Vadim Sinyavsky - the founder of the sports commentator profession

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

In August 2016, the 110th anniversary of a man whose popularity was hardly inferior to that of the most famous football player of his time. Sinyavsky Vadim Svyatoslavovich passed away at 65, becoming the identification mark of an entire era, the voice of the country's return to peace and the personification of the standard of the sports commentator profession.

Short biography: beginning

A native of Smolensk was born on August 10, 1906. Childhood passed in throwing between two serious hobbies: music and sports. Possessing absolute pitch, Vadim Sinyavsky played the piano superbly and even worked as a pianist. But he entered the Institute of Physical Education, after which he conducted Morning Gymnastics on the radio. In May 1929, the radio committee organized a test report from a football match, which was invited by sports referees and Sinyavsky. To maintain a high rate of speech, each spoke for several minutes, yielding the microphone to the next. A graduate of the Institute of Physical Education showed himself from the best side and was admitted toradio in the state.

Before the war, he had to report on other sports: from athletics to chess. But the main events for radio listeners of that time were football matches. Few people had the opportunity to visit large stadiums, and listening to the commentator's report, everyone drew a picture of what was happening on the field - Vadim Sinyavsky described the course of the game so figuratively and accurately.

Aphorisms of a reporting genius

The profession of a commentator requires correct diction, good knowledge of the subject and the Russian language, a pleasant timbre of voice and an obligatory sense of humor. During the match, non-standard situations arise, to which the reporter needs an instant reaction.

Before the war, there were no special cabins, and he had to look for a convenient place from where a clear view of the field. So, in 1939, in Sokolniki, Vadim Sinyavsky climbed a tree, from where he fell during the first half. Because of the resulting pause, he had to explain to radio listeners what happened: “Friends! Don't worry, everything is fine. It seems that you and I fell from a spruce …"

Internally intelligent, he never allowed himself to reproach the players or express his opinion about the actions of the coach, but his jokes became aphorisms and went to the people. So, he called the blow of the football player Kopeikin "ruble". And goalkeeper Khomich's jump was great, although the ball flew into the net.

War

With the rank of major, Vadim Sinyavsky went through the entire Great Patriotic War, being a military commissar of the All-Union Radio. He was reporting from historical paradeson Red Square, from besieged cities, including absolutely unique places: a burning tank, Field Marshal Paulus's bunker.

In the besieged Sevastopol, together with the sound engineer Natanzon, he made his way to Malakhov Kurgan, where he came under mine fire (February 1942). Having lost a friend, the correspondent himself was seriously wounded and spent three months in hospitals. He lost his left eye, but returned to the front and did not let go of the microphone until the victory day.

For heroism shown during the war years, he has many awards, including three orders.

Family

Sinyavsky was married to Irina Kirillova, a journalist working for the Pravda newspaper. Two children were born in the marriage: son Yuri (b. 1943) and daughter Marina (b. 1955). The last time Vadim Sinyavsky became a father was 49 years old. Before meeting Kirillova, Sinyavsky already had a son, Sergei, born in 1933, who inherited his father's musical talent. He passed away early, and in 2011, Yuri, a graduate of the Moscow Aviation Institute, also died. Marina is a philologist and works as a literary editor. At the request of her father, she did not change her last name, and remained Sinyavskaya.

Recent years

Sports reporting resumed in 1944, and in 1949, the Dynamo-CDKA match was broadcast for the first time on television. But Sinyavsky did not have an affair with television. There are many reasons for this, including the consequences of injury. Spectators saw what was happening on the field, and it was impossible for the commentator to make mistakes. He found a successor in the person of Nikolai Ozerov, the firsta report with which in 1950 the teacher and student conducted together. But until the last days, the master did not part with his favorite work. On the radio, Vadim Sinyavsky still reigned on the air. The commentator's quotes became catchphrases, such as: “Blow! Another hit!”

Once in Moscow, at the Dynamo stadium (1949), a cat appeared on the field, interfering with the game of football players. Under the hooting of the audience for ten minutes, law enforcement officers tried to catch her, and Sinyavsky had to tell the radio listeners in colors about the events taking place, causing the audience to laugh.

He passed away from oncology in 1972, but remained in the hearts and memories of those who were his contemporary. His talent to date has been captured in three feature films in which he performed in his own role. Cartoon characters speak in his voice, but football fans can be grateful to Sinyavsky only because, at his insistence, M. Blanter once composed the Football March. Every match of the domestic championship begins with it.