Festival of Five Jubilees
The fourth Volodymyr Krainiev Invites Festival promises to become a real holiday for listeners. Easily and humorously, despite the academic interior of the National Philharmonic, the press conference devoted to the inauguration of the Fourth International Volodymyr Krainiev Invites Festival was held. Its main hero, world-renowned pianist as well as professor of the Higher School of Music and Theater Volodymyr Krainiev, had reason to feel good, for despite the tremendous organizational difficulties that accompanied the preparation of the project, the festival survives, remaining one of the central events of the season. Moreover, the permanent organizer of the festival, the Krainiev Fund, this year was joined by the diaspora as represented by the Sens Center to Promote International Cooperation organized by an American couple who emigrated from Ukraine.
The festival takes place annually and is each time attached to some significant date. This year the leitmotif of the Krainiev evenings became the work of Johann Sebastian Bach (250 years since his death), which is why the theme of the action became Bach and the Whole World. However, the organizers have also not forgotten the jubilees of Beethoven, Ravel, Skriabin and Shostakovich. The significant dates were reflected in the concert programs of the participants in the festival. Volodymyr Vsevolodovych invited to Kyiv both already recognized players and the musicians less famous to the Ukrainian listener. Only due to their intense tour schedule the festival was not attended by the stars of classical music, Zurab Sotkilava and Elena Obraztsova. Instead, such eminent persons came as virtuoso pianist Pascal Godar and Organ Professor of Higher School in Paris and Zurich Jean Guillou.
In the first concert of the festival Moscow’s Musica Viva chamber ensemble under the direction of famous violoncellist, pianist, and conductor Aleksandr Rudin took part, as well as master Krainiev himself and three of his pupils — Dinara Nadzhafova, Olena Kolesnychenko, and Olha Kuznetsova, incidentally, a recent student Kyiv’s Lysenko Special Music School. On this day only concerts for the forte-piano with orchestra by Bach were played. For the public that literally overflowed the Column Hall it was a real treat. We should stress that the tastefully selected rarity works were played with skill, i.e., with respect for the listener; it is especially pleasant against the background of touring kitsch occasionally illuminated by world-class names.
All three young pianists demonstrated not only their perfect understanding of the genre and form but also the piano playing habits that they acquired during studying from Volodymyr Vsevolodovych. And the concert for three forte-pianos with orchestra performed by Volodymyr Krainiev, Olha Kuznetsova and Olena Kolesnychenko became the real life of the party, its impressive finale. Performing this very complicated opus was marked with the clear understanding of each other and the virtuosity without which today you cannot even imagine a serious musician. Finally, the program would not have shown such full life and confidence but for Aleksandr Rudin and his Musica Viva. Ukrainian music lovers seldom manage to hear such sensitivity and unison. We only have to regret that Mr. Rudin, a true master of the violoncello and piano, limited himself that evening to the role of orchestra director.
Lucky in all respects Saturday evening became a good starting point for the Volodymyr Krainiev Invites International Festival. The high level set from the beginning will undoubtedly be maintained. As the concerts of Pascal Godar, Jean Guillou, Naum Shtarkman and many other strong gifted players are still ahead.
And this means that the public, young musicians, and critics will be for the whole week guaranteed the main luxury and joy of the Krainiev festival — the joy of mastery.
