Vasily Slipak is a real Ukrainian nugget. The gifted opera singer lived a short but heroic life. Vasily was a patriot of Ukraine. He sang, delighting music fans with a delightful and boundless vocal vibrato.
Vibrato is a periodic change in the pitch, strength, or timbre of a musical sound. This is a pulsation of air pressure.
The childhood of the artist Vasily Slipak
He was born on December 20, 1974 in one of the most colorful Ukrainian cities - the city of Lviv. From early childhood, the head of the family, Yaroslav Slipak, instilled in Vasily love and respect for his land. And for him, the homeland was not just a word.
The boy's childhood was happy and kind. Vasily was a non-conflict child. Surprisingly, Slipak's parents were not associated with creativity. Most likely, Vasily had to thank his grandfather for his strong vocal abilities, who, although he did not have a vocal education, sang well.
From early childhood, the boy was interested in music. He owes the development of his singing talent to his brother. Orestes (that was the name of the singer's motivator) supported his brother's creative endeavors. It was he who took Vasily's brother to the popular state male choir "Dudarik".
The youth of the musician Vasily Slipak
In an educational institution, Slipak met a key personality - teacher Nikolai Katsal. He managed to form Vasily's good musical taste. Among the compositions, Vasily Yaroslavovich preferred to perform the compositions of Ukrainian maestros. In particular, his favorites were the composers of the so-called "golden era" of the a cappella choral concerto genre.
As part of the Dudarik choir, Slipak took part in the recording of collections with other representatives of the Ukrainian stage. To understand what the group was like, it is enough to know that the choir performed on the site of the Carnegie Hall concert hall in New York.
Vasily had a unique voice (countertenor). Despite this, he did not become a student of an educational institution on the first attempt. He failed the entrance exams to the national music academy, which was located in his hometown. This did not lead him astray. During this period of time, he toured a lot and expanded his horizons.
The countertenor is the highest of the male operatic voices, ranging from E3 to E5.
In the early 1990s, he entered the desired university for the course of Professor Maria Baiko. This was a good sign not only for Vasily, but also for fans of his work. Slipak's repertoire was replenished with exquisite compositions by Ukrainian and European composers. The sensitive performance of the works made the hearts of music lovers beat faster.
He often took part in concerts that were organized at the educational institution. The teachers complimented him and prophesied that Slipak would become the property of Ukraine.
The heyday of a creative career
In the mid-1990s, a completely different page opened in the creative biography of Vasily Slipak. By the way, this time a relative helped him. The fact is that just during this period Orestes went to the congress of doctors in France.
In a foreign country, he managed to make friends with the employees of the Ukrainian Word publication. At that time, the editorial office was headed by Yaroslav Musyanovich. He introduced Slipak Sr. to the composer Marian Kuzan and hinted that he should leave the record with the recordings of his talented brother. Just a few months later, Vasily took part in the prestigious festival in Clermont-Ferrand. It was a success for the young artist.
Especially for this event, Vasily prepared an exclusive program. In addition, he decided to please the demanding audience with Handel's Matthew Passion and John Passion by Bach. Vasily performed compositions in a foreign language. Thanks to this brilliant performance, he received prestigious awards and world fame at the same time. By the way, he performed several compositions in his native language, which finally made the audience fall in love with him.
Slipak's performance abroad was a "breakthrough". Vasily has grown a lot in the eyes of his colleagues. The singer performed so brilliantly that the next day colorful headlines about the Ukrainian nightingale flashed in local French newspapers. In addition, popular teachers of the Paris Academy organized an audition for him. After him, the teachers recognized that Vasily had a countertenor.
Then Vasily presented the concert program to the French public. He performed on the stage of the Vichy Opera House, where compositions of Ukrainian folk music were performed.
At the same time, at the Kyiv Music Fest music festival, the artist presented to the public Alexander Kozarenko's cantata "P'ero dead loop". The enthusiastic audience did not want to let the maestro leave the stage. From different corners people shouted: "An encore!".
A year later, he performed at the Ukrainian Virtuosi festival, which took place in the city where Slipak spent his childhood. Of course, we are talking about the city of Lviv.
Unique performance
Complex opera parts and simple Ukrainian songs were equally easy for him. The maestro performed such brilliant compositions as: "The Wedding of Figaro", "Don Giovanni", etc.
Slipak had a role that he could not exchange for anything else. On stage, he loved to try on the image of the immortal Mephistopheles from the opera Faust.
In 2008, the singer went on a big European tour. The authority of the maestro was so great that he performed not at classical concert venues, but in ancient cathedrals, palaces and theaters. He has collaborated with cult conductors and orchestras.
For about two decades, the opera singer lived in France. At that time he was part of the Paris National Opera. He could have made a brilliant solo career, since Vasily's vocal abilities were unique. But when hostilities began in Ukraine, he could not remain indifferent and returned to his homeland. He went to Donbass.
He was known as the call sign "Myth". The servicemen did not even know that they were next to the opera star. But Slipak did not want to talk about it. From time to time he left the front. During this period, Vasily held charity concerts.
Death of Vasily Slipak
He passed away on June 29, 2016. He was pierced by a sniper's bullet. Despite the fact that Vasily died, he left a rich legacy to his fans. On July 1, 2016, his body was buried in Lviv, at the Lychakiv cemetery, on the field of honorary burials No. 76. A year later, by decree of the President of Ukraine, Vasily Slipak was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
