Borys Romanovych Hmyria ( ua, Борис Романович Гмиря), also known as Boris Romanovich Gmyrya(russian: Борис Романович Гмыря; August 1, 1969) PAU, was a Soviet and Ukrainian

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

singer of opera and

art song An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ...

Biography

Hmyria was born in 1903 in

Lebedin Lebedyn ( uk, Лебеди́н, ) is a city in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. Lebedyn is located in Sumy Raion. Before July 2020, Lebedyn served as the administrative center of Lebedyn Raion; it was administratively incorporated as a city of oblast signi ...

, Kharkov Governorate, Russian Empire (today part of Ukraine). He remained in

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...

during World War II where he performed for the Germans. This kind of behavior was considered collaboration with the enemy by Soviet authorities. Hmyria would have been imprisoned and executed had it not been for Joseph Stalin's intervention. Hmyria's partner, Valentina Ishchenko, was exiled to Vorkuta in the

Komi ASSR The Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (russian: Коми Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика; kv, Коми Автономнӧй Сӧветскӧй Социалистическӧй ...

. He died in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

in 1969.

Friendship with Shostakovich

Hmyria was a friend of

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

and often performed his ''Five Romances on Verses by Yevgeny Dolmatovsky'' in concert, although their friendship came under strain because of mutual perceived slights and their contrasting personalities. During the summer of 1962, Shostakovich was completing his Thirteenth Symphony; the bass soloist part had been composed with Hmyria's voice in mind. The singer was reluctant to commit accepting the responsibility of singing the premiere performance, despite the composer's repeated urging. On August 15, Hmyria declined the assignment citing his objections to Yevtushenko's verses, but attended the premiere performance on December 18. After the concert, Hmyria wrote: "This evening I listened to Shostakovich's Thirteenth Symphony. My greatest impressions: 'Babi Yar,' 'In the Shop.'"

References

External links

*
Biography and sound clips
on cantabile-subito.de *
Vzyav by ya bandura (If I played the bandura) - folk song

Divlyus' ya v nebo (I marvel at the heavens)
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBAFOC8GNZE * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKUDGzpPtPU
Ya Vas lyubil (I loved you)
( Alexander Dargomyzhsky) 1903 births 1969 deaths People from Lebedyn People from Kharkov Governorate Operatic basses Ukrainian basses 20th-century Ukrainian male opera singers Burials at Baikove Cemetery Soviet musicians {{Ukraine-opera-singer-stub