Michael Kleitman, born in the Republic of Moldova from a Jewish father and a Ukrainian mother, is now an Austrian citizen and a world-renowned tenor who sang with the Scorpions.
He fought hard to survive in his homeland, but his ethnicity did not help him a lot.
"My Jewish name made it impossible for me to have a career in Soviet Moldova. However, it really does not matter that I live and work now all over the world; I represent Moldova and everybody knows I am a Moldovan," said Kleitman.
He sang at the Olympic Games in Athens, in 2004, and fondly remembers that moment in his career: "Imagine how it can feel to sing with those huge columns behind you, columns you only read about in history books. I sang there an Italian and a Spanish song," recalls Kleitman.
After the exposure the Olympic Games gave him, Kleitman was swamped by offers to sing around the world.
"This is how I came to sing with Chris de Burg, Chris Rea and the gigantic Jose Careras," said Kleitman. Television shows in Austria also made it a habit from inviting him.
Kleitman is also a good friend of Michael Schumacherâs, the Formula 1 driver. So, when Schumacher became world champion for a seventh time, and the first one to achieve such performance, Kleitman thought of giving him a present and dedicate him a song.
At first, Kleitman thought he would sing an Italian song. But then he settled for the Queenâs song "You are the champion". After Queen Group members agreed for Kleitman to sing their song and legal issues concerning copyright were settled, it was time for Kleitman to search for his perfect partner to perform the song.
His first choice was Tina Turner. Only Turner was unavailable, as she was caught up in shooting a Hollywood production. The film was shot on location in India, and kept Turner busy for one year.
This was too long for Kleitmanâs plans: his present for Schumacher had to be ready by October, at the end of the Formula 1 racing season.
Kleitman thought then to approach the Scorpions. This must have been easier, since they lived in Hanover, only a two-hour driving distance from his home.
Before saying "yes", Klaus Meine, the Scorpionsâ singer, bought a CD with Kleitmanâs songs to assess the tenorâs performance. The group was pleased with what it heard, so they recorded together with Kleitman "You are the champion" song, in the Netherlands.
This now version of the song is well-known now all over the world.
Translation by Anca Paduraru
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