The classics were handed out to three generations of the stage: an album of one poet’s lyrics landed on Independence Day

On 24 August, Ukraine’s Independence Day, the album «Legends. Yuriy Rybchynskyi» came out — twenty-one songs set to the poet’s words, divided one apiece between three generations of the Ukrainian stage. Among the performers: MONATIK, DOROFEEVA, TAYANNA, Iryna Bilyk, KADNAY and Artem Pyvovarov.

This release is reported by the ONE//FM portal.

Yuriy Rybchynskyi is one of those authors whose lines Ukraine knows by heart without remembering who wrote them. The poet, playwright and screenwriter turned eighty last year, and the Palace filmed a jubilee gala for the occasion.

Who took which song

The songs were shared out so that each singer got something built for their voice. MONATIK took «Hai, zelenyi hai», DOROFEEVA «Skrypka hraie», TAYANNA «Teche voda», Iryna Bilyk «Tykha voda». KADNAY sang «Minaie den» together with Marta Adamchuk, and Artem Pyvovarov recorded «Zemle moia» with the Revutsky Choral Chapel.

Alongside them sit names that amount to a history of Ukrainian pop in themselves: Nataliya Mohylevska opens the album with «Svoboda» and closes it with «Vivat, Korol», Oleksandr Ponomaryov sings «Try porady», Pianoboy «Klenovyi vohon», KOLA «Dyki husy», ZLATA OGNEVICH «Romansero». Verka Serduchka is there too, with «Verba».

The younger half of the cast is ROXOLANA with «Zelen klen», KEKELIA with «Ochi na pisku», Phil it with «Bezsonnia», Schmalgauzen with «Taksi», Volodymyr Dantes with «Bila vorona» and Zhenia Halych with «Kulia». «Charivna skrypka» stands apart — it was sung by the Veryovka Choir with Tetiana Pyrohova.

Why this is more than a covers compilation

«Legends» is not the Palace’s first move in this direction: in May the same songs were already on its stage, and the academic choir there was part of the line-up rather than a guest. The album fixes that approach in a recording — pop voices and academic ensembles on the same tracks.

The release date is not accidental either. For decades Rybchynskyi’s songs have been the common denominator that works at a wedding and at a state concert alike — which is exactly why they were gathered together on 24 August.

For the six artists who have pages with us, this is their first appearance inside one release. For the rest of the cast, it is a chance to sound next to the people they grew up listening to.

We wrote earlier about how Filatov and ONUKA re-recorded «Chervona Ruta» for a film — another way of putting a classic back into circulation.