A fresh breath of air in the difficult reality of wartime. This is how the 42nd Virtuosos International Music Festival, perhaps the greatest of the Lviv National Philharmonic’s marathons, was conceived. For three days now, the recognised treasures of classical music have been performed on the verge of spring and summer, and the festival has been declaring its unchanging principles: loyalty to the Ukrainian, a thirst for creation and a continuous search for beauty.

Opening of the Festival. Isn’t this the purpose of concerts for solo instrument and orchestra, to engage in a dialogue with the audience from the height of one’s skills and for the sake of mutual pleasure? A spark of celebration, a playful joke, and sometimes a wistful memory close to all the participants flashed during the performance of Amadeus Mozart’s concerto with the skilful and convincing soloist Kateryna Titova.

The evening of testimony to “Unbreakable” was crowned with a symbolic composition for Ukrainians. As you know, the first version of Borys Liatoshynskyi’s Third Symphony was banned by the Soviet authorities. Going back to the roots, the Lviv  National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Volodymyr Syvokhyp presented their own interpretation of the emblem of that time, which for many musicians became a prototype of the revival of our modern history.

On 20 May, two concerts took place at the Lviv Philharmonic:

The intricacies of solo music for the king of piano instruments, the separate universes of romantic Chopin and Liszt, and the ancient sonatas of Scarlatti are a great challenge for any pianist’s skills. The programme became all the more special and festive thanks to the last work, one of the eternal masterpieces of musical art – the Hungarian Rhapsody. It takes a lot of creative will and imagination to keep the focus of the audience’s perception, to whom the original combination of sounds and signs is addressed. That is why the famous young pianist Kateryna Titova (Ukraine-Germany) once again surprised the audience with her unusual artistic decisions.

The second event featured both arrangements of famous classical music masterpieces and original iconic works. The range of stories that the audience plunged into with the help of music included a festive carnival dance, a pathetic, desperate cry, and, of course, a love romance. The audience was accompanied on the steep emotional rollercoaster by Spanish singer Rafael Serrallét and Ukrainian musicians Liliia Nikitchuk and Maksym Rymar.

Finally, on 21 May, the Liudkevych Concert Hall hosted a sample from the golden fund of twentieth-century Ukrainian symphonic music, the first concert in the alphabet of guitar treasures of the world, and a legendary piano masterpiece from the youth of the Polish genius. Inspired by the lush spring gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, which was built in the 16th century, the guitar concerto that brought Joaquin Rodrigo worldwide recognition as the main Spanish composer of the twentieth century and a passionate revolutionary of the guitar instrument will be performed. The author sought to remove the listener from earthly concerns and show the profound beauty of sounds in the heart of nature, to give a sense of true passion for its violent nature. The world-famous Spanish guitarist Rafael Serrallé, who can touch the hearts of a fascinated audience with just one sound, became a guide to this world.

Similarly, Frédéric Chopin’s Piano concerto, completed before his 20th birthday, achieves the highest artistic flight: it captivates from the first note. As the composer himself wrote in a letter to a friend, “The concerto is intended to convey the impression that arises when the eye stops at a favourite landscape that evokes beautiful memories in the soul – for example, of a wonderful moonlit spring night.” The concert was performed by the soloist Maria Klymenko and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv National Philharmonic under the trampoline of Serhiy Khorovets.

Viktor Kosenko’s overture will tell us about the heroic page of Ukrainian history, which we have no right to forget for a single moment. Every moment of our multifaceted life will be revealed with new colours during the performance and will remind us that music exists for this diversity.

Запрошуємо на майбутні події Фестивалю, який триватиме до 4 червня!

Фото: Данило Бедрій, Віталій Грабар