Hennadiy Demianchuk. Piano recital

In the concert of the famous pianist from the Ukrainian city Chernihiv, a whole range of piano music masterpieces from baroque to romanticism will be performed.

The unique genre of the chorale prelude, which had been developing during Bach‘s time, will be presented in the first two pieces of the program. The performer Hennadiy Demianchuk says: “Many authors have written in this genre, but no one has achieved the same skill in improvising on chorale themes. In addition, Busoni was a great arranger and made excellent translations of organ Bach compositions for the piano, which no one else managed to do at this level. It is interesting that his approach to the transcriptions was very creative: he could add notes, even bars. But it gave brilliant results.”

Two sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, a contemporary of Bach, will bring a contrast to the perception of the music of that time. And then there will be a journey to classicism, embodied through the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. “ ‘Mozart will not be sonata-like, light or cheerful,’ Hennadiy Demianchuk declares. His fantasies and adagio (minor pieces) are the “dark” pages of the genius composer’s creativity, based on his art of improvisation. After all, as noted in one of the letters, ‘whoever has not heard Mozart improvising, does not know him at all.’ In his works, he gives free rein to his imagination, and breaks out of the framework of the sonata form. The two fantasies that will be played were completed by abbot Stadler, archivist of Vienna. It is not known how the works would have ended if Mozart had finished them.”

Schubert‘s impromptu op. 90 is his most popular opus in this genre. Summarizing his own experience, the pianist says: “These are exactly the works of Franz Schubert that the public loves. It is afraid of his huge piano sonatas, but the impromptu is always amusing.”

Finally, as the last compositions of the concert, there will be two pieces by Frédéric Chopin. It is symbolic that, being in a foreign land, he did not forget his country even for a minute. Hennadiy Demyanchuk shares his opinion on Chopin’s love for the Motherland and innovation in the interpretation of the mazurka genre: “In 1830, friends saved Chopin from participating in the Warsaw Uprising, where most of the then elite were mercilessly destroyed later. And Chopin made mazurkas the pearls of the entire European musical establishment.

Who knew about the mazurka genre before Chopin? He made it recognizable by giving it pity and an unforgettable longing for the Motherland. Even in the Nocturne, which will be heard (by the way, written in the same 1830 year), a fantastic, strange phenomenon emerges from nowhere — the rhythm of a mazurka is woven into this pitiful song”.

Artist: 

• Hennadiy Demianchuk, piano

Program:

• Johann Sebastian Bach – Ferruccio Buzoni 
  • Chorale prelude “Nun Komm’der Heiden Heiland”, BWV 659 (1748)
  • Chorale prelude “Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ”, BWV 639 (1708–1717)

• Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) 
  • Sonata К11 c-moll (1738)
  • Sonata К9 d-moll (1739)

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
  • Adagio h-moll KV540 (1788)
  • Fantasie c-moll KV396 (1782)
  • Fantasie d-moll KV397 (1782)

• Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
  • Impromptu Ges-dur op. 90 №3 (1827)
  • Impromptu Es-dur op. 90 №2 (1827)

• Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) 
  • Nocturne cis-moll op. posth. (1830)
  • Mazurka h-moll op. 33, №4 (1843)

Live broadcast provided by:
Andrij Zelenyj, camera
Mykola Khshanovskyi, live broadcast director
Marian Lesiuk, sound director
Bohdan Sehin, producer

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“Ukraine – 2022. Muses Are Not Silent” is a concert series in support of Ukrainian musicians during the russian armed aggression. Online concerts will become a platform for the uniting of the Ukrainian music community, as many musicians participating in these concert programs have become internally displaced people and have found shelter in Lviv.

We provide a free opportunity for the whole world to watch concerts on the official YouTube channel of the Lviv National Philharmonic. At the same time, we suggest our listeners from abroad make charitable donations to Ukrainian musicians who have stayed here in Ukraine.

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