A celebration of classics
Music stars gather in Chernihiv March 19 through 31
The Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine and maestro Mykola Sukach invite all music lovers to the 11th festival Siversk Music Evenings, which will be held in Chernihiv March 19 through 31. This feast of music is traditionally held at the Chernihiv oblast center for festivals and concerts.
The parade of music stars will be launched by the virtuoso pianist, winner of international competitions Oleg Polyansky (Ukraine-Germany). The concert will also feature the talented violinist Mayu Kishima (Japan). The soiree will comprise works by Franz Liszt and Aram Khachaturian. On March 20 the festival invites everyone to the Violin Music Soiree, which will include works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Eugene Ysaye, and Sergei Prokofiev, performed by Kishima and Polyansky.
The artistic director of the Siversk Music Evenings and chief conductor at the Academic Symphony Orchestra Mykola Sukach underlined that it was namely the enthusiastic work of the orchestra, as well as the support and love of the audience that inspired him to hold a regular international festival of classical music in Chernihiv. The first forum took place in 2001 under the name “February Music Evenings”; later it was renamed Siversk Music Evenings.
On March 22, at the Instrumental Music Concert Evening, Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 “Emperor” was performed by the Symphony Orchestra (soloist: Mykola Suk, US), as will Elgar’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (soloist: Andrew Smith, US) and Raykhelson’s Concerto for Piano (soloist: Olga Shadrina, Chernihiv).
Music lovers will surely flock to the Evening of Mozart Music, which will feature musicians from the US: Stephen Caplan (oboe) and Bill Bernatis (French horn) as well as the Ukrainian clarinetist Ihor Vasiuk. Andrii Shevchukovsky will conduct the orchestra.
On March 26, the program “Its Majesty the Clarinet,” will notably feature celebrated students (winners of prestigious international competitions) of the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music. The festival will be ended by Liszt’s Symphonic Poem “Les Preludes,” performed by Dmitry Trapeznikov. This Russian bass singer will present a program that includes arias from the operas Prince Igor, Faust, Aleko and Legend of St. Elizabeth. The final piece will be Liszt’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1, performed by Vadim Rudenko.
“With each passing year our festival is growing more and more popular, and admirers from various Ukrainian cities come to listen to the outstanding musicians, but it is very hard to hold it,” Sukach explained, “Today, owing to the fact that the Siversk Music Evenings has an important sponsor, Raiffeisen Bank Aval, and the support of Chernihiv’s administration, we could arrange an interesting program and invite world-level performers. The main problem is that currently the lineup of our Philharmonic Orchestra is being reformed. This is a complicated process, because new musicians come, and we must play so well together that the orchestra sounds like one organism. We have many rehearsals, and I’m sure our performance at the festival will be quite decent. For many years in succession I’ve been knocking at various doors in order to be heard, because we should somehow resolve the problem with the grand piano. I am thankful to the outstanding musicians and sincere friends of our festival Mykola Suk and Vadym Rudenko for coming to Chernihiv and perform there without complaints, although they have to play an instrument of improper level. Last year we heard promises to help us resolve the problem with the grand piano, but nothing has changed. Hopefully, patrons and sponsors will hear us and provide some funding, so that a high-class grand piano appears in Chernihiv and masters come to perform in our city with pleasure. My main goal is to gradually make Chernihiv into a city of real music lovers.”
Incidentally, on May 25, Sukach will celebrate his birthday, at the conductor’s stand, like a true artist. On May 26 Kyivans will have an opportunity to congratulate him: the Lysenko Column Hall is going to host a concert of the Academic Symphonic Orchestra.
