Sergey Matveenko Bard Date of Birth: 04.08.1957 Country: Russia

Biography of Sergey Matveenko

Sergey Matveenko is a bard who touches on various topics in his work. Trying to categorize his songs and poems as social or lyrical, landscape or parodic is a thankless task. They intertwine and blend into one another seamlessly. I first discovered Sergey Matveenko's songs in 1988 when his album "About Urgent Matters" was released, by an unknown author at the time. However, it should be noted that he was unknown in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but in Siberia, Sergey was already well-known and his songs had been performed at local festivals for many years. Naturally, I bought the album (there were very few high-quality recordings of bards available at the time, so I bought anything I could find) and I never regretted it. In fact, I was seriously impressed by many of the songs. They captivated me with their well-crafted melodies, powerful performances, and, most importantly, their good lyrics.

These were songs based on poetry. Perhaps not always smooth from the perspective of classical poetry canons, sometimes rough and far from being equal, but still poetry. In these verses, the author's voice was clearly heard - with his unique perspective on life and his own system of imagery. It was clear that he was an established master. From that moment on, I began to follow Sergey Matveenko's work, not necessarily attentively, but still. It should be noted that practically all of Sergey's subsequent songs only confirmed my initial impression. And when I got to know him and became friends with him, many things became clearer to me about his work.

Sergey, a native Siberian, was born in 1957 in Altai. Life took him all over the world, both geographically and in terms of human experiences. He worked as a high-altitude installer, a conductor, an actor in a theater, a stoker, a long-distance truck driver, and a circus musician. He has lived in Siberia and Italy, in Moscow and Novokuznetsk... And everything he has seen and done is reflected in his verses and songs.

Sergey considers Evgeny Klyachkin his godfather and teacher in bard song. Well, Sergey turned out to be a student worthy of his teacher. He did not become his shadow, a "second Klyachkin." He chose his own path in the world of song and poetry. Sergey has different themes, different emotions, and a different view on life. Although sometimes a touch of Klyachkin's song breaks through: "Oh, Muse! You are with me again, Lamp of the Lord..." Or: "Bell ringers were joyfully hammering. Golden domes, a mess underfoot..." But that's what a teacher is for, to be reflected in his students! Sergey touches on various topics in his work. Trying to divide his songs and poems into social and lyrical, landscape and parodic is a thankless task. They intertwine and blend into one another seamlessly.

As a Siberian, Sergey writes a lot about his beautiful land. He writes in different styles: "For some, Siberia is a prison, but for me, it is freedom...", "I will breathe in straw, drink honey kvass, Warm my hands by the clay stove...", "...I will have a simple conversation with the gamekeepers. Not in a hurry, not arguing, following the laws of the taiga..." And right next to it: "...They shot the taiga for no reason from helicopters.", "What poachers didn't destroy in the taiga, Factories and quarries are finishing today." The pain for his homeland and its people permeates many of Matveenko's works. "Above Russia, the flag flutters. Prostitutes, alcoholics, and orphans, Workers numbed by labor...", "If I'm such a professor - Why am I naked and poor?" "How we believed our whole lives In lies with a happy ending!" Cruel, but fair, isn't it? "If you want to be no worse than others - become scum." A well-known and proven recipe, but Sergey himself is not in a hurry to implement it. It seems that the Siberian backbone prevents him from bowing down to new masters of life. "Drink, have fun, holy Rus, if there is no way out! And I will also get drunk, I will fall from the bell tower..."

And, like an anthem to the unbowed, the words ring out: "The circus left long ago. Only clowns are left here, And all the serious ones ran away To where it's funny even without us. But it's necessary to see for yourself Who made a mistake among us... And could you die If it brings a smile?"

Time flies, old bards leave, leaving behind their songs and an empty stage. And you can't help but wonder: is there anyone to replace them? Or rather, not so much to replace them, but to continue what they dedicated their lives to? In my opinion, Sergey Matveenko is one of those who can rightfully be considered a worthy successor to the senior bard generation. People listen to him and will continue to listen to his songs.

Sergey is involved in many things, but bard song is probably the main focus of his life. He is a laureate of the Kuzbass Prize, a laureate of the Grushinsky Festival, and has worked at the Theater of Author's Song "Etap". He frequently goes on tour, both in Russia and abroad. After his first vinyl record - "About Urgent Matters" - he recorded three more CDs: "Feast During the Plague" (1993), "My Girl" (1996), and "Old Tram" (1997). By the way, the popularity of Sergey's songs is evident from the fact that the print runs of all his recordings sold out very quickly and they are no longer available for sale, although, as you may understand, advertisement in the bard song genre is practically non-existent. Sergey Matveenko has published two collections of poetry: "Bells of Vasily the Blessed" (1995, published by "Vagant") and "Traveler" (1998, published by "Moskovsky Dvorik"). In 1997, Sergey was accepted into the Writers' Union of Russia. He is involved in various activities: he composes music and songs for performances, works in the Society of Directors of Russia, records other bards as a sound engineer, and was involved in the creation of the V.S. Vysotsky Museum... Sergey's broad soul is reflected in his actions, poetry, and songs. I am very glad that fate brought us together in songs and in life, and I hope that his songs and poetry will bring you as much joy as they have brought me. Read, listen...
Everything he does, he does for you!