LOVE SONGS / OLEG POGUDIN

For the first time in Montreal, the man with the voice of silver, as he is known in his native Russia, Oleg Pogudin, a rare and vibrant talent will be performing his favorite Songs of Love.
Russian romances and sentimental works from around the world
“The man with the voice of silver.” That’s what they call Oleg Pogudin, the Russian man of song known for his unique interpretations of famous russian romances and lyric ballads from the 19th and 20th centuries, sung in his native Russian as well as in French, English, Italian, German, Spanish, Ukranian and more.
A mainstay of the most prestigious concert halls of the Russian capital and those of other former Soviet states such as Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Kazakhstan, Pogudin has also made a name for himself in Europe for his dramatic vocal talents. In the hands of the master songman, every ballad, in the tradition of that great Russian short story teller Anton Chekhov, fleshes out into a full-bodied story of its own.
Although endowed with a strong physical and artistic presence, it is ultimately Pogudin’s tempermental lyricism that brings the audience under his spell, and he is equally at ease in more than one genre: whether performing his native romances, embued with the nostalgia of yesteryear, or lively gypsy songs of love and desperation, or the poetry of Bulat Okudjava, or the love ballads of other European composers, he seems equally comfortable.
The richness and depth of his repetoire, together with a flair for the dramatique, allow him to create programs around a particular theme that have pleased audiences around the globe.
Since 2000, Pogudin, who cites the great Soviet tenor Sergei Lemeshev and Edith Piaf as influences, has toured the United States, Canada, Germany, Israel, and Bulgaria, as well as performing at cultural events in Vienna, Paris, Bratislava, Budapest and Brussels.
This will be Pogudin’s first appearance in Montreal, and his Songs of Love promises to be heavy on works from his native land, though songs from other countries also feature prominently, including those in French and English, two languages Pogudin is particularly fond of.