“At first I was afraid to pick up the conductor’s baton”

Ten years ago Kyiv witnessed the birth of an ensemble that brought renown to the Ukrainian school of music. It was named after Bohodar Kotorovych, a famous violinist whom critics acclaimed as a virtuoso Romantic, dubbing him the Ukrainian Paganini. Those who were lucky enough to hear this musician perform still say that the maestro’s violin was singing in a human voice. Kotorovych gave solo performances on the most prestigious stages of many countries and garnered awards at international competitions in Bucharest and Genoa. On two occasions he played on the violins of the legendary Niccolo Paganini. Several years ago, at the peak of his fame, Kotorovych stopped performing and focused instead on conducting. The Kyiv Soloists ensemble, which he directs, has gradually become one of Ukraine’s leading chamber orchestras. On Dec. 24 the ensemble gave a jubilee concert at the National Philharmonic.

“Maestro Kotorovych, how did it all begin?”

“The idea to create the ensemble was the brainchild of several people. I dreamed of gathering virtuoso musicians in a single group. The aim was to focus on young performers instead of stealing superior musicians from other orchestras, which would deplete them. These dreams may never have materialized had it not been for Mykola Zhulynsky. At the time he was deputy prime minister. Mykola Hryhorovych supported us in every possible way. We had barely drawn up the documents when Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma resigned. We had to do everything all over again, only to encounter another failure: Leonid Kravchuk lost the presidential elections. Only on our third attempt did we manage to receive permission from the Cabinet of Ministers to create the ensemble. Thus, several years separated the idea and actual creation of the Kyiv Soloists.

“You know, when we announced the auditions, I was asked to fill all the openings at once, but I was adamant. I didn’t want to hire just anybody. After all, the very name Kyiv Soloists says that the ensemble must comprise top musicians. By betting on young people, on the one hand I complicated my own task, but on the other hand I created conditions that facilitated musicians’ professional growth. Selecting the performers was not easy. I spent four years piecing together the ensemble. Our first performance took place in the National Philharmonic just after it was renovated. But because my ensemble was not complete, musicians from the National Opera helped me out by taking part in our program.”

“How many musicians are part of the ensemble today, and are there any veterans from the early days of the ensemble?”

“There are 20 performers in the ensemble. None of the first members remain. Those were difficult years for musicians who performed classical music. Some of them left to perform abroad, while others could not cope with our difficult working conditions. The composition changed, but now we have the best musicians. Most importantly, they are genuine virtuosos. Our ensemble tours frequently both in Ukraine and abroad.”

“Maestro, you ended your violin career. Is conducting your second love?”

“As a violinist I achieved everything: popularity, respect, and spellbound audiences. Few musicians can boast of having played Paganini’s violin. Neither critics nor music lovers will tell you that they ever heard Kotorovych play badly. Of course, I could have continued to perform, but I decided to stop at the peak of my fame so that I wouldn’t hear people whispering: ‘Kotorovych is no longer his old self.’

“I debuted as a conductor in a performance of Schubert’s ‘Moments Musicales.’ I performed a brief solo on the violin and then placed it on the stand and began directing the orchestra. You know, at first I was afraid to pick up the conductor’s baton and directed with my hands only. Then I used a pencil. It seemed that as soon as I picked up a conductor’s baton there would be no turning back: I would turn into a conductor.

“I am thrilled with directing, and it can truly be called my second love after teaching (Kotorovych chairs the violin department at the National Music Academy of Ukraine — Author). The first works in my repertoire were Schubert’s ‘Overture in C Minor’ followed by Vivaldi and Mozart (‘Serenade’ and ‘Divertimenti’). However, I cannot say that I usurped the conductor’s stand. Our ensemble has performed with such famous conductors as Volodymyr Sirenko and Saulus Sondeckis. Thanks to this Lithuanian conductor our repertoire added Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir of Florence’).”

“On Saturday, Dec. 24, you are giving a jubilee concert at the philharmonic. As far as I know, you have prepared a surprise for music lovers: they will hear an unusual instrument.”

“We have prepared a varied program during which each musician will perform a solo and demonstrate his mastery. The concert will feature classical and contemporary works by Vivaldi, Bottesini, Kreisler, Skoryk, and other composers. There will be some surprises, of course. Recently in Japan we bought a new instrument for the ensemble: a synthesizer harpsichord, which imitates the sound of an ancient harpsichord. I think the audience will appreciate its sound during the performance of works by Bach and Vivaldi.

“In January our ensemble will hold rehearsals and record some new CDs of works by the Romantic composers Schumann and Mendelssohn, as well as ‘The Third Concerto’ by our famous fellow countryman Yevhen Stankovych.”