Volodymyr Ivasyuk was a composer of genius who effectively created the modern Ukrainian pop song, fusing the folk melos of Bukovina with the language of world pop and rock. His “Chervona Ruta” and “Vodohrai” (1970s) instantly became nationwide hits and symbols of Ukrainian music.
Ivasyuk was not only a composer but also a poet, violinist, and painter — a person of exceptional gifts. In 1979, at the height of his fame and talent, he was found hanged in a forest near Lviv under unexplained circumstances; most researchers link his death to the KGB, which saw a threat in his all-Ukrainian popularity. Ivasyuk became a symbol both of artistic genius and of the tragedy of Ukrainians in the Soviet era; his songs live on to this day.
