A quota for Ukrainian music

One of today’s “hot” subjects is introduction of quotas for Ukrainian music in broadcasting. This law was at least called so when it was being discussed, although it turned out later that it was exclusively about songs – perhaps because the general public, unfortunately, associates music with rhymed lines only. But why does the “permitted” 35 percent not include Ukrainian symphonic, chamber-instrumental, and operatic music which have a long history and are now part of present-day world art? Why were these 35 percent not “beefed up” with the oeuvre of Ukrainian conductors, pianists, violinists, and folk instrument players? The proof of their highest possible level is a great demand for them in the countries that prefer symphony orchestras and opera houses in their musical culture, where the so-called high music can be usually heard on the radio and television. Ukrainian performers are welcome on the world’s leading stages, and they always get rave reviews. But we often come to know about our well-known compatriots as a result of their successful career outside Ukraine.

This thought came to me after a National Philharmonic Society concert of phenomenal young musicians, former Kharkiv residents, winners of many international competitions – violinist Valerii Sokolov and violoncellist Oleksii Shadrin. They played Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto in A Minor with the National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by the superb Ukrainian maestro Vitalii Protasov. The orchestra and soloists struck the audience with the way they performed a true musical masterpiece. The impression was that the spirit of Brahms himself was hovering in the hall, conveying the pain, tenderness, and dramatism of a profound romantic soul. Sokolov’s violin sounded so serenely and beautifully that it astonished listeners with a musical intonation capable of expressing the subtlest emotional senses.

It will be recalled that, after Kharkiv, Sokolov continued his studies in London and Frankfurt; a well-known French director, Bruno Monsaingeon, made a film, Un violon dans l’ame, about him; and the world’s best halls and orchestras are vying for the right to do his concerts. Fortunately, this really prominent, albeit just a 30-year-old, musician is now well known in Ukraine, too, where he always tries to give a concert. Sokolov is now recording, with the National Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko, a compact disc with three violin concertos by Yevhen Stankovych. The composer dedicated one of these gems of contemporary music – Concerto No.3 – to Valerii. Why not include these and many other recordings of Ukrainian musicians into Ukrainian radio broadcasts?

What became a stunning discovery for the concert audience was performance of the 23-year-old Oleksii Shadrin. An incredibly beautiful tone quality seemed to have surpassed all the capabilities of a violoncello that seemed to be producing the intonations and voices of music itself. After receiving education in a Kharkiv specialized music school, Shadrin entered in 2010 the Higher School of Music, Theater, and Media in Hanover, Germany, for such West European countries as Germany and Austria evince special interest in our young musicians.

In  the second part, the musicians showed one more wonder, when Yevgeny Izotov, a brilliant representative of the Petersburg piano school, who has been cooperating with Valerii Sokolov for several years, joined the duet of soloists. Only an ensemble of unique musicians, capable of filling the whole room with a sensation of harmony and supreme beauty, can achieve such an ideal, flamboyant, and sun-like sound of the Concerto for Violin, Violoncello, and Orchestra in C Major which we heard. This art wonder drew prolonged and thunderous applause from the grateful audience.

In one of his interviews, the abovementioned Bruno Monsaingeon predicted that the future of musical Europe would depend to a large extent on the talented young people of Ukraine. There are very many representatives of these young (and not only young) people – those who have emigrated and those who are still studying and working in their native land. The state has now given us a chance to make sure of this – an opportunity to listen to and know the oeuvre of Ukrainian composers and performers. Will the “35-percent law” make use of this?

Lesia Oliinyk is an art critic