Anna German

Anna Wiktoria German-Tucholska (, 14 February 193626 August 1982) was a Polish singer (lirico-spinto), immensely popular in Poland and in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and the 1970s. She released over a dozen music albums with songs in Polish, as well as several albums with Russian repertoire. Throughout her music career, she also recorded songs in the German, Italian, Spanish, English, and Latin languages.

Family background and early life Anna German was born in the town of Urgench in Uzbekistan (then located in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union).

Her mother, Irma Martens (19092007), was the child of Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites with descendants from the Netherlands who exchanged Friesland for the area around the Vistula delta and on Empress Catherine the Great's invitation came to live in the Russian Empire. Martens' mother Anna Friesen was born in present-day Ukraine. She recorded several albums for Polskie Nagrania Muza in Poland and Melodiya in the Soviet Union. In 2001, six of her Polish albums were reissued on CDs. In recent years, many compilation albums of her songs have also been released in both Russia and Poland.

Career in Italy

In December 1966 in Milan, German signed a contract with the CDI company to release her records, thus becoming the first performer from behind the "Iron Curtain" who recorded in Italy. In Italy, German had performed at the Sanremo Music Festival, starred in a television show, recorded a programme with the singer Domenico Modugno, performed at the festival of Neapolitan songs in Sorrento and received the "Oscar della simpatia" award.

Car accident and treatment

On 27 August 1967, while in Italy, on the road between Forlì and Milan, Anna German was involved in a severe car accident. At high speed, the car driven by the impresario of the singer crashed into a concrete fence. German was thrown from the car through the windshield. She suffered multiple fractures and other internal injuries. An investigation revealed that the driver of the car – her manager Renato Serio – fell asleep at the wheel.

After the accident, German had not regained consciousness. After the plaster was taken off, the singer still laid in hospital for half a year. Then it took her a few months to relearn to sit and walk.

Later, she released the autobiographical book Wróć do Sorrento? ('Come Back to Sorrento?'), dedicated to the Italian period of her career. The book's circulation was 30,000 copies.

Career in the Soviet Union In 1964, German toured the Soviet Union for the first time as part of a delegation of Polish artists, performing songs by George Gershwin, Mark Fradkin, Arno Babajanian. The editor of the "Melodiya" Anna Kachalina invited German to record some songs in Polish and Italian. Her first songs in Russian were recorded in the fall of 1964.

In the 1970s, German toured, performed and recorded in the Soviet Union, working with Aleksandra Pakhmutova, Yevgeniy Martynov, Vladimir Shainsky, David Tukhmanov,

Her most notable songs in Russian are "Shine, Shine, My Star", "And I like him" , "Hope" , "No Hurry" , "Randomness" , "When Gardens Bloomed" , "Echo of Love" .

Personal life

On 23 March 1972, married Zbigniew Tucholski. Their son, Zbigniew Tucholski, was born in 1975. In the last years of her life, she composed some church songs. Before she died in 1982 of osteosarcoma (at the age of 46), she joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. German was buried at the Evangelical Cemetery in Warsaw.

Remembrance

The main street in Urgench, Uzbekistan, the birthplace of Anna German, bears her name. The asteroid 2519 Y discovered in 1975 by Russian astronomer Tamara Smirnova was named in honour of Anna German. The amphitheatre in Zielona Góra, Poland, has been named in Anna German's memory. In 2002, the Song Festival aimed at popularizing the musical legacy of Anna German and Polish popular music was launched. The Anna German Musical High School in Białystok bears the name of the singer. In 2012, a commemorative plaque was unveiled in Wrocław at the entrance to the house where Anna German used to live. In 2012, a Russian biographical mini-series (co-produced with Poland, Ukraine and Croatia) about the life of Anna German was filmed. A star on the Moscow Walk of Fame honouring Anna German was unveiled. Several streets in Polish cities including Warsaw and Rzeszów were named in remembrance of the singer. In 2013, a star on the Walk of Fame of the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole devoted to Anna German was unveiled.

Books about Anna German

1974 Nagrabiecki Jan: Anna German. 1974 Aleksander Zygariov: Anna German. 1988 Aleksander Zygariov: Anna German. 1998 (reissue) Mariola Pryzwan: . 1999 Adriana Polak: . 2000 Artur Hörmann: . 2003 (The book was written by the uncle of Anna and brother her father Eugene Herman) Mariola Pryzwan: . 2008 Ivan Ilichev: Анна Герман – Гори, гори, моя звезда!. 2010 Jordan Naoum: Anna German. 2011 Mariola Pryzwan: . 2012 Ivan Ilichev: Мы долгое эхо (We long echo). 2012 Mariola Pryzwan: . 2013 Marzena Baranowska: . 2013 Ivan Ilichev: Анна Герман. Белый ангел песни (White angel of the song). 2013 German. Śpiewający anioł. Super album. 2013 Ivan Ilichev: Эхо любви (Echoes of love). 2013 Volga Yerafeyenka: . 2014 Irma Martens-Berner: . 2014, (Consultants books: son A. German, Dr. Zbigniew I. Tucholsky and her husband, engineer Zbigniew A. Tucholsky) Ivan Ilichev: Анна Герман. Сто воспоминаний о великой певице (Anna German. A hundred memories of great singer). 2016

Literary works

1970 (Come Back to Sorrento?...) (The tale of the winged Starling). The book is written by Anna to her son 1988 «Вернись в Сорренто?...» translated from Polish into Russian by R. Bello 2002 reissue 2012 reissue

Discography

Albums

(1964) [Onto that shore] (1965) [Dancing Eurydices] (1967) [A recital of songs] I classici della musica napoletana (1967) [Classics of the Canzone Napoletana] (1968) [Anna German Sings] (1970) [Fate of Man] (1971) [Domenico Scarlatti – Arias from opera Tetide in Sciro] (1972) [Wind lives in wild poplars] (1974) [It has to be May] Anna German (1975) Anna German (1977) Anna German (1979) (1979) [Think about me] (1979) [Only in tango/Summer is all around] (1979) [Anna German is singing] Надежда (Nadezhda, 1980) [Hope] (1983) [Last meeting]

Singles

"The Man I Love" (1964) "" / "" (1965) "" / "" (1965) "" / "" (1965) "" / "" (1965) "" / "" (1965) "" / "" (1967) "" / "" (1967) "" / "" (1967) "" / "" (1969) "" / "" (1970) "" / "" (1970) "" / "" (1970) "" / "" (1971) "" (1971) "" (1972) "" / "" (1972) "" (1974) "" (1975) "" / "" (1975) "" (1977) "" (1977) "" (1979) "" (1982)

Later reprints and compilation albums

1984: LP 1987: Эхо любви (Echo lubvi) – live '79 LP 1989: Anna German LP 1989: LP 1990: vol. 1 LP 1990: vol. 2 LP 1991: CD 1991: CD 1994: CD 1994: MC 1995: part 1 MC 1995: part 2 MC 1996: Незабытый мотив (Nezabitiy motiv) CD 1996: Лучшие песни (Luchshie pesni) CD 1998: Когда цвели сады (Kogda tsveli sadi) CD 1998: CD 1999: CD 1999: CD 1999: CD 1999: CD 1999: Антология советского шлягера (Antologia sovetskogo shlagera) MC 2000: Анна Герман. Российская эстрадная музыкальная энциклопедия (Rossiyskaya estradnaya muzikalnaya encyclopaedia) CD 2000: Последняя встреча (Poslednyaya vstrecha) CD 2001: Quiet words of love (Russian) (Любви негромкие слова) CD 2001: Ваши любимые песни (Vashi lyubimie pesni) CD 2001: CD 2001: CD 2001: CD 2001: CD 2001: Domenico Scarlatti – "Tetida in Sciro" CD 2001: CD 2001: CD 2001: Luchshee – Zvyozdi sovetskoy estradi CD 2002: CD 2003: Наши лучшие песни (Nashi lyubimie pesni) CD 2003: collection CD 2003: Золотой век русской эстрады (Zolotoy vek russkoy estrady) CD 2003: Посидим, помолчим. Полное собрание песен (Posidim, pomolchim) vol.1 CD 2003: Спасибо тебе мое сердце. Полное собрание песен (Spasibo tebe moyo serdtse) vol.2 CD 2004: CD 2004: Самое лучшее (Samoe luchshee) CD 2007: MP3 collection 2008: Надежда CD 2013: CD 2019: Анна Герман. Избранное LP

Filmography

1966: (documentary) – ensemble cast 1970: Landscape After the Battle 1970: Prom – singing 1970: (TV show) – singing 1970: (short film) 1977: (film) – singing 2012: Anna German (Russian TV series) – singing (her songs have been used in the series)