composer
Wilhelm Harteveld also collected the song during his trip to
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
and published it in 1908.
In the early 20th century, several recordings of the song were made in Russia:
* Brodyaga (From the songs of convicts) performed by
Nadezhda Plevitskaya and released by
Pathé Records
Pathé Records was an international record company and label and producer of phonographs, based in France, and active from the 1890s through the 1930s.
Early years
The Pathé record business was founded by brothers Charles and Émile Pathé, ...
in Moscow, 1908.
* Brodyaga (From the songs of convicts) also performed by Nadezhda Plevitskaya;
Beka Records, Moscow, 1909.
* Brodyaga (From the songs of convicts), performed by
Nina Dulkevich (), Pathé Records, 1912. 21, исп. Нина Дулькевич.
All these releases credit Ivan Kondratyev as the author of the lyrics.
Lyrics
There are several versions, which differ slightly in words or expressions. Most musicians omit some verses. The following is the most common version. (The verses in italics are those most often omitted):
Recent performances
The song remains in the repertoire of various Russian artists. The best known performances include those by:
*
Pyatnitsky Choir (numerous versions)
* The Siberian Russian Folk Choir () conducted by V. Molchalov, soloist Yelena Ponomaryova.
* Voronezh Russian Folk Choir
*
Aleksandr Mikhaylov
* Yuri Sorokin (1980s)
*
Zhanna Bichevskaya
*
Andrey Makarevich
Andrey Vadimovich Makarevich (; born 11 December 1953) is an Israeli and Soviet-Russian rock musician and the founder of Russia's oldest still active rock band Mashina Vremeni (Time Machine).
Personal life
Makarevich was born in Moscow to m ...
(1996)
*
Mongol Shuudan (2004)
*
Chaif (2009)
Performance abroad
The first recording outside the
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
was by
Electrecord in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
in 1945 and released as "Brodyaga". It was performed by
Pyotr Leshchenko, a Russian singer who had emigrated to
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
.
The song has also been performed by foreign artists, including:
*
Czesław Niemen (Poland)
*
Bernard Ładysz (Poland)
*
Jaroslaw Jaromi Drazewski (Poland)
*
Artur Gadowski (Poland)
*
Piotr Celiński (Poland)
*
Baltie Lāči group (Latvia)
*
Zivan Saramandic (Serbia)
*
Zura Pirveli (Georgia)
Films
The song was featured in the Russian movie
Ballad of Siberia (), performed by actor
Vladimir Druzhnikov, being a secondary theme song.
Spinoffs
A parody of the song called ''"On the wild steppes of Arizona" ()'', with lyrics by Viktor Baranov performed by
Artur Gladyshev. The song was released in 1997 in the album ''"Red America" ()'' .
Неуловимый Арчи (Артур Гладышев) - Квасная Америка (1997)
References
{{reflist
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20150519020640/http://www.oldchita.org/songs/216-2011-04-22-15-26-55.html
Russian folk songs