Contrasts 31. Signs of Sound

Performers:

• Hlib Sasko, cello (UA)
• Maksym Shadko, piano (UA)

Program:

• Valentyn Bibik (*1940–2003, UA). Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano, Op. 85
  • Larghetto
    L’istesso tempo
• Yevhen Stankovych (*1942, UA). Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano (1971)
• Maksym Shalygin (*1985, UA/NL). Angel (version for cello and piano)
• Bohdana Frolyak (*1968, UA). Flutter for cello and piano
• Maksym Ivanov (*2001, UA). Game with shard for cello and piano (2025), world premiere
• Yurii Pikush (*1998, UA). Solum for cello and piano (2025), world premiere

Moderator: Maksym Shadko

This concert opens the world of chamber music for cello and piano, where the tradition of 20th-century Ukrainian music meets the newest sonic experiments. In the sonatas of Valentyn Bibik and Yevhen Stankovych we encounter a dense fabric of musical expression, where every note is charged with inner tension and framed within a flawless dramaturgy. The program then leads the listener to the works of Ukrainian-Dutch composer Maxim Shalygin and the creativity of renowned Lviv-based composer Bohdana Frolyak — and finally to the music of younger contemporaries, who boldly explore new dimensions of sound.

In his work, Maksym Ivanov turns to a childhood story where danger appears as a game. An absurd adventure — an escape from an abandoned warehouse, adrenaline, blood, and laughter — is transformed into sound. His composition is an attempt to convey the naïve energy of facing a threat that is both frightening and captivating.

Yurii Pikush, in his project Solum (from Latin: earth, foundation, support), unfolds another experience — reflections on existence itself, built upon the ruins of a familiar world.

Dzvenyslava Safian