“Carol of the Bells” in rock version

On the first winter day Oleh Skrypka gathered journalists in the Mamaieva Sloboda Cossack village, located in the capital. The start of the “Christmas Land of Dreams” winter festival was solemnly announced inside snow-covered wooden churches and national houses (it reminded one of the fragments of classic movies, such as Shevchenko’s Nazar Stodolia). The premiere of the “Shchedryk” (Carol of the Bells) music video, by the VV frontman, opened the event. Mykola Leontovych’s world known “Shchedryk” is an arrangement of the old Ukrainian national New Year’s chant. It was performed for the first time by the Kyiv University choir in 1916 in Kyiv, and in 1921 it was shown in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Later the English version, written by Peter Wilhousky, was used in the popular films Home Alone, Harry Potter, and the animated TV show South Park. The original interpretations were made by the rock bands Barenaked Ladies and Savatage. A techno dance cover by DJ Demonix later became a cult classic of the electronic underground.

Skrypka wrote his rock version of the glorious composition at the beginning of this year: Le Grand Orchestra musicians, Taras and Olia Chubai participated in the recording; Sashko Lirnyk, a “professional” author of fairy tales was the screenwriter; Stepan Koval, a famous animator, was in charge of “staging” the music video and practically made a real New Year’s 3D animated mini-film. “Shchedryk” tells the story of a little boy who travels from a bustling megapolis to an ancient village, and witnesses Christmas there. The daily routine there is filled with joy: the adults in pursuit of money and careers become children, while the children grow into good people. According to Koval, it took them 150 kilos of plasticine, 100 kilos of salt (which served as snow), and 5 months of work. “‘Shchedryk’ is the most popular New Year’s song around the world for almost a century,” Skrypka says. “And it is our old New Year’s chant, which almost all Ukrainians know. I wanted to give it a new life. I respect academic arrangements of the Christmas and New Year chants, but now I am more interested in the authentic arrangements. That is why I used a more authentic version of the song. I also added an authentic text about Malanka from the old New Year’s chant, which is absent in the classic version. I think that this cartoon is both for children and adults. It is about our Ukrainian world. It is about Our Christmas.”

The “Christmas Land of Dreams” program is rich. Saint Nicholas’ residence has opened on December 8 in

Mamaieva Sloboda, where all the events will take part. On December 19 it is St. Nicholas’ day, on January 7 it is Christmas, and on January 13-14 — the Old New Year, Malanka and Vasyl’s day. Epiphany ends the series on January 19. So, we are going to celebrate!