The Ukrainian land has always been generous with talents that have not only glorified it within its native borders, but also given the world art that penetrates to the very depths of the human heart. Among these treasures, a special place is occupied by Ivan Kozlovsky and Borys Hmyrya, two brilliant singers whose voices have become symbols of Ukrainian culture, its pain, beauty and resilience. Their fates, though different in circumstances, are united by a common love of music, of their native people and of the high art they carried through the turbulent years of the twentieth century.
Ivan Kozlovsky: A voice singing to the heavens
Ivan Kozlovsky was born on 24 March 1900 in the village of Maryanivka in the Kyiv region to a simple peasant family. Since childhood, his soul was permeated by singing – first in the choir of St Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, where he spent almost ten years, and later on the professional stage, which became a temple of art for him. His lyrical tenor, as gentle as the spring wind and at the same time as powerful as the cathedral bell, fascinated listeners. Kozlovsky was able to convey the subtlest shades of human feelings – from light joy to deep longing.
A special page in his career was the role of the Fool in Modest Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov. In Kozlovsky’s hands, this small part turned into a masterpiece, striking in its depth and sincerity. His voice seemed to open the veil over the human soul, revealing its suffering and hope. No wonder the Bolshoi Theatre conductor Boris Khaykin said: “For him, the theatre was a temple, on the altar of which he put all the best he had in life.”
But Kozlovsky’s life was not easy. He was a great Ukrainian patriot, singing songs of the Sich Riflemen and works based on Shevchenko’s words, which was considered dangerous in Soviet times. He was not allowed to go abroad, where his brother Fedir, also a talented singer who remained in exile, lived. Ivan Semenovych’s personal life was tragic: divorce, loneliness in old age, and an unfulfilled desire to be buried in his native Marianivka. But despite everything, he remained faithful to his faith, his people and his art until his last breath in 1993.
Boris Gmyrya: The bass that sounds like the soul of the people
Boris Romanovich Gmyrya was born on 5 August 1903 in Lebedyn, Sumy region. His path to the stage was a thorny one: the son of a poor man, he worked as a porter, a sailor, and studied at the Civil Engineering Institute before music finally took over his heart. After graduating from the Kharkiv Conservatoire, Hmyrya became one of the greatest basses of the twentieth century. His voice – deep, velvety, full of warmth and power – impressed audiences around the world.
Hmyrya was unsurpassed in performing opera roles – from Taras Bulba in Mykola Lysenko’s opera of the same name to Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. But a special place in his work was occupied by Ukrainian folk songs and romances. In his performance of “Oh, a Dream Walks by the Windows” or “Black Brows, Brown Eyes”, it sounded as if Ukraine itself was singing about its beauty and sadness. UNESCO named him “Borys the Great”, recognising his bass as a unique phenomenon of world culture.
Hmyrya’s life was not without its challenges. During the Second World War, he stayed in occupied Poltava and performed for the Germans, which was considered collaboration with the enemy in the USSR. Only Stalin’s intervention saved him from repression, but his beloved Valentyna Ishchenko was exiled to Vorkuta. Hmyrya carried this pain in his heart for the rest of his life, until his death in 1969. But even in his darkest moments, his voice remained a light for those who heard it.
A duet that lives in memory
Although Kozlovsky and Hmyrya rarely performed together, their voices – tenor and bass – seemed to complement each other, creating a harmony that reflects the versatility of the Ukrainian soul. In the recording of the Ukrainian folk song “Where You Wander, My Destiny”, their performance is moving to the point of tears: Kozlovsky’s tenor, light and reverent, intertwines with Hmyrya’s deep, earthy bass, creating a sense of an eternal dialogue between heaven and earth.
These two singers are not just performers, but carriers of the nation’s spirit. Kozlovsky, with his heavenly purity, and Hmyrya, with his earthly strength, embodied what makes Ukrainian art unique: the ability to combine tenderness with strength, sorrow with hope. Their voices still resonate – in recordings, in memories, in the hearts of those who seek beauty and truth.
The eternal light of their legacy
Today, as Ukraine fights for its freedom once again, the figures of Ivan Kozlovsky and Borys Hmyrya remind us of the power of art to lift the spirit and unite people. Their voices are not only a musical legacy, but also evidence that even in the darkest times, the soul of a people remains unbroken. They sang for us, for the world, for eternity, and their shine will never fade.
Author: Ekaterina Bogdanenko
