This year, the former wife of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, who died in 2020, Vitalina Tsymbalyuk-Romanovskaya, will turn 45 years old. On the eve of the “berry” date, the pianist spoke frankly with Express Newspaper.
“Most recently my parents passed away, now I am completely alone, so I won’t sit at the festive table with my family,” Vitalina sighed. – Of course, as an artist, a pianist, I would like to celebrate my birthday on stage. Make an evening of classical music and invite friends to play duets. The table tradition is also not bad, but after the concert.
45 years is not much. I like myself a lot more now than I did 20 years ago. And outwardly, and wiser.
I was born in Kyiv, studied at the conservatory there, then moved to Moscow and have been living here for a long time. My parents were engineers, they worked at a design institute. In kindergarten, my mother was advised to take me to a music school, and then I moved to a school at the conservatory. The caste of musicians is educated and intelligent people. Of course, I understand everything about myself, I was not going to participate in the Tchaikovsky competitions, I never had ambitions that I would shine at the international level. I just love my job and consider myself a professional and competent musician.
In recent years, my mother was sick, the last stage of cancer, last summer she died. I put her in a very expensive private clinic. She didn’t have any pain, all the necessary drugs were given there. She left in her sleep, as she wished. And dad celebrated his 70th birthday, he was quite healthy, he did not like to go to doctors. I went out to the store, on the way it became bad: a blood clot came off – that’s all.
“Buy what you need, I give”
– You started dating Dzhigarkhanyan when he was already a pensioner, and you were a very young girl …
– Yes, he was already 67 years old. 16 years older than my dad, so what? Parents always understood: I will do what I want! Besides Armen, in 45 years I have never even been in love with another man, but, of course, in the future I want to be loved and happy.
When in 1995 I first saw him on tour in Kyiv, I realized that this was my man. I was lucky that, albeit for a short time, he was with me. My man, my hero, and don’t care about the haters! What do they know about our life?
– They discussed that you have to share a bed with dad-grandfather …
Everything was fine with him, I assure you. And as a man, and as a husband, he was magnificent. I loved him madly, that’s the main thing. I was very interested with him, we talked for hours about art, literature, music. Often went to symphony concerts.
At the beginning of our relationship, in 2001, I was still studying in Kyiv and came to him in Moscow to take care of him after the first stroke. Although he had a sister, in fact there was no one to help. At first he was shy, and then called and asked to come.
Vitalina’s parents passed away one by one
Years later – the second stroke. Then there was very little chance of recovery. Severe condition. And we didn’t want anyone to see it like that. He was saved by the best academic doctors. They taught me how to take care of him so that he would live for a long time. Even realizing that with such an ailment, he will eventually begin to degrade. But with me, he recovered and even returned to the stage. And although he did not pronounce the text of the role from memory, but openly read it, he enjoyed the work. The doctors said: while he goes out to the viewer, he will be alive, because professional skills are the last to leave.
In 2010, when Armen got ready for an interview with Vladimir Pozner, his sister begged me: “Don’t let him in, it would be a shame!” How, I wonder, would I be able to do this? People of his age and social status cannot be led, no matter what state they may be in.
– Looking at Tatyana Brukhunova, who gave birth to Petrosyan, do not reproach yourself for not becoming a mother?
– What kind of children would we have with his severe diabetes, on insulin and after two strokes?! And to give birth from someone else while Armen is alive is impossible for me. And he would not understand this, even if I wanted to. Plus, at the beginning of the relationship, we lived very modestly in a odnushka for eight years. I was definitely not up to the child then. Gather Armen to work, take care of his health, cook what you need, feed him. I did everything myself, and, of course, I hid that it was hard with him.
– And why did the People’s Artist of the USSR, with a bunch of acquaintances, live in a odnushka?
– He had an apartment on the Arbat. Half – his, and the second half – his wife Tatyana. Armen said that he probably had other real estate, but he did not remember which one. His property was always handled by a friend. And Dzhigarkhanyan received the main income from filming a movie. But since 2012, he has not been filmed.
Did he spoil you with gifts?
– He gave money and said: “Buy what you need, I give.” I didn’t go to the shops myself, I bought clothes for him. I bought a good car and got behind the wheel, so that it would be convenient to carry it. Here is his gift. Plus, if I liked jewelry, he said: “Take it! I gave you this.” Once he took me to the States, dreaming that I would see New York. Doctors were against, a bad cardiogram. But he is stubborn. Tickets have been bought, plans have been drawn up, I do not intend to wait until it gets better. He said: “If I die on an airplane, then this is my fate.” Such a person, no one could influence him. But he was consistently ill on the trip, he was lying in the room all the time. Then he returned to Moscow with a friend, and left me with the words: “Since you are here, look at the beautiful city, parks, museums.”
Offer at 4am
– When you were next to Dzhigarkhanyan, at one time you worked as the director of his theater …
– In addition to the conservatory, I studied at the Raikin school, got the education of a theater manager. She didn’t just take this position.
– Many well-known artists – Shevchenkov, Merzlikin, Ksenofontova, Duzhnikov – after your appearance announced that they were leaving.
– I did not manage the theater with them, they quit before I got the position. I didn’t know any of the actors personally. Dzhigarkhanyan was angry that he could not rehearse if the stars began to act a lot. And Armen filmed many performances after the second stroke. For me, the main thing was his health, and not the actors, who and what plays. I don’t watch TV shows and I didn’t know many of the current stars. They are not Basilashvili, Doronina, Tabakov or Dzhigarkhanyan. But people are on a completely different level. There Lena Ksenofontova … In my opinion, she has many personal unfulfilled ambitions.
“I loved both the theater and Armen Borisovich and became a theatrical muse for him,” Ksenofontova did not hide
– What? She is married for the third time and has two adult children. It is unlikely that Dzhigarkhanyan claimed the hand and heart.
Why should I offend her? Yes, and in her case it was futile. There is vanity, a desire to become a prima, and here I am. Vanity is good, but there is also an adequate attitude towards oneself. I was not going to play on stage, to take roles from someone. These are her female complexes … When they wiped their feet on Armen, and the actors are very good at doing this, he did not forgive this. They took all their anger and resentment out on me. And who else? Not on Dzhigarkhanyan? The real stars – Kharatyan, Kabo – supported me, these are accomplished and adequate masters, they occupy their place in life.
– Is the wedding with Dzhigarkhanyan your or his initiative?
– So he wanted. I didn’t intend to marry him, he didn’t plan to divorce Tatyana, and then once – he divorced. And he asked me: “Vitalina, should we get married or not?” I replied: “As you wish!” Soon we went to St. Petersburg, to the Mariinsky Theatre, he woke up at four in the morning and said: “Listen, paw, we need to get married!” I said: “In a few months it will be 15 years of dating. Maybe then? But no, he wanted to immediately. I didn’t live with him for the sake of a crust, although the marriage lasted only a year and a half.
Apartment in Krylatskoe
– Why did they break up?
– His imaginary friends, apparently, had to separate us, take away the apartment, on which the “friend” laid eyes. And they couldn’t get rid of me. So they came up with a criminal case against me. Armen signed everything they needed. If he was surrounded by really rich people, they would not do anything like that, but here they simply isolated him.
– Where do you live now?
– In the Moscow district of Krylatskoye, with Armen, we bought a good apartment, made repairs. Dzhigarkhanyan had a room for work there so that people could come to him. This is the apartment I live in. And what, at the age of 45 I should not have my own housing?
Did you, dear readers, believe that Vitalina and Prokhor were a couple?
– Did your reputation suffer after the divorce?
– People on the street recognize me, come up with pleasant words. I am a strong person, I survived everything. As for my participation in Andrei Malakhov’s talk show … It is clear that at that time it was a good source of income, plus my defense, but I worked with lawyers. I thought: since someone else can make money on my story, why can’t I myself? Yes, and I had no choice. Seriously ill Armen was talking nonsense, I had to defend myself. They paid good money, but not five million for the program, as they wrote then. However, I was satisfied.
In 2019, on the show, I met Prokhor Chaliapin and started a year-long PR romance with him. I just had to kill the story with Armen. And I wanted a beautiful romantic picture … I never considered Prokhor as a man. I need a person with whom I will be comfortable and who will not subordinate me. Now I’m looking for this.
▼ sources
Photo source: Personal archive, Larisa Kudryavtseva, Tatiana Prokhorova/KP, Boris Kudryavov
