On January 12, 1941, a boy was born in Sverdlovsk, Russia, who was destined to become a People's Artist of Belarus and the USSR. He created the legendary "Pesnyary", which became a calling card of Belarus in the world.
Uladzimir Mulyavin was born in 1941 in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg, Russia), studied at the local music college, and worked in Siberian philharmonic societies.
In 1963, he was invited to the Belarusian State Philharmonic. In 1968, he founded the ensemble "Lyavony" there, which became "Pesnyary" in 1970.
He learned the Belarusian language to work with folk songs. Thanks to "Pesnyary", Belarusian folklore and classical poetry (Kupala, Kolas, Bahdanovich, Tank) became known throughout the USSR. He assembled a golden lineup of musicians: Misevich, Bartkevich, Kashaparau, Tyshko, Dzyameshka, Daineka, Palivoda.
In 2002, Mulyavin was in a severe car accident and died on January 26, 2003, from his injuries in a hospital. He is buried in the Eastern Cemetery in Minsk.
"Pesnyary" remains one of Belarus's greatest cultural achievements in the 20th century.
Uladzimir Mulyavin's ancestors were wealthy Siberian merchants
They owned their stores and were educated. The Soviet authorities repressed them. Uladzimir's father, Heorhiy Mulyavin, was a simple worker at the "Uralmash" factory. He was musically gifted and played the guitar well. Heorhiy left his family for another woman, leaving his wife with three children.
Mulyavin did not complete his musical education, as he was expelled from his second year
His first music teacher was the political prisoner Alyaksandr Navrotski.
As Mulyavin recounted, this graduate of the Kharkiv Institute of Culture and former prisoner of Stalin's camps was an extraordinarily talented musician-pedagogue. He was the first to recognize in Mulyavin not only talent but also tremendous dedication. Navrotski worked with his pupil six to seven hours a day, and as a result, Mulyavin entered the Sverdlovsk Music College. He studied in the folk instruments department, and independently mastered the guitar and piano, and created a jazz band.
Mulyavin did not complete his musical education, as he was expelled from his second year for "kowtowing to Western music".
Tore up his own sheet music
Mulyavin's self-demanding nature knew no bounds. If the audience reacted sluggishly to the first performance of a song, Mulyavin would tear up his own sheet music after the concert, and the song would no longer be performed.
Wrote songs at dawn
between 4 and 9 o'clock in the morning.
When hiring for "Pesnyary", Mulyavin asked the candidate to sing a verse from "Belovezhskaya Pushcha".
If the applicant hit the high notes, they could count on joining the group.
Three wives, four children
In 1959, 18-year-old Uladzimir Mulyavin married artist Lidziya Karmalskaya, who performed in the rare genre of artistic whistling. In 1961, their daughter Maryna was born, and in 1975 — their son Uladzimir.
In the same year, 1975, his marriage to Karmalskaya dissolved, and Mulyavin married Svyatlana Slizskaya. In 1976, their daughter Volha was born.
The second marriage lasted until 1981, when Mulyavin, having divorced, married actress Svyatlana Penkina. (They were introduced by his "Pesnyary" colleague Uladzislau Misevich.) In 1982, Uladzimir and Svyatlana had a son, Valeriy.
Brother killed, son died from drugs
The death of Uladzimir's brother, Valeriy Mulyavin, was never investigated. He died in Yalta in 1973, after a concert. The prosecutor's office and police immediately put forward the version: he fell on the parapet and crashed. But "pesnyar" Uladzislau Misevich claimed in an interview that Valeriy was killed by criminals. "He was lost in a card game. Moreover, probably, the criminals put Volodzya at stake. But they didn't really figure out which of the brothers was which, or maybe they decided that the leader was the older one."
On the day of his brother's death, Mulyavin and "Pesnyary" were forced to perform two concerts. Officials did not allow them to be canceled. The criminal case was closed "due to lack of evidence". Valeriy Mulyavin is buried in the Chyzhouka Cemetery in Minsk.
Tragic was also the death of Uladzimir Mulyavin's son — also Uladzimir. Resembling his father like two drops of water, he was also a musician and even collaborated with the state "Pesnyary". He was later sentenced to a prison term for drug distribution and died in captivity in 2006. The cause of death, as reported, was prolonged drug use.
As for Mulyavin himself, towards the end of his life, former colleagues accused him of alcohol abuse. This led to splits in the ensemble, with the emergence of "Belarusian Pesnyary" and other fragments of its former glory.
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Comments
Як вядома, сяброўства камуністаў Італіі з СССР у тыя часы прыводзіла да супрацоўніцтва як раз у культурнай сферы. І зараз гэтае супрацоўніцтва відаць у шматлікім плагіяце італьянскіх музычных твораў савецкімі кампазітарамі ды рознымі ВІА.
І ''Песьняры'' тут не выключэнне.
А калі ў каго ўсё роўна ёсць пытанні наконт яго нацыянальнай прыналежнасці, то калі ласка, адкажыце, з якой перакладаецца ягонае прозьвішча Мулявін, што азначае "мулявы"?