Maria Mykolaichuk. Oy, chervona kalynochko. Golden Collection. (Oh, Red Snowball Tree)

"Golden Collection" was recently updated with two discs at once that, in our opinion, can compete for the rank of the best ones in the whole series. One of them is a collection of Ukrainian folk songs performed by Maria Mykolaychuk. Our visitors already had an opportunity to listen to her two solo discs – as well as her singing in the already legendary trio "Zoloti Klyuchi". But this time you will hear something special – for the album includes recordings from funds of the NRCU, which were virtually never released before. This is what Mykola Ammosov, the Ukrainian radio arts funds manager, says about this release: "Everybody knows her name. But only experts and the nearest circle of friends know Marichka Mykolaychuk as she is represented on this disc. The singer's uniqueness is not only in the unique manner of performance that can be defined as "accomplished simplicity", which only few can achieve, encyclopedic knowledge of songs folklore, refined, deep combination of vocal and actor's mastery, where not only every sound but also every word, phrase, intonation are accomplished and exclusively right. It is in fidelity and devotion: to her business, art, memory – is her main creative and human feature..." By the way, music for one of the songs represented here was created exactly by Ivan Mykolaychuk – to him, as well as to Volodymyr Ivasyuk, this release is commemorated.

(Actually, the second disc out of the mentioned ones is the album "Volodymyr Ivasyuk. The Best", but let's discuss it separately)