VASILY SLIPAK. LIFE ON A HIGH NOTE
This opera singer considered Mephistopheles’s part in the opera Faust by Charles Gounod to be his favorite, and therefore his nickname appeared consonant – Myth. But the life of Vasily Slipak lived, albeit short, but as heroic as mythological characters. He gave the audience a rare and exceptional singing art. He was considered a real vocal miracle, and many teachers simply dreamed of working with Vasily in his class.
Teachers dream
Vasily Slipak was an extremely gifted opera singer; he possessed a subtle and limitless voice vibrato that drove the audience crazy. It was impossible to understand how such a powerful voice fits in such a slender and young performer. Famous teachers did not even want to classify his voice, calling it unique. In his forties, Vasily Slipak was an opera singer known throughout Europe, performed leading roles in many productions, had tremendous prospects, but when the war broke out in his homeland, he could not stay away …
Lviv talent
Vasily Slipak was born in Lviv on December 20, 1974. His parents instilled in him respect and love for his native land, the words “honor” and “dignity” were not empty for him. Singer Vasily Slipak He grew up as a responsible, fair, purposeful and not at all hooligan young man. In the family, no one was professionally engaged in music, but grandfather had vocals of amazing purity and power. Therefore, Vasily had a talent from whom to inherit. His creative development was influenced by his older brother Orestes. It was he who took the nine-year-old Vasily to the famous Lviv academic choral chapel “Dudarik”. The founder and leader of the team Nikolay Katsal became a landmark in the work of the aspiring singer. The repertoire of the chapel shaped the taste and worldview of Vasily Slipak. He performed works by Ukrainian composers of the golden age of the a capella choir concert genre. Also, as part of “Dudarik” Vasily participated in recordings of albums and joint concerts with eminent Ukrainian performers. The guys visited with performances even in the famous New York Carnegie Hall.
Not all and not immediately
Surprisingly, having a rather rare voice (countertenor), Vasily was not able to enter the Lviv Music Institute the first time (now it is the Lviv National Music Academy). singer Vasily Slipak Slipak did not lose faith in himself, he performed a lot, began touring, met many musicians, composers and conductors. In 1992, a stubborn young man proved his right to be among the students of the institute and entered the course of Professor Maria Baiko. Under her leadership, Vasily expanded his repertoire with works of Ukrainian and European composers. He always participated in student concerts, showed his gorgeous voice, thanks to which teachers predicted a dizzying career for him.
French chance of Vasily Slipak
Soon, the creative fate of Vasily Slipak made a sharp turn. This time again, Orestes’s older brother could not do without help. In 1994, he went to France for a congress of cardiologists. In Paris, he was lucky to meet with the editors of the Ukrainian Word. The weekly was headed by a doctor of medicine, professor Yaroslav Musyanovich. He introduced Orestes to the composer Marjan Kuzan and insistently recommended that his brother Vasily Slipak leave the cassette with the recording. A month later, Vasily Slipak was invited to one of the largest music festivals in the city of Clermont-Ferrand.
In addition to his program, the singer also prepared the cantatas of Handel, “Passion for Matthew” and “Passion for John” by Bach. The young man performed French, German songs and Italian arias in the original language and was awarded the Grand Prix of the competition and Grand Prix of audience sympathy. In addition, he was the only contestant who performed songs in his native language. His debut in France was a real sensation. Critics wrote rave reviews of Ukrainian opera talent in newspapers, his vocal abilities captivated the public, and renowned educators at the Paris Academy organized an audition. Everyone unanimously acknowledged the originality of Vasily’s voice, which put an end to the debate about whether to sing baritone and countertenor at the same time. So one competition was a milestone in the creative life of Slipak.
Competition Test
After that, he had the opportunity to present his program to the Parisian public. In 1994, the young singer gave a recital in the French Vichy Opera. On that evening, works of Ukrainian folk music sounded on stage.
At the Kiev Music Fest international music festival that same year, Vasily Slipak, accompanied by a chamber orchestra, performed Alexander Kozarenko’s canto “Dead Piercing”. The audience was a singer Vasily Slipak delighted and called Basil for an encore. At a concert of contemporary chamber music, this happened for the first time. A few months later, as part of the International Festival of Contemporary Art in Odessa, Slipak again performed this chamber cantata.
