Poetry on Stage: How Ukrainian Poems Become Music
The stories behind musical compositions built on classic poems.
Ukrainian poets' verses ring out from the stage and through headphones as musicians give them new voice through song. Performers work with texts by both contemporary authors and classic poets whose work has become part of the cultural heritage.
How musicians popularize poetry through music, and how the authors respond to such projects — the DeTalks team takes a look.
Lina Kostenko, Performed by Artem Pyvovarov
Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko often stresses the need for careful use of her texts in music and public spaces. Kostenko emphasizes the importance of preserving her works' meaning and opposes their free reinterpretation without her approval. The poet personally controls the use of her poetry, requiring written consent for concerts, performances, and commercial projects.
That said, certain exceptions to this practice exist. Singer Artem Pyvovarov, for instance, has permission to use select texts and brings them to life in the project 'Your Poems, My Notes,' which blends poetry with his own sound.
The project features the track 'Valtorna,' built on Kostenko's poem 'Vidmykaiu Svitanok Skrypkovym Kliuchem...' The artist performs the track together with vocalists from the 'PIVOVAROV' team of The Voice of the Country, season 13.
Serhiy Zhadan's Musical Collaborations
Writer and poet Serhiy Zhadan takes a different approach — he collaborates with musicians and takes part in stage projects that combine readings of his own poetry with music.
The band Mertvyi Piven, for instance, performs a track based on the poem 'Zhinka z Chornym, Yak Zemlia, Volossiam.' The recording features Serhiy's own voice, and the author himself appears in the song's music video.
A second example is a fully reinterpreted performance of the song 'Koly Vona' by the band KOZAK SYSTEM. The rockers perform the track on their own, without any recorded lines from Zhadan, but keep the author's recognizable style.
Franko's Poetry in the 'Dim Zvukozapysu' Project
Singer Tina Karol has also expanded this format of musical poetry interpretations within her own project, 'Dim Zvukozapysu' (Recording House). Artists perform tracks live and record them in a single take.
The band Schmalgauzen also joined the project, performing the song 'Oi Ty, Divchyno, z Horikha Zernia.' The lyrics are by Ivan Franko, with music by Anatoliy Kos-Anatolskyi.
During recording, the musicians work with the Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Volodymyr Sheiko. Music journalist Albert Tsukrenko and Ukrainian Radio specialists who work with archival recordings also join the discussions.
Ivan Franko in Contemporary Music
Ivan Franko's poems also appear in the repertoire of individual Ukrainian performers, beyond dedicated thematic projects.
The band Odyn v Kanoe, for instance, adapted Franko's poetry in the song 'Choven' ('The Boat'), while keeping the text based on the poem of the same name. In it, the author reflects on life's path, struggle, and choice through the image of a boat as a symbol of movement and inner state.
The band's rendition of the track has spread widely across digital platforms.
Mykola Vinhranovskyi in a Pianoboy Song
Mykola Vinhranovskyi's poetry gets a new voice in contemporary music thanks to the band Pianoboy's interpretation.
The musicians perform the track 'Litak' ('The Plane'), based on the poem 'Ya Siv ne v Toi Litak,' which Vinhranovskyi wrote back in 1965. The text is part of the collection 'Sto Poezii' ('One Hundred Poems'), which he worked on during a period of creative exploration and experimentation with form and tone.
In its musical version, the band preserves the poem's lyrical core and conveys its mood through a blend of piano, vocals, and dynamic arrangements. The song has been performed since 2013 as part of the initiative 'Mykola Vinhranovskyi Month,' and draws attention to the poet's work among new audiences.