The National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine is starting a new concert season on September 18 with a symphony concert. The Day's Olha ZOSIM met with its new director general, Dmytro Ostapenko, and asked about the repertoire.
D. O.: This is a very special season, a kind of bridge spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Our stage has seen such celebrities as Borys Hmyria, Mykola Kondratiuk, Diana Petrynenko, and Anatoly Solovyanenko performed there practically until his dying day. For him the Hall of Columns was his principal concert audience.
We consider as major twentieth century attainments conductors like Stefan Turchak and Natan Rakhlin (he raised the level of Kyiv to the USSR's best). And we certainly remember about our present tasks. Our symphony orchestra is made up of young musicians, but it is gaining momentum. It is headed by Mykola Diadiura, an outstanding Ukrainian conductor and the orchestra has made its name in both Ukraine and Europe. This season we are planning concert tours in Poland and Germany. And there is, of course, the Chamber Orchestra of the National Philharmonic conducted by Roman Kofman. It has an established international reputation. Our solo vocalist Valery Buimyster received the Taras Shevchenko Prize last concert season.
We preserve the best traditions of the National Philharmonic, primarily the season ticket system that has been in existence for several decades, cultivating audiences, their word outlooks, and aesthetic taste. This system embraces all age groups; there are school master classes for young people and season evening tickets. Our piano-forte and violin cycles will continue.
Apart from the traditional season tickets we started planning tickets for 3-4 years ahead. The thing is that world performing stars are engaged in a number of other concert programs covered by season tickets, so in order to attract them to our concert life we must plan concert programs several years ahead. Thus, we are negotiating one such program with the famous conductor Mstislav Rostropovich. He is willing to go along, but his schedule is so tight he won't be able to visit us this season.
The Day: Aren't you worried about the disproportion in the number of people visiting the Hall of Columns? I mean standing room only when international celebrities figure on the bill and empty seats when domestic, albeit just as good, performers are featured?
D.O.: It is true that we don't have packed houses on a regular basis and the reason is not only the names on the bill, but also the lack of extensive information work, including the media, printed and electronic, and I mean not only in Ukraine but also far beyond.
The Day: One doesn't often watch live or recorded transmissions from the Hall of Columns on Ukrainian television.
D.O.: No, but that's a problem relating not only to the philharmonic. It also relates to air time and public perception of the meaning of serious music in a society. Government-controlled and private channels mostly play popular shows and hit parades. Of course, these programs are necessary, mostly for the younger generation, but if this becomes predominant we could well lose our middle- aged audiences and the academic- oriented part of our young people. This problem could be solved in several ways. First, through the legal framework. A law on a 30% air time quota for domestic productions, envisaging administrative responsibility for channel owners transgressing it. It would make them commission films and video programs in Ukraine, meaning that National Philharmonic renditions would also find customers.
The second method lies in personal contacts with government- run and private channels, jointly searching for interesting projects.
The Day: What will the philharmonic offer its audiences in the immediate future?
D.O.: The Vladimir Krainev Festival, Kyiv Music Fest at the Hall of Columns, and a soiree in memoriam of Anatoly Solovyanenko will be scheduled sometime in October.
The Day: And lastly, probably the most acute question for many. What is being done for people who cannot afford to buy tickets to your concerts?
D.O.: We stage quite a number of charitable concerts, mostly outside the Hall of Columns. We want to convey our art to people who are in practice unable to partake of it otherwise — senior citizens, the handicapped, and children in orphanages. We place special emphasis on concerts in the countryside, because we are practically out of contact with the provinces. Thus our other important task is to find wealthy sponsors, getting them interested, and have them help create real celebrations of those who would otherwise be without them.







