David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov PAR (, was born on July 20, 1940, in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian composer. People's Artist of Russia (2000), State Prize of Russian Federation (2003, 2019).
Biography
Tukhmanov is a son of an Armenian engineer Fyodor Davidovich Tukhmanov and a Russian music teacher Vera Anatolyevna Karasyova. The Tukhmanovs are the descendants of the Armenian princely house of Tumanyans, the offspring of the princes Mamikonians, Lords of Dsegh. David began to learn music under the direction of his mother at an early age and wrote his first piece of music (Lezginka), when he was four years old. Then he finished Gnesins musical school (1958) and composer's branch of Gnesins Musical College (1963). His degree's work was the oratorio for soloists, chorus and an orchestra Distance After Distance, which is based on fragments of the epic poem of the same name by Alexander Tvardovsky.
Early career
Tukhmanov is known for several Soviet-themed hit songs such as "Victory Day" (Russian: День Победы, lit. 'Den Pobedy') and other popular songs. His first hit song was "Last Electrichka" (Russian: Последняя электричка, lit. 'Poslednyaya electrichka') in 1968. In 1973 Tukhmanov wrote songs and music for a TV film This Merry Planet. In the following year he released soundtrack album, which also included several additional songs.
In 1972 Tukhmanov released his first personally authored album How Beautiful the World is (Russian: Как прекрасен мир, lit. 'Kak prekrasen mir') which he described as a trial work cause of its conceptual structure. In 1975-76 he created an album-suite On a Wave of My Memory (Russian: По волне моей памяти, lit. 'Po volne moyey pamyati'). The idea of On a Wave of My Memory belonged to Tatyana Sashko, the wife of David Tukhmanov, and she was the one who picked the classic poems for the album's songs. It is considered to be the first conceptual Russian rock album. Wave's execution was done in secret, in more remote studios across Moscow, with tight lips and low profile, for fear of censors shutting down the project before fruition, but this did not happen. This album was a record-breaking success for the USSR, becoming a highly sought-after product. It rivaled the top albums of Pink Floyd or Deep Purple in terms of desirability.
1980s
In January, 1981, Tukhmanov organized rock band Moskva (Moscow) — Nikolai Noskov (vocals, rhythm guitar), Alexey Belov (vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Dmitry Serebryakov (drums). In 1982 Moskva released an album UFO. Musical critic Yuri Filinov had noted that UFO «is rather far from structure of thinking in Western rock» (though arrangements, instruments, rhythms were modern). Filinov also defined the album as a noncommercial disk. Perhaps, because of this fact Tukhmanov ceased to write songs for the band. In the spring of 1984 Noskov left the band, and soon he recorded Tukhmanov's song Night. In 1985 Moskva recorded Tukhmanov's song XXIII Century.
In 1984 and in 1985 Tukhmanov wrote five songs for Alexander Barykin's Carnaval to release a collaboration LP Steps (Russian: Ступени, lit. 'Stupeni'). In the same years he wrote all songs for mini-album of Estonian Soviet pop singer Jaak Joala Love Itself (Russian: Сама любовь, lit. 'Sama lyubov'). In 1985 Tukhmanov also has released an album War Songs, dedicating to the 40th anniversary of Soviet victory in Second World War.
In 1986 Tukhmanov wrote music and songs for TV film The Travel of M. Perrichon (adaptation of Eugène Labiche's vaudeville). In the next year he has released his second soundtrack album.
In 1986 Tukhmanov also organized pop band Electroclub, which released three albums. In 1989, after his work with Electroclub, Tukhmanov created the musical Thief of Bagdad (together with poet and lyricist Yuri Entin). Premiere has taken place in 1990 — in Moscow (theatre Satiricon) and in Sverdlovsk. This musical is directed until now in many cities of Russia.
Later years
After the disintegration of USSR Tukhmanov emigrated to Germany. In 1995 he returned and wrote together with Entin six cycles of songs for children (he also wrote the hymn of children's animated festival «Golden Fish»). He wrote cycle Square Windows (based on the poems by Innokenty Annensky) too. In 2007 Tukhmanov wrote songs for literary-musical composition, which based on the poems by Alexander Pushkin. CD Long Live the Muses! has released in 2009, to 210 years from the birth of Pushkin.
In 2007 Tukhmanov and Yuri Entin finished their second variant of the musical Evening in Copenhagen (on motives of Nikolai Erdman's play The Mandate).