The primary musical figures of Ukraine have always been the “kobzars,” the itinerant musician who has traditionally played “bandura” (zither) and spread folk music and poetry.
Kobzars were such an important part of Ukraine’s national identity at the beginning of the Soviet period that Stalin invited the nation’s kobzars to a conference, arrested them and…worse. The Soviets replaced independent, multicultural Ukrainian music with sterile, state-sponsored orchestras and effectively prohibited musical expression.
After the Soviet Union collapsed a new crop of musicians rose to revive the folk traditions of Ukraine, though with the ascendance of modern music like rock, pop and hip hop, a legitimate kobzar is hard to find. Enjoy this short documentary tribute to “the last kobzar,” Ostap Kindrachuk.
