Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Melody – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
1989, Perestroika. Soviet society is experiencing a powerful awakening of interest in national history—especially pre-revolutionary history and cultural memory. As if responding to this zeitgeist, Boris Tikhomirov, Vladimir Osinsky, and Pavel Grushko create a bluff opera."Without a king in my head" Based on Saltykov-Shchedrin's novel "The History of a Town" – a satire on Russian society that never loses its edge.
Tikhomirov and Osinsky were pioneers of electronic music in the USSR. Tikhomirov, not only a composer but also a musicologist and ethnomusicologist, worked as an editor at Melodiya in the 1980s. It was thanks to his efforts that the albums that became cult classics were released. Rhythmic gymnastics and series "Sports and Music" With electronic music Tikhomirov himself and his colleagues – Andrey Rodionov and Vladimir Osinsky. It's no surprise that "Without a Tsar in My Head" is also an opera for synthesizers and… a sound-imitating artist. Most of the vocals were performed by Alexey Ptitsyn, a precursor to Maxim Galkin, who gained fame for his parodies of "Time Machine" and "Orange".
The authors' chosen genre of "bluff opera" alludes to Italian opera buffa—and this is clearly no coincidence. "Without a Tsar in My Head" also hints at an ironic reimagining of 18th-century Russian comic operas, such as "Coachmen on the Set-Up." At the same time, certain "arias"—for example, "The Appearance of the Tsar" or "The Appearance of the River"—sound like 1980s electropop, and with their simple lyrics about love and romance, they could easily have become hits performed by Forum (Ptitsyn, in my opinion, even parodies Saltykov) or ElectroclubIncidentally, the final aria, "The Appearance of the River," is performed by a true star of the 80s, Olga Zarubina. Ironically, the meaning of "The Appearance of the River" is the antithesis of her then-massive hit "Music Plays on the Boat," written by Vyacheslav Dobrynin.
In short, "Without a Tsar in My Head" is a thoroughly postmodernist, witty, and enigmatic work. One of the most obscure recordings in Melodiya's catalog. Indeed, this is evident, if only from the cover.
Melodiya recently digitized the album and posted it on on your website The full text of the opera, composed by poet and translator Pavel Grushko—author of the libretto for "The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta" by Alexei Rybnikov and "The Master and Margarita" by Alexander Gradsky—is worth a careful reading.
Denis Boyarinov, "Red Book", October 11, 2025
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