"Oh, at the puddle of red viburnum ...". The history of the legendary anthem of the Sich Riflemen, which today sounds in a new way to the whole world
The Ukrainian folk song "Chervona Kalina" today symbolizes the fearless struggle of the Ukrainian people for their independence and sovereignty. Performed in the first days of the war by the frontman of the Boombox group Andrei Khlyvnyuk, it found its echo in the USA, India, Georgia, Italy, Poland, Germany and other countries. However, few people know who first performed it, and where it happened.
The first version of the song was written by the poet and director of the Ukrainian theater Stepan Charnetsky in 1914. The work was used during a production about Hetman Doroshenko "The Sun of the Ruin". Czarnetsky was dissatisfied with the existing final song, so he inserted a slightly altered song "The steep banks were poured out." However, the last verse was left unchanged, and it was decided to refine the melody, which in the final version more resembled folk motives.
But the history of "Chervona Kalini" began even earlier. The folk song was sung in the time of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Later, in 1875, leaders of the national movement Vladimir Antonovich and Mikhail Drahomanov recorded and published the text of the old work. But it is believed that the popularity of "Chervona Kalina" gained it precisely in the processing of Czarnetsky. This even led to the fact that at the beginning of the First World War, the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen picked it up, making it their anthem. During the Second World War, the song was also sung in the units of the UPA. And since the 1980s, “Oh, there’s a red viburnum in the blue ...” sounded at protest rallies and concerts.
On February 27, 2022, Ukrainian musician Andrey Khlyvnyuk published a video in one of his social networks, where he performs the first verse of the song a cappella. The music for Khlyvnyuk's performance was put by the South African The Kiffness. And on April 8, 2022, the British rock band Pink Floyd, based on the performance of the frontman of the Boombox group, presented the song “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!”.
The song began to be translated into different languages. By this, residents of different countries wanted to show their support for Ukraine during the war. And, despite the fact that they performed it both professionally and unprofessionally, “Chervona Kalina” sounded and continues to sound like a hymn to eternal freedom.
The first version of the song was written by the poet and director of the Ukrainian theater Stepan Charnetsky in 1914. The work was used during a production about Hetman Doroshenko "The Sun of the Ruin". Czarnetsky was dissatisfied with the existing final song, so he inserted a slightly altered song "The steep banks were poured out." However, the last verse was left unchanged, and it was decided to refine the melody, which in the final version more resembled folk motives.
But the history of "Chervona Kalini" began even earlier. The folk song was sung in the time of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Later, in 1875, leaders of the national movement Vladimir Antonovich and Mikhail Drahomanov recorded and published the text of the old work. But it is believed that the popularity of "Chervona Kalina" gained it precisely in the processing of Czarnetsky. This even led to the fact that at the beginning of the First World War, the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen picked it up, making it their anthem. During the Second World War, the song was also sung in the units of the UPA. And since the 1980s, “Oh, there’s a red viburnum in the blue ...” sounded at protest rallies and concerts.
On February 27, 2022, Ukrainian musician Andrey Khlyvnyuk published a video in one of his social networks, where he performs the first verse of the song a cappella. The music for Khlyvnyuk's performance was put by the South African The Kiffness. And on April 8, 2022, the British rock band Pink Floyd, based on the performance of the frontman of the Boombox group, presented the song “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!”.
The song began to be translated into different languages. By this, residents of different countries wanted to show their support for Ukraine during the war. And, despite the fact that they performed it both professionally and unprofessionally, “Chervona Kalina” sounded and continues to sound like a hymn to eternal freedom.
