Dzivia

From the dark forests and swamps of Eastern Europe comes Dzivia — the musical project of Belarusian composer Artur Dzivia Matveenko. Founded in 2012, Dzivia has established a distinctive presence on the Slavic music scene, setting itself apart with its unique sound. Drawing inspiration from the orchestral works of Romantic composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Antonín Dvořák,as well as ancient folk music and modern genres such as black metal, Dzivia fuses orchestral grandeur with traditional folk instruments to create symphonic arrangements that draw on ancient Balto-Slavic heritage. This fusion creates something entirely new. The music defies conventional categorisation, though Matveenko refers to it as "Pagan Orchestra". Drawing on his academic background in philology and his knowledge of ancient texts and Balto-Slavic traditions, Matveenko creates lyrics that draw on Balto-Slavic mythology and spiritual traditions that are rarely explored in contemporary music. After almost seven years of work, in December 2018 Dzivia released "Rujnuj" — the first full-length album to bring this vision to life. In 2021, the single "Flower Maiden" was released to herald a new album, which was delayed due to circumstances beyond the composer's control. In 2025, Dzivia returned with a collaborative track featuring Gealdýr confirming that he is working on two new concept albums.