Volodymyr Ivasiuk
Sound
Biography
Composer. From 1972 he studied music under Anatol Kos-Anatolsky at the Lviv Conservatory. Although he composed instrumental music for piano and cello, Ivasiuk is best known for his popular songs, which number about 50. His first song, ‘Vidlitaly zhuravli’ (The Cranes Were Leaving), was released in 1965. In some cases—eg, in ‘Lysh raz tsvite liubov’ (Love Blooms but Once), ‘Balada pro mal'vy’ (Ballad about Hollyhocks), and ‘Ia—tvoie krylo’ (I am Your Wing)—he composed the melody only; in others—eg, in ‘Dva persteni’ (Two Rings), ‘Vodohrai’ (Water Fountain), ‘Pisnia bude pomizh nas’ (A Song Will Be among Us), and ‘Chervona ruta’ (Red Rue)—both the melody and lyrics. Ivasiuk’s tunes are a blend of Ukrainian folk and contemporary popular music. He was one of the most popular song writers in Ukraine. His mutilated body was discovered in a woods outside Lviv about three weeks after he had been murdered. The circumstantial evidence points to the KGB as the perpetrator of the slaying. Ivasiuk’s funeral was attended by over 10,000 people.
Known For
A 1975 Soviet Ukrainian musical film by Viktor Storozhenko, starring Sofia Rotaru and the Ukrainian vocal and instrumental ensemble Chervona Ruta. The film features the ballet group of the Kyiv Music Hall and the Smerechyna dance ensemble. The film features songs in Ukrainian, Romanian and Russian.
The Song Is Always With Us
A documentary video essay that has been created over the past three months. We will introduce you to Volodymyr Ivasyuk, a young, creative, and stylish musician. We’ll also explore his songs, which changed the rules of the music scene and still sound great today. While everyone has heard his ‘Chervona Ruta’, few people are familiar with the rest of his work – about 100 songs and 50 instrumental pieces. We hope that after this hour-long acquaintance, you’ll add a few new tracks to your playlist and have another example in your heart that Ukrainians are damn cool.
The Ivasyuk Phenomenon
Oksana (played by Sofia Rotaru) is a young and beautiful Carpathian girl. On the "Donetsk-Verkhovyna" train she becomes acquainted with a young miner from Donetsk called Boris. The travellers fall in love, but are parted when they arrive at their destination. In the Carpathian mountains their paths diverge, but Boris (played by Vasyl Zinkevych, soloist of the instrumental band "Smerichka") discovers where she is staying. The couple meet again and rekindle their love. Their friends invite them to perform in a concert for vacationers at a mountain resort, where they sing about their feelings for each other.
Red Ruta
Documentary biographical drama about the life and career of the first Ukrainian pop star - Nazarii Yaremchuk.