MINSK, 12 January (BelTA) - Today marks 85 years since the birth of the outstanding composer, singer, arranger, artistic director of the vocal-instrumental ensemble Pesnyary, and People’s Artist of the BSSR and the USSR Vladimir Mulyavin.
Vladimir Mulyavin was born far from Belarus - in the Urals, Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) on 12 January 1941. His father, Georgy Arsentyevich, was a worker at the Uralmash plant; his mother, Akulina Sergeyevna, was a seamstress. After finishing school, Vladimir Mulyavin enrolled in the Sverdlovsk Music College. However, some time later, he was expelled for his passion for jazz. Despite being reinstated later, he decided to leave the college on his own.
In 1963, Vladimir Mulyavin moved to Minsk, where he was enlisted on the staff of the Belarusian State Philharmonic. This was followed by army service and the ensemble of the Belarusian Military District.
Vladimir Mulyavin always had an interest in folk music. Belarusian folk songs left a deep imprint on his soul from the first moment he encountered them. In 1968, the musician took the initial steps toward creating an ensemble: within the variety revue Lyavonikha, the ensemble Lyavony was organized. For it, Vladimir Mulyavin began writing his own songs and arranging Belarusian folklore. However, the group did not last long under the name Lyavony. As the collective was preparing for the 4th All-Union Competition of Variety Performers in 1970, the decision was made to rename it Pesnyary.
After that competition, the ensemble, which shared second place with singer Lev Leshchenko and the Georgian ensemble Dielo (first place was not awarded), gained widespread fame. The success was astounding; Pesnyary won the hearts of millions across the former Soviet Union. Their songs instantly became recognizable and beloved. According to Vladimir Mulyavin himself, once they became Pesnyary, their life changed dramatically. The trips to remote areas, where Belarusian folklore was preserved in its original form, gave especially much to the group. It was precisely Vladimir Mulyavin and Pesnyary who sparked the entire country’s interest in Belarusian folk songs.
Vladimir Mulyavin also distinguished himself as a great arranger. He created original vocal-instrumental interpretations of songs, uniquely blending vocal timbres and electronic music while preserving a distinct national character. Belarusian folk songs such as Kasiu Yas Kanyishynu (Yas Mowed the Clover), Pa Vadu Ishla (She Went for Water), Rechanka (The Little River), Oi, Rana na Ivana (Oh, Early on Ivan’s Day), A u Poli Viarba (A Willow in the Field), Kalina (Guelder Rose), and others were given new life by the ensemble. They captivate listeners with their expressive melodies and a rich spectrum of emotions.
Vladimir Mulyavin was not only a talented organizer, manager, arranger, and singer but also a composer of equal brilliance. The group’s repertoire includes numerous lyrical songs set to the verse of Yanka Kupala, Yakub Kolas, Maksim Bahdanovich, Maksim Tank, Piatrus Brouka, and other Belarusian poets. Vladimir Mulyavin granted a long and cherished life to songs like Aleksandryna and Zavushnitsy (Earrings), among many others.
Vladimir Mulyavin possessed a distinct inclination for theatrical staging of his works. His first major undertaking on this path was the parable-opera Pyesnia pra Dolyu (A Song of Fate), based on Yanka Kupala's poem Eternal Song. The poet’s work was of decisive importance for Vladimir Mulyavin. He often measured his own thoughts and feelings against the verse of the Belarusian classic.
For Yanka Kupala’s 100th birthday, Pesnyary presented the program Ya nie Paeta (I am not a Poet). Vladimir Mulyavin also turned his attention to Kupala’s poem Kurhan (The Gravemound), which inspired the rock opera Guslyar. The program Golas Dushy (The Voice of the Soul) was created to mark the ensemble’s 25th anniversary. It was first performed at the Vitebsk festival Slavianski Bazaar 1994. Its climactic piece was the song Malitva (Prayer) by composer Oleg Molchan, set to the words of Yanka Kupala, performed by Vladimir Mulyavin himself.
Throughout his creative journey, Vladimir Mulyavin ceaselessly sought new forms, colors, rhythms, and genres, bringing his ideas and projects to life. Vladimir Mulyavin devoted himself to the Belarusian song and made it popular across the world. Together with Pesnyary, he performed in numerous countries, where the art of the outstanding composer and performer was met with acclaim. Yet for Vladimir Mulyavin, the most cherished and grateful audience was always the Belarusian people.
In May 2002, Vladimir Mulyavin was involved in a devastating car accident, and on 26 January 2003, the musician passed away at the age of 63. He is buried in Minsk at the Eastern Cemetery.
Vladimir Mulyavin’s contributions have been highly honored in Belarus and beyond. He was awarded the Medal and Order of Francysk Skaryna, and became a laureate of many international and All-Union music competitions., He was granted the honorary title of People’s Artist of the BSSR in 1979, and the title of the People’s Artist of the USSR in 1991.
In 2001, a star dedicated to our famous compatriot was unveiled on the Star Alley in Moscow. In Minsk, a memorial plaque was installed on the house at 13 Biedy Street, where Vladimir Mulyavin lived. In 2017, a monument to the musician was unveiled in Minsk on the boulevard named after him, behind the building of the Belarusian State Philharmonic. A monument to Vladimir Mulyavin also stands in his hometown of Yekaterinburg. In Belarus, the V.G. Mulyavin National Center of Musical Art has been established. Several documentaries, as well as the series Half an Hour Before Spring, have been made about Vladimir Mulyavin and the ensemble Pesnyary.
In July 2010, the names of Vladimir Mulyavin and the Belarusian State Ensemble Pesnyary were immortalized in Vitebsk on the alley of laureates of the special award of the President of the Republic of Belarus Through Art to Peace and Mutual Understanding.
A concert in Vladimir Mulyavin’s honor is held on the stage of the Belarusian State Philharmonic every year on the singer’s birthday. A special concert program has been prepared for Vladimir Mulyavin’s 85th birthday, which will bring fans of the renowned musician’s work together in the Philharmonic’s Grand Concert Hall.
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