Denys Berezhnyi

Information

About the Musician

Denys Berezhnyi (b. 1974) is a Ukrainian professional singer-songwriter. He graduated from the vocal department of the conservatory. A special feature of his creative work is a unique combination of different genres and styles of music: his own songs, arias, romances, world popular songs, ethnic (Romani, Spanish, Latin American) music, French chanson, art songs, performed with his own guitar accompaniment. Recording simultaneously, without any overdubbing, multitracking, and audio mixing. Concerts mostly without a microphone.

From interviews,

“...No matter how many different orchestras, music groups or rock bands accompany me, I always return to my guitar accompaniment. The more challenging the song is, the more thrilling it is to perform it professionally and beautifully by means of only voice and guitar”. (read more)
“...It's important for me, the idea of kinship, unity of works of different vocal genres and the possibility of how they can be combined, through execution of the same instruments (voice and guitar)”.

Denys Berezhnyi worked his way from a street and restaurant musician to an opera and concert singer. He has been writing songs since 1988. In the early nineties he was a member of the rock bands Чорт на дзвіниці and Провокація, a regular participant of Afghan telethons of repentance. Later, along with studying at the conservatory, he constantly performed concerts. He sang in many places — underground crossings, town squares, discothèques, clubs, restaurants, radio, television, music festivals, theaters, and concert halls. He formed his own audience during that time; he is working with these people now.

Discography (details):: Callsign “Donetsk”. Russo-Ukrainian War Song Cycle (13.03.2014–2024); Prewar (2013–2014); Ploughman’s Pathos (2012); Forward-backward (2012); Our Honour (2010–2011); Adamo in Russian (2010/2017, Joint album); Intellectual’s Comfort (2009); Gathering of Stones (2008); I am a sun-man and everyone wants to be warmed by my rays (2007, Studio “Laos”); A Book (2006, Studio DRSTRC); Shame (2005, Studio “Gorki 29”); Rebellion (2004, Studio “Gorki 29”); Belge (2003, Studio “FAT Records”); Plays at a fork in the road (1993); The Wind(1990); The Day (1989)

The titles of several concert programs:

2012: “Musical anthology of contemporary poetry”;; “200-year Echo” Franco-Russian War of 1812 in romances of our contemporaries
(version: Allusions to the Franco-Russian War of 1812 in post-postmodern romances);
2011: “Saint Petersburg romance of the 21st century” Romances and songs on poems by contemporary poets of St. Petersburg;; “Moscow Still Alive” Songs on poems by contemporary poets of Moscow;; “Listen to This Snow” A song cycle on poems by Natalya Malinina;
2008: “Contemporary vocal music. Romances and songs on poems by the Internet age poets”;; “Gubanov. Sosnora. Two northern birds” Romances and songs on poems by Leonid Gubanov and Viktor Sosnora;; “Tick-Tock Citizen” A song cycle on poems by Konstantin Rupasov;
2001–2002: Concert programs “Evolution of Romance” (Parts I and II), which outlined changes to the genre from old times to the most recent trends. For the first time in these programs, romances from the operas of Donizetti, Wagner, Bizet sounded with the guitar accompaniment of a singer, which is as close to an opera libretto.

Also, Denys Berezhnyi has been teaching singing and accompanying on guitar individually since 1990, including remotely via webcam since 2011, and has taught hundreds of people around the world during this time. He has been a music producer and arranger for several of his students. Educational organizations and individual teachers widely use the practical methods of Denys Berezhnyi’s Guitar-plus-Vocal School in their work.

About the Music

Denys with Dyufa and Phil (Lyolechka) Denys Berezhnyi, professional singer-songwriter who originally united music of different genres, styles and trends in his art, but follows the principle of individualism in performance.

Singer’s creation biography includes a lot of concert programs on various topics:

Opera, classical, modern chamber and vocal music. One of the outstanding programs is “Evolution of Romance”, in which arias and romances from operas are sung with the guitar accompaniment of a performer. This style, referred to as Progressive romance, embraces both singing and guitar-playing skills and does not allow any other accompaniment and artificial overlay of different parts.

Ethnic music. Romani folksongs (authentic performance and performance of translations), Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Peruvian and Bolivian (Latin American) folk songs.

Classics of world popular music.

War songs. Classics of bard songs, a crime genre, and also classics of rock music.

Programs of his own songs which represent modern serious music since the late eighties till now.