PESNIARY (PESNYARY)
Prog Folk • Belarus
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Pesniary (Pesnyary) picture
Pesniary (Pesnyary) biography
Founded in Belarus in 1969 (originally as "Liavony ").
The group was created in Belarus (Byelorussia, the USSR) in 1967/68 as LIAVONY ('Liavon' is a popular male name in Belarus) by the jazz and folk enthusiast Vladimir Muliavin (1941-2003) and his mates, also musicians whom he met during military service. Vladimir Muliavin became the band's constant leader. In 1969 LIAVONY changed their name to PESNIARY ("(The) Folk Tales Narrators/Singers"). The main specialization of the group was folk songs' adaptation for modern rock instruments (and also violins, flutes, sax, folk whistles, hurdy-gurdy) with heavy accent on vocal harmonies. Their musical approach (not the sound, though) was somehow congenial with that of STEELEYE SPAN. In the very beginning PESNIARY were inspired by THE BEATLES; they (then LIAVONY) even performed "Yesterday" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" with Russian lyrics. But in general, PESNIARY don't sound like any of the mentioned bands. They were certainly pioneers of such music in the Soviet Union. The demanding selection by Muliavin resulted in an unusual amalgam of multi-instrumentalists with incredible voices, a unique band in the USSR (and in the world too).
The 70s.
The peak of the band's popularity, albums were sold in millions of copies (don't think they became millionaires, the one and only record label in the USSR, "Melodiya", paid only symbolic money to artists; on the other hand, artists didn't pay for studio time, promotion, etc). The band often appeared on TV and radio and constantly toured. PESNIARY played 2 - 4 concerts almost every day, but it was hard to buy tickets, they were sold out very fast.
Byelorussian folk songs (arranged by Muliavin) were the base of the band's repertoire.
But there were also songs by Vladimir Muliavin (with lyrics of good Byelorussian poets) and songs of Soviet (Russian and Byelorussian) composers, arranged by the band. Arrangements are very important, because everything PESNIARY performed was made in their unique way. It wouldn't be a mistake to call the band co-authors of songs written by other composers.
It is the period when the band was in constant progress.
In 1976 PESNIARY were the first Soviet rock band toured in the USA.
In the middle of the 70s Vladimir Muliavin decided that it's time for concept works (or programmes, as the band called them).
Three big programmes were created:
- "Песня пра до&...Founded in Belarus in 1969 (originally as "Liavony ").
The group was created in Belarus (Byelorussia, the USSR) in 1967/68 as LIAVONY ('Liavon' is a popular male name in Belarus) by the jazz and folk enthusiast Vladimir Muliavin (1941-2003) and his mates, also musicians whom he met during military service. Vladimir Muliavin became the band's constant leader. In 1969 LIAVONY changed their name to PESNIARY ("(The) Folk Tales Narrators/Singers"). The main specialization of the group was folk songs' adaptation for modern rock instruments (and also violins, flutes, sax, folk whistles, hurdy-gurdy) with heavy accent on vocal harmonies. Their musical approach (not the sound, though) was somehow congenial with that of STEELEYE SPAN. In the very beginning PESNIARY were inspired by THE BEATLES; they (then LIAVONY) even performed "Yesterday" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" with Russian lyrics. But in general, PESNIARY don't sound like any of the mentioned bands. They were certainly pioneers of such music in the Soviet Union. The demanding selection by Muliavin resulted in an unusual amalgam of multi-instrumentalists with incredible voices, a unique band in the USSR (and in the world too).
The 70s.
The peak of the band's popularity, albums were sold in millions of copies (don't think they became millionaires, the one and only record label in the USSR, "Melodiya", paid only symbolic money to artists; on the other hand, artists didn't pay for studio time, promotion, etc). The band often appeared on TV and radio and constantly toured. PESNIARY played 2 - 4 concerts almost every day, but it was hard to buy tickets, they were sold out very fast.
Byelorussian folk songs (arranged by Muliavin) were the base of the band's repertoire.
But there were also songs by Vladimir Muliavin (with lyrics of good Byelorussian poets) and songs of Soviet (Russian and Byelorussian) composers, arranged by the band. Arrangements are very important, because everything PESNIARY performed was made in their unique way. It wouldn't be a mistake to call the band co-authors of songs written by other composers.
It is the period when the band was in constant progress.
In 1976 PESNIARY were the first Soviet rock band toured in the USA.
In the middle of the 70s Vladimir Muliavin decided that it's time for concept works (or programmes, as the band called them).
Three big programmes were created:
- "Песня пра долю" ("The Song of Fate"), 1976-1977, music by Vladimir Muliavin, lyrics by great Byelorussian poet Yanka Kupala. Unfortunately it was never recorded in studio, only some poor quality live recordings exist.
- "Gusliar", 1978-1979, - a poem-legend based on the Yanka Kupala's poem "Barrow", music by Byelorussian composer Igor Luchenok. "Gusliar" has been recorded on LP, in 2000 the label "Boheme Music" released it on CD.
- "Календарно-обрядовые песни" ("Calendar and Ritual Songs"), 1979, - a suite of Byelorussian folk songs with complex vocal and instrumental arrangements.
The line-up was extended up to 15 musicians for these programmes.
The following musicians were the core of the band in the 70s:
- Vladimir Muliavin / leader, vocals, guitars
- Leonid Bortkevich / vocals, hurdy-gurdy
- Anatoliy Kasheparov / vocals, bayan
- Vladislav Misevich / sax, flute, whistles, vocals
- Valeriy Dayneko / vocals, viola
- Leonid Tyshko / bass, backing vocals
- Aleksander Demeshko / drums, vocals
- Vladimir Nikolaev / keyboards, backing vocals, trombone, sax
- Cheslav Poplavskiy / violin, backing vocals
- Anatoliy Gilevich / piano, keyboards
- Vladimir Tkachenko / guitar, violin, backing vocals
- Igor Palivoda / piano, keyboards
They usually considered the band's golden line-up.
80s - 1998.
In 1980 one of lead singers with unique voice, Leonid Bortkevich, left the band. It was the first dramatic line-up change, because he sung many band's hits. The replacement, in the face of Igor Penya, was found. Even if the band lost part of their fans, PESNIARY remained extremely popular - till the mid 80s they often played up to 4 sold out gigs a day.
In this period the band created several song-oriented programmes. All of them contain great songs, incredible vocal harmonies are still there. With Muliavin as a leader the band always had its instantly recognizable sound.
Such gifted musicians as Igor Palivoda, Vladimir Tkachenko, Boris Bernstein, Oleg Molchan, Oleg Kozlovich (Averin) paid, in different years, their contribution in the band's repertoire as arrangers and composers.
In 1986 PESNIARY obtained the status of Belarusian State Ensemble.
Since the end of the 80s the popularity started to decrease, though it was not the band's fault - their "quality standards" were high as ever, but times changed, new generation of listeners needed new heroes.
1998 - 2003.
1998 was the year of the biggest crisis in the whole history of PESNIARY - most of the musicians left the leader and formed their own band, BELORUSSKIE PESNIARY. Fans still argue who's guilty that the band split. For many fans it was the end of their favourite ensemble.
But Vladimir Muliavin decided to carry on - he recruited younger musicians and in 1999 also invited veterans, Leonid Bortkevich and Anatoliy Kasheparov (both lived in the USA since 1990s) to join the band and take part in the band's 30th anniversary concerts.
The bandleader had plans for new songs and programmes, but on May 14, 2002 after terrible car-crash incident Vladimir Muliavin was hospitalized. Doctors made their best during several months, Muliavin often contacted the band and hoped to return to the stage, but on 26th of January 2003 he has died.
2003 - present.
After Vladimir Muliavin's death several bands with the word "PESNIARY" in their name exist, but only 2 of them use it legally:
- Belarusian State Ensemble PESNIARY - de jure is the rightful heir of Muliavin's band, but all of its current members never worked with Vladimir Muliavin;
- BELORUSSKIE PESNIARY registered their name and still play classic songs of PESNIARY as well as their own new songs.
Most of the fans agree that the PESNIARY story ends in 2003.
Better albums:
"Gusliar" (1979) is probably the most interesting album for progfans.
First four studio albums and their excellent 1985 LP "For the Whole of the War" are not pure prog, but they contain clever arrangements and instrumentation, unique vocals and represent the band's sound well.
Despite numerous line-up changes (more than 40 (!) musicians came through the band from 1969 to 2003), PESNIARY always had their own, unique sound. The band created 12 programmes and countless number of separate songs. Unfortunately big part of PESNIARY legacy was never recorded for LP or CD release. These songs still wait for their day to be discovered in collectors' vaults, restored and published.
The band is highly recommended for prog-folk lovers, especially for those who like strong vocal harmonies.
: : NotAProghead & Fassbinder : : :
: : Updated August 2018 : :
See also: WiKi
Founded in Belarus in 1969 (originally as "Liavony ").
The group was created in Belarus (Byelorussia, the USSR) in 1967/68 as LIAVONY ('Liavon' is a popular male name in Belarus) by the jazz and folk enthusiast Vladimir Muliavin (1941-2003) and his mates, also musicians whom he met during military service. Vladimir Muliavin became the band's constant leader. In 1969 LIAVONY changed their name to PESNIARY ("(The) Folk Tales Narrators/Singers"). The main specialization of the group was folk songs' adaptation for modern rock instruments (and also violins, flutes, sax, folk whistles, hurdy-gurdy) with heavy accent on vocal harmonies. Their musical approach (not the sound, though) was somehow congenial with that of STEELEYE SPAN. In the very beginning PESNIARY were inspired by THE BEATLES; they (then LIAVONY) even performed "Yesterday" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" with Russian lyrics. But in general, PESNIARY don't sound like any of the mentioned bands. They were certainly pioneers of such music in the Soviet Union. The demanding selection by Muliavin resulted in an unusual amalgam of multi-instrumentalists with incredible voices, a unique band in the USSR (and in the world too).
The 70s.
The peak of the band's popularity, albums were sold in millions of copies (don't think they became millionaires, the one and only record label in the USSR, "Melodiya", paid only symbolic money to artists; on the other hand, artists didn't pay for studio time, promotion, etc). The band often appeared on TV and radio and constantly toured. PESNIARY played 2 - 4 concerts almost every day, but it was hard to buy tickets, they were sold out very fast.
Byelorussian folk songs (arranged by Muliavin) were the base of the band's repertoire.
But there were also songs by Vladimir Muliavin (with lyrics of good Byelorussian poets) and songs of Soviet (Russian and Byelorussian) composers, arranged by the band. Arrangements are very important, because everything PESNIARY performed was made in their unique way. It wouldn't be a mistake to call the band co-authors of songs written by other composers.
It is the period when the band was in constant progress.
In 1976 PESNIARY were the first Soviet rock band toured in the USA.
In the middle of the 70s Vladimir Muliavin decided that it's time for concept works (or programmes, as the band called them).
Three big programmes were created:
- "Песня пра до&...Founded in Belarus in 1969 (originally as "Liavony ").
The group was created in Belarus (Byelorussia, the USSR) in 1967/68 as LIAVONY ('Liavon' is a popular male name in Belarus) by the jazz and folk enthusiast Vladimir Muliavin (1941-2003) and his mates, also musicians whom he met during military service. Vladimir Muliavin became the band's constant leader. In 1969 LIAVONY changed their name to PESNIARY ("(The) Folk Tales Narrators/Singers"). The main specialization of the group was folk songs' adaptation for modern rock instruments (and also violins, flutes, sax, folk whistles, hurdy-gurdy) with heavy accent on vocal harmonies. Their musical approach (not the sound, though) was somehow congenial with that of STEELEYE SPAN. In the very beginning PESNIARY were inspired by THE BEATLES; they (then LIAVONY) even performed "Yesterday" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" with Russian lyrics. But in general, PESNIARY don't sound like any of the mentioned bands. They were certainly pioneers of such music in the Soviet Union. The demanding selection by Muliavin resulted in an unusual amalgam of multi-instrumentalists with incredible voices, a unique band in the USSR (and in the world too).
The 70s.
The peak of the band's popularity, albums were sold in millions of copies (don't think they became millionaires, the one and only record label in the USSR, "Melodiya", paid only symbolic money to artists; on the other hand, artists didn't pay for studio time, promotion, etc). The band often appeared on TV and radio and constantly toured. PESNIARY played 2 - 4 concerts almost every day, but it was hard to buy tickets, they were sold out very fast.
Byelorussian folk songs (arranged by Muliavin) were the base of the band's repertoire.
But there were also songs by Vladimir Muliavin (with lyrics of good Byelorussian poets) and songs of Soviet (Russian and Byelorussian) composers, arranged by the band. Arrangements are very important, because everything PESNIARY performed was made in their unique way. It wouldn't be a mistake to call the band co-authors of songs written by other composers.
It is the period when the band was in constant progress.
In 1976 PESNIARY were the first Soviet rock band toured in the USA.
In the middle of the 70s Vladimir Muliavin decided that it's time for concept works (or programmes, as the band called them).
Three big programmes were created:
- "Песня пра долю" ("The Song of Fate"), 1976-1977, music by Vladimir Muliavin, lyrics by great Byelorussian poet Yanka Kupala. Unfortunately it was never recorded in studio, only some poor quality live recordings exist.
- "Gusliar", 1978-1979, - a poem-legend based on the Yanka Kupala's poem "Barrow", music by Byelorussian composer Igor Luchenok. "Gusliar" has been recorded on LP, in 2000 the label "Boheme Music" released it on CD.
- "Календарно-обрядовые песни" ("Calendar and Ritual Songs"), 1979, - a suite of Byelorussian folk songs with complex vocal and instrumental arrangements.
The line-up was extended up to 15 musicians for these programmes.
The following musicians were the core of the band in the 70s:
- Vladimir Muliavin / leader, vocals, guitars
- Leonid Bortkevich / vocals, hurdy-gurdy
- Anatoliy Kasheparov / vocals, bayan
- Vladislav Misevich / sax, flute, whistles, vocals
- Valeriy Dayneko / vocals, viola
- Leonid Tyshko / bass, backing vocals
- Aleksander Demeshko / drums, vocals
- Vladimir Nikolaev / keyboards, backing vocals, trombone, sax
- Cheslav Poplavskiy / violin, backing vocals
- Anatoliy Gilevich / piano, keyboards
- Vladimir Tkachenko / guitar, violin, backing vocals
- Igor Palivoda / piano, keyboards
They usually considered the band's golden line-up.
80s - 1998.
In 1980 one of lead singers with unique voice, Leonid Bortkevich, left the band. It was the first dramatic line-up change, because he sung many band's hits. The replacement, in the face of Igor Penya, was found. Even if the band lost part of their fans, PESNIARY remained extremely popular - till the mid 80s they often played up to 4 sold out gigs a day.
In this period the band created several song-oriented programmes. All of them contain great songs, incredible vocal harmonies are still there. With Muliavin as a leader the band always had its instantly recognizable sound.
Such gifted musicians as Igor Palivoda, Vladimir Tkachenko, Boris Bernstein, Oleg Molchan, Oleg Kozlovich (Averin) paid, in different years, their contribution in the band's repertoire as arrangers and composers.
In 1986 PESNIARY obtained the status of Belarusian State Ensemble.
Since the end of the 80s the popularity started to decrease, though it was not the band's fault - their "quality standards" were high as ever, but times changed, new generation of listeners needed new heroes.
1998 - 2003.
1998 was the year of the biggest crisis in the whole history of PESNIARY - most of the musicians left the leader and formed their own band, BELORUSSKIE PESNIARY. Fans still argue who's guilty that the band split. For many fans it was the end of their favourite ensemble.
But Vladimir Muliavin decided to carry on - he recruited younger musicians and in 1999 also invited veterans, Leonid Bortkevich and Anatoliy Kasheparov (both lived in the USA since 1990s) to join the band and take part in the band's 30th anniversary concerts.
The bandleader had plans for new songs and programmes, but on May 14, 2002 after terrible car-crash incident Vladimir Muliavin was hospitalized. Doctors made their best during several months, Muliavin often contacted the band and hoped to return to the stage, but on 26th of January 2003 he has died.
2003 - present.
After Vladimir Muliavin's death several bands with the word "PESNIARY" in their name exist, but only 2 of them use it legally:
- Belarusian State Ensemble PESNIARY - de jure is the rightful heir of Muliavin's band, but all of its current members never worked with Vladimir Muliavin;
- BELORUSSKIE PESNIARY registered their name and still play classic songs of PESNIARY as well as their own new songs.
Most of the fans agree that the PESNIARY story ends in 2003.
Better albums:
"Gusliar" (1979) is probably the most interesting album for progfans.
First four studio albums and their excellent 1985 LP "For the Whole of the War" are not pure prog, but they contain clever arrangements and instrumentation, unique vocals and represent the band's sound well.
Despite numerous line-up changes (more than 40 (!) musicians came through the band from 1969 to 2003), PESNIARY always had their own, unique sound. The band created 12 programmes and countless number of separate songs. Unfortunately big part of PESNIARY legacy was never recorded for LP or CD release. These songs still wait for their day to be discovered in collectors' vaults, restored and published.
The band is highly recommended for prog-folk lovers, especially for those who like strong vocal harmonies.
: : NotAProghead & Fassbinder : : :
: : Updated August 2018 : :
See also: WiKi
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PESNIARY (PESNYARY) Videos (YouTube and more)
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??? ォ???????サ - ??, ???? ?? ????? (Sopot Festival ''71)
(3 min 28 sec )Added by NotAProghead
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Pesniary - Oy rana na Ivana
(3 min 25 sec )Added by NotAProghead
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Re: Pesnyary - Vologda
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PESNIARY (PESNYARY) discography
Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums
PESNIARY (PESNYARY) top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)
4.14 | 25 ratings Pesniary1971 4.25 | 23 ratings Pesniary II
1974 3.32 | 19 ratings Pesniary III
1978 4.36 | 24 ratings Pesniary IV
1978
4.38 | 51 ratings
Gusliar
1979 2.28 | 10 ratings Через всю войну / For The Whole Of The War
1985 4.50 | 2 ratings 25 Years
1994 0.00 | 0 ratings Pesnyary 2001
2001
1979 2.28 | 10 ratings Через всю войну / For The Whole Of The War
1985 4.50 | 2 ratings 25 Years
1994 0.00 | 0 ratings Pesnyary 2001
2001
PESNIARY (PESNYARY) Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)
3.56 | 9 ratings Zacharovannaya moya (The Enhanted One)1983 0.00 | 0 ratings Календарно-обрядовые песни / Гусляр // Calendar and Ritual Songs / Gusliar (Live 1979-1980)
2023 0.00 | 0 ratings Победы свет! Концерт 1984 / Light of the Victory! Live 1984 (including "For the Whole of the War" programme)
2024