Serhiy Bedusenko. "The Aeneid", a rock-opera. (2CD).

Foremost, it is interesting because it is the first rock-opera in Ukraine. But it could not have gathered the full house for several years one after another, if it had no more advantages besides this one. You needn't even accentuate the uncommonness of the text of "Eneyida" by Ivan Kotyarevskyi, on the basis of which this rock-opera is created. Still, let’s not make haste. You know, by its content this work of Kotyarevskyi is, so to say, an epic burlesque, and everything we hear at this disc only continues this line and makes separate details even brighter. In which way? Simply. A polyphonic theatre of absurd or tragicomedy sounds here, in which everything is quite contrary – funny things seem to be bitter, and tragic things happen in such a way that it is impossible to check your smile. It is understandable that such approach gives a good chance to make experiments, musical ones in particular. Serhiy Bedusenko, the composer, used this chance in an inventive way. As for music, in this particular case so many modern styles are put on the basis of the traditional Ukrainian music and folklore that it is simply impossible to count all of them. Art, jazz, blues, reggae, rap and simply rock – and so on. Still, we have to give the composer his due – all this almost Babylonian hurly-burly sounds organically, properly and witty. Let’s also add the names of such stars as Taisiya Povaliy, Anatoliy Matviychuk, Anatoliy Hostikoyev, Mykyta Dzhyhurda and Bohdan Benyuk (it’s only the beginning of the list) starring in their roles, and an exceptional sense of humour, as well as topicality, because laughing at oneself is always topical. Well, now, isn’t it interesting for you?

Anton Jozhik Leyba (Hedgehog)