Ukrainian music genius spends 2 weeks in a cold cellar under Russian bombardment

These are words from the song “Magic Violin” by Ukrainian composer Igor Poklad – Hero of Ukraine, winner of the National Shevchenko Prize, a uniquely creative personality, who created many song masterpieces. And even if he wrote just one song – “Magic Violin”, “Water is Running”, “Oh, Wild Geese Are Flying”, or “Sweetheart” – it would be enough to consider him a genius. Therefore, it is not without reason that on the day of the maestro’s 80th birthday, President Zelenski presented him with the highest distinction of the state and expressed his respect.

I also sang The Magic Violin together with my colleagues – young teachers at the Alexandria Pedagogical School. In the late 80s, I had just graduated from the institute and was teaching music history and piano to students. And I can tell you: no concert was without Igor Poklad’s songs. Not in the city, not in the capital palace “Ukraine”, not on the radio or television, and you should agree that it is worth a lot.

And what remarkable artists performed these songs! Nina Matvienko, Nazary Yaremchuk, Vasyl Zinkevich, Alla Kudlay, Tamara Gverdtsiteli… Every name is a legend, a memory of the golden days of the old days.

Did the 80-year-old maestro think about that when his native Vorzel was being thrashed day and night by Russian invaders from sky and earth? The elderly genius spent more than ten hellish days in a cold cellar together with his wife, neighbours and two dogs. They could not evacuate from the burning city. They were hungry, without light and communication, sleeping in their outdoor clothes on whatever they could. But they never stopped worrying about each other and their pets.

It is impossible to describe in words what the desperate people were experiencing under the howling sirens, the explosions of ” grads “, ” smerch “, the cannonade of tanks, mortars and some other deadly nasties brought to the Ukrainian land by Putin’s mutts.

It was like two realities. In one, orcs with machine guns were moving incessantly past the house where Poklady lived, aiming at the windows of civilians, and death reigned. In the other, the beloved wife of Igor Dmitrievich, Svetlana. Despite the fear and the critical state of her health, she listened every second: was her husband breathing, alive?

When I saw the note written by Svetlana Poklad in the damp uncomfortable shelter on the Facebook page of actress Olga Sumska, I could not hold back my tears. On a ruler sheet in neat handwriting is a list of things the elderly unwell need: life-saving medication for injections, medication for diabetes, blood pressure pills, heart drops, sleeping pills, sedatives, dog food. And only the last item is food for people.

Fortunately, the Pokládovs were able to be transported to a safe city. A Kyiv man called Konstantin, whom the rescued people call an angel.

“A simple man, risking his life every day to get people out of the hell that the understatement called the Novo Russia,” the composer’s wife, Svetlana Poklad, said on her Facebook page. – I’ll tell you everything later.

We’re not going to the bomb shelter anymore, that’s enough…

And yes, my language is Ukrainian now. Despite the fact that there were no Ukrainians in my family. I am disgusted to speak the language of those who burned a lot of Ukrainian cities, towns and villages! Those who raped and hanged young girls in Gostomel! Who shot people with white flags! And those who killed my swallow Mriya… A curse on your heads! Forever! There is no forgiveness for you!”

Lord, will there ever again be music in the maestro’s wounded soul?