41st International Festival of Music Art

Lviv / May, 20-29, 2022

Myroslav Skoryk Lviv National Philharmonic

Lyudkevych Concert Hall

Festival live streams:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5AOoxNABEn2QLU_zkUL52vUKyYY-HZ63

We invite you to celebrate the last days of spring at the Lviv National Philharmonic with the 41st International Festival “Virtuosos-2022. Ukrainian Muses Are Not Silent”. It will take place on May, 20-29.

“Virtuosos” is the first classical music festival to be held in Ukraine during the full-scale war in 2022. It is also the first time in the history of the Myroslav Skoryk Lviv National Philharmonic that all events of the Festival will be available live on its YouTube channel.

Profit from ticket sales will be donated to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and charitable donations from online live streams will be used to support musicians who stay in Ukraine during wartime.

Bank details for charitable help.

It is a multi-currency account that accepts transfers in US dollars, euros and Polish zlotys.

Bank name:

JOINT STOCK COMPANY “THE STATE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF UKRAINE”

Lviv branch

Address of bank:

Ukraine, 79000, Lviv, 4, A.Mitskevich sq.

BIC (SWIFT) code (Bank identifier code):

EXBS UA UX

IBAN code (International Bank Account Number code):

UA07 322 313 00000 26 009 0000 40 819

Name of the account holder:

LVIV NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC

Address of the account holder

Ukraine, 79000, Lviv, 7 Tchaikovsky Str.

Purpose of payment:

Charitable help for musicians in Ukraine

Love, harmony, and beauty have been and remain the core values of the “Virtuosos” for all four decades of its existence. However, this year, the musicians of Ukraine were especially challenged to defend the values ​​of art. The slogan of the whole Festival is “Ukrainian Muses Are Not Silent”. They speak up loud on their cultural front.

For the first time ever, at the Opening of the Festival, a Mass for the dead will be performed. Volodymyr Syvokhip, director of the Myroslav Skoryk Lviv National Philharmonic, says: “The choice of Mozart’s Requiem was provoked by tragic circumstances when civilians and our soldiers pass every day. The current performance by Chamber Choir “Gloria” and “INSO-Lviv” Symphony Orchestra will be dedicated to all the sons and daughters of Ukraine who died for our future freedom.”

The next concert performance on May 21 is associated with a symbolic date — the period when Ukraine celebrates Europe Day. But the works contained in the program are exclusively Ukrainian and contemporary. This confirms the title of the event — for many years one after the other, and especially today, Ukraine is part of Europe, its cultural and historical heritage.

Just created Bohdana Frolyak’s Cello Concerto, Lviv premiere of Bohdan Kryvopust’s “Ukrainian Overture” (this work, written last year, won the All-Ukrainian Overture Competition) and Yevhen Stankovych’s Second Symphony, — these three generations of Ukrainian composers will present their European integrated works.

On Sunday, May 22, there will be two concerts. During the first, pianist Maria Bondarenko will present the program “Reminiscence”. The time range of the program is two centuries of European music development. The pearl of the recital will be the music of Nestor Nyzhankivskyi. The second concert will feature a monumental work, “Stabat Mater” by Pergolesi. This composition, which has always been in the repertoire of the Lviv National Philharmonic during Holy Week, will be displayed in a new context. The music will become an expression of pain from the losses of the war — “Mother of Sorrows stood at the True Cross, mourning the death of her crucified Son…”. The performers are Lviv State Academic Male Choir “Dudaryk” and Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Yurii Bervetsky.

A project dedicated to the piano cycle of seven pieces written by the famous French composer of the 20th century, Olivier Messiaen, will happen on May, 24. Today, “Visions of Amen” have a special symbolism, also because they were commissioned for the composer to be performed in Paris under occupation, in the series “Concerts de la Pléiade”. This event, aimed at supporting musicians and uniting the musical community, has been called an act of artistic resistance for a long time.

Presenting European classical heritage, the concert program on May, 25 appears in two directions – instrumental and vocal. More vivid theatricality in music is characteristic of Bortnianskyi and Mozart; more focus on the personal feelings – in the music of Berezovskyi and Mysliveček. And in addition, the music of Galuppi and Martini creates an opportunity for an unspoken audible comparison — did the students exceed the teachers?..

A piano recital by Jozsef Örmény on May, 26 will be a homage to Valentyn Sylvestrov‘s creativity. As a result of full-scale Russian aggression, the composer was forced to leave his home in Kyiv and become a refugee in Europe. However, his music continues to sound, sharing the value of the moment, the fragility of human existence, and giving hope for life.

Realizing the importance of popularizing Ukrainian music, the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, led by the famous Polish conductor Vincent Kozlovsky, will present Oleksandr Shymko‘s concert overture “Exaltation”. This work won the third prize in the All-Ukrainian Composer’s Competition “Ukrainian Concert Overture” in 2021. Another iconic opus appears in the program, “Death and Transfiguration” by Richard Strauss. On the way from inspired exaltation to spiritual transformation, the program offers to focus on the Violin Concerto No. 2 by Pierre Wissmer, performed by famous French violinist Eva Zavaro.

Every year, the Lviv National Philharmonic traditionally celebrates the birthday of the most significant and famous composer of all ages — Johann Sebastian Bach. The 2022 honours the 337th anniversary of his “reign” over music, and on this occasion, on May, 28, the “Virtuosos” presents a program of his most known works, played by young Lviv talents.

Despite difficult times and martial law in Ukraine, the Festival maintains its international status. “Spanish Serenade for Ukraine” is a carefully selected program of pieces from the classical guitar repertoire. “A musical trip that will take us to other times and will introduce different composers such as Aguado, Padilla, Albenis”, says Rafael Serralet.

The concert program of the last day of the Festival, on May, 29,  will represent chamber music traditions, ingrained in both European and Ukrainian cultures. Schubert’s “Trout Quintet” is at the forefront of the repertoire of various artists around the world. On the other hand, Barvinsky’s Variations are still less known, not only abroad, but also in Ukraine. Due to the online live stream, the Festival seeks to promote worthy Ukrainian examples of chamber music and raise knowledge about them.