At school in classes of Ukrainian we all have been told about how melodic our mother tongue is. We must have been proud of the fact although failing to fully realize its meaning. Now finding out about one or another performer of our heritage I don't get surprised because Ukrainian language is incredibly musical and it is transferred genetically from generation to generation even on different continents. Outlook came up with the own list of "voices" that "language of a nightingale's song" can peep from.
Lenny Kravitz is always eagerly anticipated in Kiev, and not only because he is a great musician. Multifold Grammy winner born in the family of Seymour Kravitz is almost Ukrainian because it was in our country where his parental forbearers lived. Lenny's grandfather immigrated to the USA in early 20th century to settle down in Brooklyn of New York. The musician himself says that his relatives moved to the New World due to constant harassment of Jews. But Kravitz doesn't harbor malice for Ukraine. He likes coming here and Kiev is a special city for him.
Jazz genius, pianist Bill Evans lived and worked in the years when the USSR, including Ukraine, was separated from the rest of the world by the Iron Curtain. Therefore he didn't have an opportunity to come to his mother's native land and give a concert since besides being an American he was also a jazzman and a motto "One day he is playing jazz - the other motherland he sells" applied not only to Moscow hipsters. Son of a Ukrainian Maria Soroka who cultivated the love of piano in a boy, mastered the instrument at the age of 6 and forever made it into history of the "black music".
Member of a sadly notorious "27 Club" Amy Winehouse also has Ukrainian origins. Her remote ancestors left our country as early as in late 19th century in times of mass exodus to the West. Despite the fact that Brazil, Argentina, Canada and the USA were popular destinations, singer's relatives opted for the United Kingdom. It was it where they settled. Amy's roots come from an Abraham Grandish whose daughter married Benjamin Winehouse, the star's great grandfather, in 1918.
The great but nowhere near terrible Bob Dylan also has some relation to Ukraine. His parental grandparents lived in Odessa and left it in 1905 in view of the very same harassment of Jews. By the way, 'Dylan' isn't musician's real last name but it goes perfectly with the name Bob. Everyone will notice such an advertising poster while Robert Zimmerman's concert will hardly enjoy considerable popularity whatever he sings. The performer has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature for a couple of years and who knows maybe soon the prestigious award will once again go to a person with Ukrainian origins…
The "voice" of such brands as Coca-cola, Ford, American Airlines and many others belongs to no one else but Ukrainian American singer Kvitka Cisyk. She was born in the USA in 1953 in the family of Ukrainian immigrants. Musically gifted parents Vladimir and Ivanna Cisyk had been developing their daughter's vocal talent since her childhood. It resulted in Kvitka's singing in many commercial videos and the whole country falling in love with her soft voice. During her brief life (she died of cancer at the age of 44) the singer managed to successfully record a couple of albums including two in Ukrainian. In 2013 a documentary was filmed about life and art of our fellow countrywoman called "Kvitka: A One-of-a-kind Voice".
Photo:brentramsey.com
All in all, Ukrainian music has penetrated much further than we could have imagined. Thus, for instance, an opinion exists that one of the most famous American operas "Summertime" written by George Gershwin in 1935 in the USA is a rearranged Ukrainian lullaby "Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon" ("The Dream's Walking By the Windows"). The composer himself admitted that New York performance of Ukrainian National chorus under the auspice of Alexander Koshetz inspired him to creation of the song later performed by many stars from Ella Fitzgerald to Norah Jones. It seems to me that it doesn't take being an expert to hit a likeness of melodies.
Austrian tour operators launched an unusual touristic tourdesigned for fans of singing style called yodel. Hikers wander through the Ziller Valley, a broad trail narrows opening the way for only the most avid travellers, then track leads upwards. Tourists look into the interactive station shaped as a giantsonorous walk-in cowbell, then they go around thelargest alpine horn and head to place...
Behind the window sad eyes of old man peered at Petrograd engulfed by revolutionary fire. This fire spread on his life's work: a proud four-story building was invaded by noisy commissioners and sailors, whose presence seemed a cruel joke after regular customers. Workshop owner Carl Gustavovich Fabergé, apparently, noticed in this chaos approaching decay of his career. However, he could have a secret gleam of hope for another life of his heritage.
Independent artist originally from the Philippines, Patrick Cabral conquers the world with his unusual artwork. His creations are an innovation that combines the age-old traditions of calligraphy and cutting-edge 3D technologies. His art is a way to change the world for the better, both through aesthetics and through the fulfillment of a social mission.
Twelve-string guitar, the twilight of Portuguese nights, candles, and soul-gripping voice… Dramatic incentives of fado song tell about unrequited love. It cannot appear in the crossroads of destinies; however, it enables feelings to embody into the touching sounds of Portuguese romances.
The word is, Guy de Maupassant hated Eiffel Tower. The famous writer believed that it was uglifying the face of Paris without benefiting the city. Nevertheless, he could be often seen in a cozy cafe on the top of the construction. In such cases the author of “Bel Ami” used to say that “it was the only way the damned tower dropped out of his sight…”
This music is one and a half thousand years. Gentle and penetrating melodies played on the flute duduk have been called ‘the voice of eternity’. In Armenia where people esteem national motives believe that in duduk there is a soul of apricot tree what made tree sound. Staying plangent and soul-touching, they are framed with the sound evocating light wistfulness.
Land-art is not simply the landscape design but also the whole direction in art which in thee 21-st century considered one of the most important when only lazy people do not speak about the ‘green technologies’ and environment. The names of stars of such an activity have sturdily come into the speech of the tutors, critics, and connoisseurs, especially they outline Patrick Dougherti.
Sometimes it happens that you look at a postcard with a picture of a city and instantly realize that this is Kyiv, or Moscow, or Rome or your native village. And it isn’t courtesy of your geography teacher but back-breaking efforts of artisans with whose hands commonly familiar architecture masterpieces were created. Today we recall Italian conqueror of marble Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Today marks 120 years since the birth of the famous Ukrainian artist - Kateryna Bilokur. Her talent has been recognized in her lifetime, her work has been admired by Pablo Picasso, and nowadays her paintings are exhibited in museums, and Google dedicates its doodle to her. And it all started in totalitarian times...
Can you remember the most unusual dish that you had ever a chance to try? You decide what kind of food it was: something exotic; those insects that we can hardly imagine as an ingredient; strange drink with a bitter taste; an unexpected combination of bitter and sour... Everyone has his or her own unforgettable experience in this regard.
About Picasso as a distinctive artist, graphic artist and sculptor, we know to some extent everything. Meanwhile, his other incarnations are pushed into the background. Ilya Ehrenburgh once very concisely described Pablo Picasso’s relations with his era: “20th century found in him its own dynamite expert, its own philosopher and its own poet”.
In our “Know us” column, we usually talk about outstanding Ukrainians who have achieved significant success in one area or another. However, our today's hero - Eugène Deslaw or Yevgeny Slabchenko is very difficult to fit into some kind of framework. As he reached heights in several areas at once, being not only the most real Renaissance Man of the 20th century, but also a patriot of his Ukraine.
The Column Hall of the Kyiv City State Administration on June 11 welcomed guests of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine on the occasion of a national day. The Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, representatives of the government and its agencies, partners of the embassy, the business community and the media lined up to congratulate the head of a foreign diplomatic institution and express their greetingss to friendly Argentina.
Cinematography is probably the most "technological" art form that mankind has ever come up with – no matter how much talent, imagination and energy creators of a movie have, almost every stage of creation process one way or another comes to technologies; and without them ideas will remain just ideas.
In the childhood a famous Frenchman from Ukraine was a blue-eyed dreamer. Once all his dreams came true. Whatever he wanted, everything was easy, as if luck was following him. HBe was singing in the choir, he made his best at artistic talent - and, finally, he succeeded in ballet.
Peter Høeg is Danish writer and philosopher. Sometimes he is called as anchoret because he comes to society events quite rarely, only to represent his new books. The indoor life led to numerous legends that penetrate the image of Peter Høeg on his motherland. In this interview Peter Høeg told OUTLOOK how new novels are created, what hides behind the evident asceticism, and shared his view of life and person.
Oleg Borschevskiy is a famous film director, screenwriter and music video director. Among his works, there are music videos for such stars as Potap and Nastia, music bands NeAngely, Boombox, NIKITA, singers Maria Burmaka, Tonia Matvienko and many others. In a nice conversation, he recalled the most interesting places on the world map, which he visited and shared his personal disappointments.
Their song, Sho Z-Pod Duba, is featured in the Fargo series and the commercial with David Beckham, Thai schoolgirls teach Koliskov in a music lesson, and their concerts are eagerly awaited around the world. Continuing a series of inspirational stories about talented Ukrainians in the “Know Ours” column, Outlook tells about the most original, controversial and popular Ukrainian team “DakhaBrakha” abroad.
The music as long as the eternity or, in other words, Continuous music is the genre which causes loud arguments in professional circles. Lubomyr Melnyk, Canadian composer of Ukrainian origination sees in his ‘child’ Continuous music continuation of classic traditions. Which rules his scripts follow will OUTLOOK tell in the following material of the rubrics ‘Look at us!’
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Ukraine Ule Terje Horpestad has invited guests to the residence to enjoy a summer evening with subtle jazz tunes.
