Sofia ROTARU: “His songs are eternal because they are real”

There are still more questions about his death than answers. The only thing everyone, who remembers the tragic events of 1979, know for sure is that it wasn’t a suicide. Volodymyr Ivasiuk disappeared on April 24 and his mutilated body was found only on May 18 in a military zone of a forest near Briukhovetsk, Lviv region. The composer was buried on May 22 in Lychakivske cemetery. The funeral of the composer in Lviv turned into a mass protest against the Soviet rule. For a long time, Ivasiuk’s creative legacy was actually banned…

Year 1989 marked the renewal of interest to heritage of the great maestro – his legendary song “Chervona Ruta” (Red Rue) gave its name to a festival, in 1999 Memorial Museum of the composer opened in Chernivtsi, and in 2009 he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine.

Sofia Rotaru belongs to the pleiad of those artists, who got their “wings” for creative rise in the songs of Ivasiuk. His “Chervona Ruta” became Rotaru’s creative calling card. Ivasiuk liked Rotaru’s singing skills. Father of the composer – writer Mykhailo Ivasiuk wrote about it in his novel Monolog pered Oblychchiam Syna (Monologue Before My Son): “Volodia was fond of the absolute musicality of Sofia Rotaru. The way she sang his songs they became full of humanity, intimacy, drama, and became a miracle that we call by a nice word – art.” Addressing the audience of his fellow countrymen Mykhailo Ivasiuk once said: “We must bow to the Moldovan girl Sonia, who spread the songs of my son all over the world.”

Volodymyr Ivasiuk himself also spoke about Rotaru: “When I write a song, Sofia always makes it sound the way I thought it should.” And this was not by chance because Rotaru’s manner of performing songs was very similar to that of Ivasiuk.

Their stars flared up in the sky of the Ukrainian popular music simultaneously and, literally, became singing symbols not only of Bukovyna, but also of the entire Ukraine. Perhaps, that’s why there are still legends about love of a knight of modern Ukrainian song for the talented singer Sofia Rotaru.

Sofia Rotaru tells about what actually united them in the time of their youth and what Ivasiuk meant in her life warmly and sincerely:

“We were great friends and colleagues. That was a memorable time. All the artists from Bukovyna were good friends: Volodymyr Ivasiuk, my husband Anatolii Yevdokymenko and I, Levko and Alla Dutkivsky, Vasyl Zinkevych, Nazarii Yaremchuk, ensembles ‘Smerichka’ and ‘Chervona Ruta.’ I still remember how we first met with Volodia in 1971 during the shooting of the film Chervona Ruta. We were young, happy, and full of hopes… There in the Carpathian Mountains I felt great sympathy to Volodia right from the first time when I met him.

“In casual conversations that we often had Volodia proudly told me that he grew up in the same garden where composer, poet, novelist, and playwright Sydor Vorobkevych spent his childhood and youth. He came from a blessed corner of melodious Bukovyna – Kitsmanshchyna to become a spring sail to Ukrainian song.

“Volodia had a light and kind face. But despite delicate and fragile appearance, he had a very strong character. He had a clear purpose in life, always clearly heard how his songs should sound. He had always been and still remains the greatest teacher in music for me. I carried Ivasiuk’s songs through my creative career and can’t part with them even today! Not a single concert I gave took place without me singing at least one of his songs. For as long as God will let me live and sing, these songs will be in my repertoire. Over the years I became convinced that his songs are eternal because they are real and were written with sincere heart so rich in love. I want the young people to know and love these songs. That’s why I decided to sing these songs in a new way and they became a part of my new album Yedynomu… (To the Only One…) which I devoted to my husband – Anatolii Yevdokymenko. I also made a new cover of ‘Chervona Ruta’ together with the band Tanok na Maidani Kongo.”

In 1977 the album “Sofia Rotaru Singing Songs by Volodymyr Ivasiuk” was released and you were awarded the Prize from the Komsomol Central Committee. How did it feel to work with his songs?

“All the songs he wrote became mine right away. I did not have to seek something in them. Their melody from the first chord simply and gently touched the strings of my heart and they sounded beautifully. With his original songs Ivasiuk also defined my artistic image. I am the singer loved by thousands of fans because of his original songs. I don’t know how my creative career could have developed if we never met with him. With his song ‘Vodohrai’ (fountain) I gained international recognition and won the first prize at the festival Amber Nightingale in Sopot (Poland). It is sad, but I realize that the songs like the ones written by Ivasiuk are not produced every day. Perhaps, this is one of the main reasons why there is a limited number of songs written by Ukrainian authors in my repertoire. I think that the authors, who think that a song becomes popular only when it is performed by a famous singer, are wrong. Just think of the vivid examples of Ivasiuk’s songs. These songs were performed by many singers and because of them Zinkevych, Yaremchuk and I, as well as ensembles ‘Smerichka’ and ‘Chervona Ruta’ – we all gained popularity. By the way, the ensemble got its name after his popular song.”

In your opinion what is the secret of the popularity of Ivasiuk’s songs?

“Volodia went to people with an open mind and sincere feelings. Therefore, he was noticed and remembered right away. This happens only when there is a truly gifted person. Ivasiuk was one of the first men on Ukrainian stage, who harmoniously combined folk melodies with modern interpretation and created bright, unusual, and unique music. That’s why his songs became popular right away, people loved them, they felt those songs and sang them in all parts of our country and abroad. Even today these songs easily make their way to the hearts of music lovers. There is no sugary sentimentality in his songs, Volodia enriched every note and every beat with the sincerity of his heart. He worked, regardless of his own needs, and loved to repeat the aphorism: ‘A wing becomes a wing only during a flight!’ Volodia has been gone for a long time now, but his songs still live among us. I am very grateful that I was so fortunate to begin my artistic career together with such bright, great, original, and talented man as Volodymyr Ivasiuk.”