Early career

Tukhmanov is known for several Soviet-themed hit songs such as "Victory Day" (Russian: День Победы, lit. 'Den Pobedy') and other popular songs. His first hit song was "Last Electrichka" (Russian: Последняя электричка, lit. 'Poslednyaya electrichka') in 1968.^[1][3] In 1973 Tukhmanov wrote songs and music for a TV film This Merry Planet. In the following year he released soundtrack album, which also included several additional songs.^[4]

In 1972^[5] Tukhmanov released his first personally authored album How Beautiful the World is (Russian: Как прекрасен мир, lit. 'Kak prekrasen mir') which he described as a trial work cause of its conceptual structure.^[6][7] In 1975-76 he created an album-suite On a Wave of My Memory (Russian: По волне моей памяти, lit. 'Po volne moyey pamyati').^[1][8] The idea of On a Wave of My Memory belonged to Tatyana Sashko, the wife of David Tukhmanov, and she was the one who picked the classic poems for the album's songs. It is considered to be the first conceptual Russian rock album.^[9][10] Wave's execution was done in secret, in more remote studios across Moscow, with tight lips and low profile, for fear of censors shutting down the project before fruition, but this did not happen.^[9] This album was a record-breaking success for the USSR, becoming a highly sought-after product.^[7] It rivaled the top albums of Pink Floyd or Deep Purple in terms of desirability.

Some rock fans said that On a Wave of My Memory is a Russian Sergeant (they meant Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band). I would prefer to recollect «great albums» of Pink Floyd, but I want to tell about another. Imagine the circle and place the tracks clockwise. You will see from right to left and from top to down:

Top — Prologue (Voloshin) & Epilogue (Mickiewicz)

Top chord — Female songs (Sappho & Akhmatova)

Diameter — German poetry (Vagantes & Goethe)

Down chord — French poetry (Baudelaire & Verlaine)

Down — Shelley, Invisible Counterpoint, Guillén

— Vadim Nikolayev, Notes About Russian Rock^[11]

1980s

In January, 1981, Tukhmanov organized rock band Moskva (Moscow) — Nikolai Noskov (vocals, rhythm guitar), Alexey Belov (vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Dmitry Serebryakov (drums). In 1982 Moskva released an album UFO.^[12] Musical critic Yuri Filinov had noted that UFO «is rather far from structure of thinking in Western rock» (though arrangements, instruments, rhythms were modern). Filinov also defined the album as a noncommercial disk.^[13] Perhaps, because of this fact Tukhmanov ceased to write songs for the band. In the spring of 1984 Noskov left the band, and soon he recorded Tukhmanov's song Night. In 1985 Moskva recorded Tukhmanov's song XXIII Century.^[14]

In 1984 and in 1985 Tukhmanov wrote five songs for Alexander Barykin's Carnaval to release a collaboration LP Steps (Russian: Ступени, lit. 'Stupeni').^[15] In the same years he wrote all songs for mini-album of Estonian Soviet pop singer Jaak Joala Love Itself (Russian: Сама любовь, lit. 'Sama lyubov').^[16] In 1985 Tukhmanov also has released an album War Songs, dedicating to the 40th anniversary of Soviet victory in Second World War.^[17]

In 1986 Tukhmanov wrote music and songs for TV film The Travel of M. Perrichon (adaptation of Eugène Labiche's vaudeville).^[18] In the next year he has released his second soundtrack album.^[19]

In 1986 Tukhmanov also organized pop band Electroclub, which released three albums.^[20][21][22] In 1989, after his work with Electroclub, Tukhmanov created the musical Thief of Bagdad (together with poet and lyricist Yuri Entin). Premiere has taken place in 1990 — in Moscow (theatre Satiricon) and in Sverdlovsk.^[1] This musical is directed until now in many cities of Russia.^[23]

Later years

After the disintegration of USSR Tukhmanov emigrated to Germany. In 1995 he returned and wrote together with Entin six cycles of songs for children (he also wrote the hymn of children's animated festival «Golden Fish»). He wrote cycle Square Windows (based on the poems by Innokenty Annensky) too.^[1] In 2007 Tukhmanov wrote songs for literary-musical composition, which based on the poems by Alexander Pushkin.^[23] CD Long Live the Muses! has released in 2009, to 210 years from the birth of Pushkin.^[24]

In 2007 Tukhmanov and Yuri Entin finished their second variant of the musical Evening in Copenhagen (on motives of Nikolai Erdman's play The Mandate).^[23]

Tukhmanov also came back to classical style. In 2002 he created the oratorio Legend of Yermak for big chorus, the soloists and an orchestra. In the end of 2005 he has finished his creation of an opera Ekaterina the Great.^[1] Ekaterina the Great (libretto by Yuri Ryashentsev and Galina Polidi) has been directed in the theatre Gelikon Opera under the title Tsaritsa. Premiere has taken place in 2009, in Saint Petersburg.^[25]

Tukhmanov wrote triptych for a mezzo-soprano and a piano Dream of Sebastian, or Saint Night (bazed on the poems by Georg Trakl). The first performance has taken place in 2007, in Moscow.^[23]

In 1998 Tukhmanov is invited to musical direction of World Olympic Junior Games in Moscow and wrote music to this competitions. He did the same in 2002. In 2000, when Tukhmanov was 60 years old, he organized jubilee's concert, and he organized author's concert Attraction of Love in 2004.^[1] In 2010, when Tukhmanov was 70 years old, Igor Krutoy was the producer of jubilee's concert in Jūrmala. In the same year Tukhmanov has released solo album Tango of Boris Poplavsky's Dreams.^[23]

In 2009, he created a cycle based on the poems of A. S. Pushkin, which was performed by Oleg Mityaev, Marina Esipenko, and Witold Petrovsky.^[26] The premiere took place at the "Eldar Cinema Club", and was later presented at the Mikhaylovskoye Museum Reserve and on the stages of the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall and the State Kremlin Palace.

In 2012 Tukhmanov took part in jubilee's concert of Lev Leshchenko and in a concert DIALOGUES AT WITNESSES with Andrey Maximov. Not Formatted David TUKHMANOV.^[23] In 2013 he has taken part in jubilee's concert of Valeriya.^[27]

On September 18, 2013, Tukhmanov took part in the shooting of TV broadcast Property of the Republic ("DOstoyaniye REspubliki"; Do is a note C on Russian and Re is a note D on Russian), which has been dedicated to his creativity.^[23] TV broadcast appeared on October 6. On the results of voting (by TV spectators and spectators in studio) Victory Day has been recognized as Tukhmanov's best song.^[28]