Borys Hmyrya. Ukrainian and Russian Romances.

"Borys Hmyrya and Dmitry Shostakovych. The vocal and music of genius. Hmyrya is a son of Ukraine. Shostakovych – a son of Russia. However, their creative inheritance belongs not to the countries or peoples that gave birth to them but to the world. Because what they created moved the humanity another step forward in its spiritual development.

Their fates, their ways into the art are different. But there is also a common thing that makes the both artists outstanding – and this is not only the spark of genius, and not only the sign of tragedy, which none of them was lucky enough to avoid. There is a feature that puts them on the highest pedestal: they did not take from the world music treasury but enriched it.

...In the premiere concert in Kyiv the cycle by D. Shostakovych opens the concert program. Next to the cycle of romances, pieces by contemporary composers are included into the first part (Sviridov, Shishov), the part fully consisted of the Russian classics, but afterwards the singer also added pieces by Ukrainian composers and folk songs. On the compact disc offered, the program including pieces of the Ukrainian classics as well is offered."

Ganna Prynts

(information from the CD's polygraphy)