The Beautiful Afar (song) explained
"The Beautiful Afar" (ru|Прекрасное далёко) is a Russian song by composer Yevgeny Krylatov with lyrics by poet Yuri Entin. It gained popularity after the release of the television series "Guest from the Future" in 1985, where it was first performed. The song title is the Russian catchphrase "the beautiful afar".
Background
Yevgeny Krylatov and Yuri Entin began their collaboration in 1969, and by 1984, they had established a strong creative partnership while working on various animation and film projects. That year, they wrote the song "The Beautiful Afar" for the Soviet children's sci-fi miniseries "Guest from the Future". The song is featured once, at the end of the fifth episode, and sung by Tatyana Daskovskaya.[1]
After the series aired on Soviet television in late March 1985, Krylatov proposed that the popular vocal trio "Meridian" record the song.[2] Their rendition was included in the program Song-85 and earned recognition as the laureate of its annual contest.[3]
Reception
The series featuring the song was released in the year perestroika began. Seven years later, the Soviet Union collapsed, which was a catastrophe for ordinary people. Since then, the song has been perceived in Russia as a requiem for a longed-for future that turned out to be cruel.[4]
Speaking about the song in 2002, Krylatov said, "It's a call, a prayer, a plea for children to live better than we do."[5]
Notes and References
- Web site: https://portal-kultura.ru/articles/music/363292-nazad-v-budushchee-yubiley-pesni-prekrasnoe-dalyeko/. ru:Назад в будущее: юбилей песни «Прекрасное далёко». Back to the Future: Anniversary of the song "The Beautiful Afar". Bocharov. Denis. July 30, 2024. Kultura. ru. https://web.archive.org/web/20240810110653/https://portal-kultura.ru/articles/music/363292-nazad-v-budushchee-yubiley-pesni-prekrasnoe-dalyeko/. August 10, 2024. live. September 29, 2024.
- Web site: https://minsknews.by/prekrasnoe-dalyoko-napisat-etot-hit-poetu-pomog-nabokov-vspominaem-istoriyu-pesni/. ru:«Прекрасное далёко»: написать этот хит поэту помог Набоков. Вспоминаем историю песни. "The Beautiful Afar": Nabokov Helped the Poet Write This Hit. Let's Remember the History of the Song. Kostaltsev. Mikhail. November 15, 2020. Minsk News. ru. https://web.archive.org/web/20240914181810/https://minsknews.by/prekrasnoe-dalyoko-napisat-etot-hit-poetu-pomog-nabokov-vspominaem-istoriyu-pesni/. September 14, 2024. dead. September 29, 2024.
- Web site: http://pesnyagoda.nm.ru/1985_87.html. ru:ПЕСНЯ ГОДА. 1985-87. Song of the year. 1985-87. Pesnya goda. ru. https://web.archive.org/web/20091119130651/http://pesnyagoda.nm.ru/1985_87.html. November 19, 2009. dead. September 29, 2024.
- Web site: https://mir24.tv/articles/16588084/prekrasnoe-daleko-kak-entin-i-krylatov-pisali-hit-dlya-gosti-iz-budushchego. ru:«Прекрасное далеко»: как Энтин и Крылатов писали хит для «Гостьи из будущего». "A Beautiful Far Away": How Entin and Krylatov Wrote a Hit for "Guest from the Future". Sannikova. Maria. April 26, 2024. Mir24. ru. https://archive.today/20240930000209/https://mir24.tv/articles/16588084/prekrasnoe-daleko-kak-entin-i-krylatov-pisali-hit-dlya-gosti-iz-budushchego. September 30, 2024. live. September 30, 2024.
- Web site: https://aif.ru/archive/evgeniy_krylatov_na_kachelyah_sudby. ru:Евгений Крылатов. На качелях судьбы. Yevgeny Krylatov. On the swings of fate. Kozhemyakin. Vladimir. April 17, 2002. Argumenty i Fakty. ru. https://web.archive.org/web/20190314002555/https://aif.ru/archive/evgeniy_krylatov_na_kachelyah_sudby. March 14, 2019. dead. September 29, 2024.
