Contrasts 31. Contemporary Cello

Performers:

• Vlad Kulyk, flute
• Viktoriia Nikolaienko, clarinet
• Denys Svitko, violin
• Olha Kulchytska, cello
• Mariia Khodakivska, cello
• Anastasiia Zokhniuk, cello
• Dmytro Nikolaiev, cello
• Viktoriia Khodakivska, cello
• Nataliia Pelekh, piano
• Beatrice Buchok, piano

Program:

• Ivan Karabyts (1945–2002, UA). Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 (1968)
• George Crumb (1929–2022, US). Sonata for Solo Cello (1955)
• Krzysztof Penderecki (1933–2020, PL). Divertimento for Solo Cello (1994)
• Anastasiia Zokhniuk. Chimera-Habanera for cello and piano
• Myroslav Skoryk (1938–2020, UA). A-ri-a for cello and piano (1998)
• Liubava Sydorenko (*1979, UA). Études of the Old City for solo cello (2007)
• Yevhen Stankovych (*1942, UA). Sounds of the Sad Drymba for cello and piano (1992)
• Hanna Havrylets (1958–2022, UA). Sotto voce for two cellos and piano (1996)
• Mariia Khodakivska (*2003, UA). Reminiscences for cello and piano (2023)

Moderator: Polina Kordovska

“Two years ago, the constellation of prestigious performance competitions was enriched by a new project — the All-Ukrainian Competition in memory of pedagogue and cellist Yevhen Shpitzer, which gave young performers on string instruments the opportunity to compete for victory. After two intense rounds, the names of the winners were determined. In addition to competition awards, they also received a special prize from the Philharmonic’s General Director Volodymyr Syvokhip — the opportunity to perform in a Philharmonic concert. The Shpitzer Competition emphasized the performance of Ukrainian music, which we have preserved in the program of this concert. Also featured will be Yevhen Stankovych’s piece Sounds of the Sad Drymba and the cello and piano version of Myroslav Skoryk’s A-ri-a. In my opinion, Skoryk balances between the serious and the playful here, leaving a taste of incompleteness, a space for imaginative guesses and dreams,” — Yurii Laniuk.

The three laureates — Mariia Khodakivska, Anastasiia Zokhniuk, and Olha Kulchytska — are students of the Lviv Mykola Lysenko National Music Academy, where they are honing their mastery under the close guidance of composer and mentor of a whole generation of contemporary cellists, Yurii Laniuk. They are joined by fellow cellists Dmytro Nikolaiev and Viktoriia Khodakivska, whose artistic formation also took place in Laniuk’s class. Adding contrast and complementary colors to the evening are the timbres of flute (Vlad Kulyk), clarinet (Viktoriia Nikolaienko), violin (Denys Svitko), and piano (Nataliia Pelekh, Beatrice Bucok).

Mariia Levkovych