Contrasts 30. Ukrainian variations

Performers:

• Liliya Nikitchuk, mezzo-soprano
• Volodymyr Zatsikha, violin
• Roman Balko, trumpet
• Dmytro Oliynyk , percussion
• Bozhena Ivanyshyn, harp
• Zhanna Mykytka, piano (UA/AT)
• Myroslav Dragan , piano
• Lviv Chamber Orchestra "Academy"
• Ihor Pilatiuk, artistic director and conductor
• Artur Mykytka, director and accompanist

Program:

• Marcus Göring (*1969, DE). "Ukrainian Variations" for String Orchestra (2022) Dedicated to the Lviv Chamber Orchestra "Academy". Ukrainian premiere
• Bohdana Frolyak (*1968, UA). "Silent Song", lyrics by Taras Shevchenko (2022)
• Olga Kryvolap (*1951, UA) . "Elegy" from the cycle "Chamber Music for Piano and Strings" (2024). World premiere
• Myroslav Skoryk (1938–2020, UA) . Concertino for Trumpet, Harp, Piano and Percussion (2014)
• Yuriy Reshetar (*1961, UA). Triptych for string orchestra "Philosophy of Dance". Dedicated to the Lviv Chamber Orchestra "Academy" (2022)
  • "Influenze bei Tango"
  • "La Valse"
  • Hopak

The moderator is Maria Levkovych

From the very beginning of its formation, one of the directions of the festival is the support of gifted youth, and, therefore, the opportunity for young soloists to debut on the big stage. However, the opposite also happened: the history of the festival preserves the mention of how at that time the already famous Lviv student chamber orchestra "Akademiya" supported "Contrasts", becoming their permanent member.

Over the course of 30 years, the composition of the "forever young" energetic orchestra changed several times, but the high level remained unchanged - every year the musicians presented unique new programs with complex solos and demanding orchestral parts. Before the eyes of regular visitors of the festival, soloists grew from first-year students, and real diamonds ripened between the orchestra consoles. Under the watchful eye of Artur Mykytka, director and concertmaster of the "Academy", artistic director and conductor Ihor Pilatyuk, more than one generation of well-known musicians has been formed.

This time, the "Academy" will proudly present the works that inspired the artists. These were written in 2022 under the influence of the determination of young Ukrainian musicians "Ukrainian Variations" for string orchestra by the German composer Markus Goering and Triptych for string orchestra "Philosophy of Dance" by the Ukrainian Yuri Reshetar. The melodiousness of the Ukrainian song with the timbres of strings will also be heard in the work "Silent Song" by Bohdana Frolyak. And with an extravagant combination of trumpet, harp, piano, strings and percussion, the work of the patron of the Philharmonic, Miroslav Skoryk, will impress.

The program of the "Academy" did not miss world premieres - "Elegy" from the series "Chamber Music for Piano and Strings" by Olga Kryvolap, a composer who has been collaborating with the orchestra for a long time, will also receive a premiere.

Maria Levkovych

The idea of "Ukrainian Variations" appeared as a response to the announced concert of the Ukrainian orchestra in 2022 in Munich. Of all the Ukrainian songs known to me, I chose, at first glance, the most popular one, because "Oh in the meadow, red viburnum" has already become the unofficial anthem of the country. However, I was interested in the richness of the melody, the possibility of embodying it in various styles - from baroque to romantic. The variations conclude with the return of the main theme in a gentle and brightly orchestrated canon that symbolizes hope.

Marcus Göring

"Silent Song" was written to Shevchenko's poem "Farewell, world, farewell, earth" in 2022 for voice and mixed choir. In the same year, I made a version for mezzo-soprano and strings commissioned by Alexis Soriano especially for the Festival International Alborada Clasica (Spain), where the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, mezzo-soprano Giustina Gringite and conductor Alexis Soriano gave its world premiere.

Bohdana Frolyak

"Elegy" is a combination of the shimmering purity of the melody, nostalgia, silence, peace... The beauty of life in its harmony with music, where romantic bursts replace tango brought to the edge in its tragedy.

Olga Kryvolap

"Philosophy of Dance" is a musical interpretation of the eternal human desire to find balance and harmony in the world, where every movement and every note is part of a deep philosophical dialogue between dance and being. The first part - "Influenze bei Tango" is a tense game between alienation and attraction, where every step is an act of choice and conflict. Instead, "La Valse" is not only an allusion to the classical waltz, but a delving into its subconscious dimension, after which the listener will be treated to an explosion of energy and power of the folk dance - "Hopak".

Yuriy Reshetar