Born in Kharkiv, he graduated from the Kharkiv Conservatory in 1960, where he had studied under Dmitri Klebanov. He was awarded the Ostrovsky Prize in 1967, and the Taras Shevchenko Prize in 1984. His first opera, Zahybel’ eskadry (‘The Destruction of the Squadron’) (1966) brought him to public attention.
His compositions include operas (of which he wrote many including in 1980 the opera-balletViy, Reborn May (1974), The Reluctant Matchmaker (1985), and Remember, My Brotherhood, described as an opera-oratorio (1990–91)), film music, and Pys’ma lyubvi (Letters to love) (1972), a cycle of four monologues for soprano and chamber ensemble.
