Father of singer Yulia Nachalova shares how family copes
On the last day of January, one of the sweetest and most charming singers on the Russian stage could have turned 45. But instead of toasts to health, beautiful memories will be heard of the sunny girl who grew into a beautiful bride, beloved wife and mother. Almost 7 years have passed since the death of the 38-year-old singer, and neither Yulia«s parents, nor her fans, nor her daughter Vera, who was only 12 at the time, can come to terms with this tragedy. Fortunately, Yulia»s parents, Taisiya Nikolaevna and Viktor Vasilyevich, have become the main support in life for Vera Aldonina. The girl«s father — a famous footballer — has not stopped caring for her either. About how the loved ones of the Voronezh singer live today, MSK1.RU spoke with Yulia»s father, composer, producer, and teacher Viktor Nachalov.
«She Earned Applause from Age 5»
«Please, let»s not talk about Yulechka«s illness, about her tragic death,» Viktor Vasilyevich Nachalov asked immediately. «It is very bitter. I don»t want to recall the hard days for her. They say «bright memory,» and for us it is just that — bright, as Yulia herself was.«
«On your daughter»s birthday, will you gather in a family circle or can fans come to a concert in her memory?«
«We always celebrated Yulia»s birthdays with the closest ones, with family, and we will gather this time too. The idea of a memorial concert exists, but we plan it closer to autumn. Now we are posting all her songs and albums on digital platforms so that they can be quickly searched and listened to.«
«Viktor Vasilyevich, do you have a favorite song of hers?»
«I like all the songs, since I made them with my own hands. And I often listen to them. When I teach vocal to students or give master classes, they serve as examples for learning. After all, Yulia had world-class performance skills. And these are not just my words, but a fact: she received the Grand Prix at the serious international competition Big Apple-95 in New York, then toured Europe with great success. And it»s hard for me to choose any one song, because Yulia«s and my creativity are inseparable.»
Perhaps I would highlight the composition «Hero Not of My Novel,» which became very popular. It«s not that we intended to write a hit, but Yulia already needed a different image. Since »Morning Star,« she sang for children, teenagers, recorded the »Children«s Album» about school. These compositions had the most complex vocal techniques, although everyone is used to thinking that for children you need to write simply. Vladimir Shainsky, after listening to the «Children»s Album,« told me that many try to write like him, and no one succeeds, but Yulia and I went a different way, and that»s great! But Yulia grew up, and she needed to transition into «adult» singers. And this transition, thanks to the song «Hero Not of My Novel,» happened beautifully, easily, without vulgarity and dirt.
«And how was she accepted by our pop music maestros?»
«She was already one of their own for many famous singers and composers, since she performed from childhood. At 11, she won the competition »Morning Star.« Tukhmanov, Dunayevsky entrusted their songs to her. As a schoolgirl, she went on tour with Irina Ponarovskaya, and had her own number in her program. She has been on stage since age 5. When I led the ensemble »Carousel« of the Voronezh Philharmonic, I took Yulia with me on tours. I composed a song for her, and she participated with it in our concerts all over the country. She always brought down the house!»
«And at such a young age, wasn»t she afraid of the stage?«
«First, her parents were nearby — that, of course, helped. And second, by age 5 she already had excellent command of her voice, since I started working with her from early childhood. Yulia was about one and a half years old, she wasn»t even talking yet, when I heard her sing a musical phrase, hitting the notes exactly! Good music was always playing: Stevie Wonder, «Joe Division.» Then I played a musical piece for Yulia — she sang! And from then on, I started giving my daughter musical phrases — from simple to complex, and she repeated them. So it became clear that a singer was growing up in the family.«
«Vera»s Voice Timbre Is Exactly Like Her Mother«s»
«And do you consider your granddaughter Vera a singer too? After all, her voice is very similar to Yulia»s.«
«This happens incredibly rarely, one in a million, for children to inherit their parents» voice timbre, but Verochka has exactly the same voice as Yulia«s. Verochka sings very well, performs since school days, and now I write songs for her. Although she is in her second year at the acting department of VGIK (the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography), she hasn»t stopped singing — they constantly put on plays, come up with numbers, and very often Vera chooses musical ones. She performs Yulia«s songs too, since I also started vocal training with her from childhood, instilled technique, purity of singing.»
«Yulia noticed an acting talent in her daughter, wanted her to choose this profession. Does Vera herself like it? Are there successes?»
«She really wanted to get this education, studied excellently in school, graduated with a gold medal and entered the state-funded department. Now in her second year, very busy at the institute, always immersed in studies, rehearsals, but she likes it. Vera studies under Alexander Yakovlevich Mikhailov, a wonderful teacher, truly a people»s artist. He is a singing person himself, knew Yulia well, knew her work. And he praises Vera, considers her talented and disciplined.«
«In your opinion, is it difficult for Vera to be the daughter of famous parents — a popular singer and a well-known footballer?»
«Vera is proud of her parents, and ahead of her is her own creative path. I hope, a happy one!»
«There Are Chances»
«Our family has decided not to give any comments regarding news about my dad»s health condition — Evgeny Aldonin. Now we are waiting for only one comment, which will be said by dad himself — about his full recovery. We all believe in this very much and pray for it…«
This heart-wrenching comment was posted on her page on VKontakte by 19-year-old Vera Aldonina. Despite the fact that after her mom«s death from blood poisoning and heart failure, caused by what seemed like a trivial finger wound, the girl lived with her grandmother and grandfather, she spent weekends with her dad and his family — wife Olga, 9-year-old brother Artyom, and 6-year sister Angelika. The family life of Yulia and Evgeny was short — only 4 years, but they parted as good friends and maintained these relations. The girl was not deprived of parental love. But now Vera faces another ordeal — her father has been battling cancer for a year.
The public was informed that the athlete requires medical help and financial support by the Russian Premier League and the «Krasno-sinee soobshchestvo» — the charitable partner of CSKA.
«Now our help is very needed by Evgeny Aldonin, former player and captain of the Russian national team, winner of the UEFA Cup with CSKA, 2-time champion of Russia, 5-time winner of the country»s Cup. He has been diagnosed with a serious illness requiring long and expensive treatment.«
Since then, 46-year-old Evgeny Aldonin has undergone several courses of treatment, and now specialists in chemotherapy at one of the clinics in Germany are helping him defeat the disease. The other day, the footballer«s friend, journalist Dmitry Shnyakin, contacted him and shared the conversation in his Telegram channel with everyone worried about the athlete.
«I contacted Aldonin. Zhenya is in Germany, in good spirits and under the supervision of top specialists, I convey his words: »Thank you all very much for the warmth and words of support! I hope to overcome the illness. There are chances — I«m holding on to them with all my strength.»«
And on the athlete«s birthday, 22 January, his wife Olga posted joint photos with her husband on social media. »Happy birthday, I«ll tell you everything in person. The children miss you,» she captioned the shots.
