AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
This Christmas melody is known around the world.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHCHEDRYK")
UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing in non-English language).
RASCOE: Most people don't know this song is from Ukraine or that the city where it was written is now under Russian attack. NPR's Joanna Kakissis has this postcard.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANDRIY MARGOSYAN PERFORMANCE OF MYKOLA LEONTOVYCH'S "SHCHEDRYK")
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: In a dark rehearsal room at a university in Kyiv, a young director is preparing for his play about his favorite composer, Mykola Leontovych. Andriy Margosyan plays Leontovych's iconic song on a piano.
ANDRIY MARGOSYAN: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "Yeah," he says, "this song is called 'Shchedryk.' Many think it's an American song about Christmas, not," he says, "a Ukrainian song about great expectations."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHCHEDRYK")
UKRAINIAN REPUBLIC CAPELLA: (Singing in non-English language).
KAKISSIS: Roughly translated, the title of the song means "Bountiful Evening." It's inspired by a centuries-old folk song. Leontovych wrote several versions of "Shchedryk" in the early 20th century, as Ukraine struggled to free itself from the Russian Empire and the Bolsheviks. In this 1922 recording, the Ukrainian National Chorus performs the song in Carnegie Hall. An American composer adapted "Shchedryk" into "Carol Of The Bells" in 1936.
ANTON YERMOLAYEV: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: In Margosyan's play, Leontovych is portrayed by the soft-spoken Anton Yermolayev. Before taking the role, he says, he didn't know much about the composer.
YERMOLAYEV: So I knew this name. I knew that he was a composer, but definitely not so many facts, many prominent personalities, like Leontovych, were unfairly forgotten for decades.
KAKISSIS: The Russian and Soviet empires persecuted Ukrainian artists like Leontovych, who is sometimes called Ukraine's Bach. He taught choral music in several cities and spent years perfecting his compositions...
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
ANIMA: (Singing in non-English language).
KAKISSIS: ...Including this love song. It's performed by ANIMA, a choir from Kyiv's university of culture and art.
NATALIA KRECHKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: Choir conductor Natalia Krechko says it's a lyrical song that references nature, tradition and national unity. In the play, the ANIMA choir also performs "Shchedryk."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHCHEDRYK")
ANIMA: (Singing in non-English language).
KAKISSIS: Leontovych wrote a draft of the song while conducting a choir of railway workers in an eastern Ukrainian village. The village later grew into a Ukrainian city called Pokrovsk. Russian troops are now just a few miles away.
YAROSLAVA CHERVENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: Actress Yaroslava Chervenko portrays Leontovych's wife, Claudia, in the play. The actress lost her home in eastern Ukraine last year to the Russian occupation.
CHERVENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "It's so sad that nothing stops this invasion," she says, "which has destroyed so many Ukrainian cities. And we have sacrificed our homes so others could be spared."
CHERVENKO: (Crying, non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: Pokrovsk's history museum director Anhelina Rozhkova left the city, her hometown, this fall. Around that time, a statue of Leontovych and a collection dedicated to him were removed from Pokrovsk for safekeeping.
ANHELINA ROZHKOVA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "The loss," she says, "it feels like a void that cannot be filled." Mykola Leontovych died young, at age 43, killed by a Soviet security agent. His famous song has already outlived him for more than a century. And despite the war, it rings louder than ever.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHCHEDRYK")
ANIMA: (Singing in non-English language).
KAKISSIS: Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kyiv.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHCHEDRYK")
ANIMA: (Singing in non-English language). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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