Year of Solovianenko

This year the “Ukrainian nightingale,” as critics from various countries tagged Anatolii Solovianenko, would have celebrated his 75th birthday. He died suddenly in July, during the hot summer of 1999. It was only after his death that his fellow countrymen realized that their life without Solovianenko’s unique talent and marvellous voice had become drab. Despite having been awarded the highest awards and other accolades (he was a winner of the State and Shevchenko prizes), Solovianenko was deprived of many things. His voice brought joy to millions of people, and his unforgettable operatic roles and concerts left audiences breathless with admiration.

The great tenor died eight years ago, but when the curtain rose at the National Opera on Sept. 25, 2007, revealing scenes from a taped Soviet broadcast by Moscow’s Central Television and its famous program Blue Light, the audience became very quiet. We watched as the young tenor enchanted those in front of the camera and all of us at the opera house. We had the feeling that once the screen went dark, Solovianenko would walk briskly from the wings and appear on stage. This tape raised the bar at the soiree, and all the actors performed with special inspiration, as though they were taking their exams in front of the famous tenor.

It is not often that a soiree gathers so many opera stars. The concert was directed by one of the late singer’s sons, Anatolii Solovianenko, Jr. The program included arias and duets from the operas La forza del destino, La Traviata, Un ballo in maschera, Otello, Les pecheurs de perles, Pagliacci, Taras Bulba, Don Carlos, Il Trovatore, and Eugene Onegin and folk songs from Solovianenko’s unique repertoire of 600 vocal pieces.

Singers representing various generations performed to the accompaniment of the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic Society, conducted by Mykola Diadiura. Among them were Solovianenko’s former colleagues and partners, and young talented singers of the Ukrainian vocal school: Maria Stefiuk, Lidia Zabiliasta, Roman Maiboroda, Oleksandr Vostriakov, Viacheslav Lupalov, Ivan Ponomarenko, Ihor Bortko, Anzhelina Shvachka, Volodymyr Hryshko, Serhii Mahera, Olha Nahorna, Andrii Romanenko, and the National Opera choir. The highlight of the soiree was Dmytro Popov’s performance of the Duke’s aria from Rigoletto (Solovianenko made his operatic debut in this role in 1963). Among the guest stars were famous Ukrainian opera stars, who sing in the world’s most prestigious opera houses: Viktoria Lukianets, Volodymyr Kuzmenko, Olha Mykytenko, and the legendary Georgian tenor Zurab Sotkilava, who ended the concert program with Solovianenko’s favorite folk song Dyvlius ia na nebo (I’m Looking at the Sky). For the finale the audience watched a tape of one of Solovianenko’s final concerts, during which he performed the famous prayer-like song Ridnyi krai (Our Native Land, from the Hulak-Artemovsky opera A Zaporozhian Cossack beyond the Danube). The audience gave him a standing ovation.

“Solovianenko was an excellent tenor,” recalls the former opera singer Yevhenia MYROSHNYCHENKO, who is now a professor at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy. “He had the rare skill of always hearing his partners on stage. It is no secret that quite a few singers, out of nervousness or the habit of being in the limelight, see only the conductor’s baton. Anatolii Solovianenko always responded to his partner’s slightest emotional nuance. I loved singing with him. I enjoyed his creative enthusiasm, indefatigable dramatic quest, and his desire to reveal his operatic character to the fullest possible degree.”

“This was a joyous and sad soiree,” said Academician Mykola Zhulynsky, director of the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. “Joyous because we are happy to have had such a brilliant singer whose talent won international acclaim. Regrettably, his destiny was not that of a true star. Anatolii Solovianenko could not often tour abroad, like Caruso or Pavarotti. Of course, he was known abroad and he performed at legendary opera houses, like La Scala and the Metropolitan. If hadn’t lived in the USSR, he would have been famous throughout the world. Unfortunately, he died so early and never realized many of his plans.

“Solovianenko was an ardent patriot of Ukraine. He was repeatedly invited to work for the Bolshoi in Moscow, but he refused, saying he would never leave Kyiv. He only agreed to perform as a soloist in certain operas. At the same time he never earned any accolades at the Kyiv Opera, where he spent more than three decades. There were so many notches on his heart! He cared so much about the company, about high art, which served with the utmost dedication. He never even considered the possibility of emigrating, although foreign impresarios promised him mountains of gold. When Solovianenko sang, the impression was that that he did it effortlessly, that his voice easily reached the high notes. As a man and an actor, he was never a star. He toured remote rural areas, gave concerts at coal mines and regional ‘houses of culture,’ several days later to be applauded by opera lovers abroad. Anatolii Solovianenko was an erudite, an individual of high cultural standards. It was very interesting to talk with him. I became a fan of his when I was a student and tried not to miss his concerts or operas. I was shocked to learn about his death. He was going to tour Italy, which he regarded as his second homeland and where he was also popular. I remember Solovianenko telling me about his plans, but I also remember the deep sorrow in his eyes. Maybe he sensed that his life would end soon. It pains my heart to realize that we failed to protect this Ukrainian genius.”

This year will pass under the sign of Anatolii Solovianenko. Commemorative soirees recently took place at the Philharmonic Society and National Opera in Kyiv, and at the Donetsk Opera, which is named after the singer. Work on a documentary and a monograph dedicated to Solovianenko’s life and creative legacy is nearing completion. Records of the legendary tenor’s performances will be released on CDs to preserve them for posterity. The Solovianenko International Song Competition will be held every two years. Most importantly, this singer is affectionately remembered by millions of his former fans, while his creative legacy is preserved by his widow Svitlana and their two sons Andrii and Anatolii.