After a while , their love faded and Strok returned to his family in Latvia . During this period , he wrote his most famous tangos — When Spring comes again , My Last Tango and Oh , those Black Eyes .
The success of Oscar Strock ’ s tango was underscored by the London Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Marek Weber . This orchestra recorded Strok ’ s tangos at the famous firm Victor Gramaphone Company , also known as HMV or His Master ’ s Voice . Around 1930 , Strok ’ s friendship with a singer and dancer Petr Leshchenko began , when the latter came to perform at private closed evenings and in restaurants in Riga . The composer was inspired by the voice and manner of Leshchenko ’ s performance and invited him to take part in his jazz and tango project .
Petr Leshchenko was an artist of Ukrainian roots who had participated in musical ensembles and survived the First World War in his youth . He toured Latvia and developed a friendship with Strok led to his enormous popularity . In the 1930s , more than 80 recordings were made of his tangos , foxtrots and ballads , including Senorita , Tatiana , Lola , and of course , the famous Dark Eyes ( Ochi Chornya ). This last tango turned out to be so popular all over the world that Strok and Leshchenko were invited to tour not only throughout Europe , but also Japan .
The fate of another popular Russian performer of tangos and ballads , Vadim Kozin , was cast in the 1930s . During the 1920s , Kozin , who had a gypsy roots , became known for his vivid romantic ballads , combining the seemingly impossible the gypsy passion with the intellectual dreaminess of the Russian aristocracy . When tango recordings became popular in Russia , Kozin recorded such works as Autumn , Forgotten Tango , and reinterpreted Tango of Death , originally performed by Iza Kremer .
In 1929 , Alexander Vertinsky recorded his Palestinian Tango , dedicated to emigration and a sad journey into that unknown country . In 1931 , while in Bessarabia , he produced the famous tango Magnolia which begins with the words In banana-lemon Singapore . This tango is almost comically ironic , but it has a lyrical overtones and symbols of the unattainable dream of the Russian aristocracy — to travel to a distant country , in happiness and safety .
This theme of emigration continued in 1934 , when Vertinsky wrote a another tango The Yellow Angel about the inglorious life of an artist performing in a jazz cabaret far from his native country .
AlexanderTsfasman
Another phenomenon in the history of Russian tango is Alexander Tsfasman ’ s orchestra . He began his band in 1926 as a jazz ensemble . But by the 1930s , when tango reached the peak of its popularity , the orchestra began to play tangos together with other foreign genres . After a while the tango I ’ m Infinitely Sorry became the signature calling card of the group . The authorship of this melody was mistakenly attributed to Tsfasman himself , but it was only his arrangement . Its origins are France . Nevertheless , rumors only contributed to its popularity .
Another tango hit was The Wearied Sun , which is probably the best known than all other Russian and Soviet tangos . This melody came to Russia from Poland , its author was Jerzy Petersbursky , the first lyrics was written by Zenon Friedwald . The name given by the author was This Last Sunday . People later began to call it Suicide Tango . The song instantly won the Polish popularity and became famous in neighboring Russia . Since the Polish lyrics could not be performed in Russia , three variants of lyrics were written in Russian : the author of the first was Asta Galla — Song of the South , and a second by Alexandr Volkov — Leaves are falling from the Maple . However , certainly the most popular version was by Joseph Alvek — The Wearied Sun .
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