Prominent tenor’ s tradition upheld in Marianivka
On February 25, the National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine hosted the Ukrainian and Russian Romances in Ivan Kozlovsky’s Creative Legacy charitable concert.
Legend has it that Mykola Lysenko was taking a stroll in a park when he heard a young fellow sing one of his romances. The celebrated Ukrainian composer liked his voice so much he predicted that the singer would have a spectacular vocal career. This was how Ivan Kozlovsky first met Mykola Lysenko. Ivan Kozlovsky did enjoy his career, becoming the Soviet Union’s number one tenor, but he would never forget his Ukrainian roots. The Lysenko and Zankovetska museums opened in Kyiv largely owing to his solicitation.
Kozlovsky would visit Maryanivka, his home village [in Ukraine] every year, every time giving a concert. Incidentally, his debut as stage director at the Moscow Chamber Theater was for Lysenko’s opera Natalka Poltavka , followed by Hulak-Artemovsky’s Cossack Beyond the Danube . Viacheslav Medvedev, Kozlovsky Premiere Charitable Fund’s chairman of the board, addressed the audience at the National Philharmonic Society:
“Ivan Kozlovsky had a vast operatic, chamber, and folk repertoire. We decided this year to remind the public of his masterful renditions of romances; he considered each a small drama performance.”
The concert program included Kozlovsky’s favorite Ukrainian and Russian compositions, including “A Starlit Night,” “Black Eyebrows, Brown Eyes,” “A Maiden from the Nut Kernel,” “Why is My Heart So Heavy,” “Pray Tempt Me Not...,” “Be It Daytime...,” “I Met You...,” etc.
Traditionally, the concert was started by the celebrated tenor’s fellow countrymen, students of Marianivka’s school of aesthetic studies (named for Kozlovsky), followed by soloists with the National Opera (e.g., Yevhen Vostriakov, Svitlana Dobronravova, Oleksandr Diachenko, Mykola Koval), and by young singers making their first tentative steps on stage, among them Oksana Yarova and the Ukrainian Nightingale Trio (Yuri Avramchuk, Serhiy Bortnyk, Oleh Phylypenko).
Pavlo Bokhniak, the current principal of the Maryanivka aesthetic study school, was fortunate enough to have personally communicated with Ivan Kozlovsky. He had this to say:
“Ivan Kozlovsky cut a prominent figure of the 20th century. During the 80th anniversary, celebrated at the Bolshoi, he sank to his knees in front of the audience (always a great actor, he was). I will never forget his words. He said that if an individual set himself an objective and proceeded to work for it for a long time, that individual should have places he held sacred, where he could return to fill himself with fresh strength to keep with his pursuits. With Ivan Kozlovsky, it was Ukraine. He said, ‘I want to go to Marianivka. The people are totally different there. I often see this village in my dreams.’ Every time I heard his Ukrainian carols I thought of our fellow countrymen. He sang ‘Let’s Visit Khoma...’ Khoma was the name of a villager living next door to the Kozlovskys. The man was the village’s second best concertina-player after Ivan’s father and the two would often hold friendly contests.”
“‘I am happy to know that my fellow countrymen love singing as much as I do. Life is made beautiful by what is accomplished by all those following in our footsteps. I wish I could hear every child, his parents, and teachers sing,” said Ivan Kozlovsky. His words serve to define the action plan for our school. He also said that the arts will eventually be needed by one and all, as a way to partake of beauty and become personally involved in the creation of such beauty. He dreamed of working at a music school in Maryanivka where singers could visit to attend master classes and learn progressive vocal techniques. Alas, he wasn’t destined to do any of this.
“We have a student body of sixty. We have vocal and piano classes. We teach wind instruments, including traditional Ukrainian flutes. We have seven teachers, most of who used to be friends with Ivan Kozlovsky. Our school has always been a spending unit [i.e., sustained by the state or local budgets], but what instruments we have were contributed by Ivan Kozlovsky who passed the hat round his friends. We have excellent concert pianos and good stringed and wind instruments. Ivan Kozlovsky raised a fund with the village council, so our children could be paid stipends and our teachers could receive bonuses.”
Ivan Kozlovsky knew to keep his distance. There was a regimen he always adhered to; after all, his voice was his greatest asset. His vocal career implied certain restrictions he would never ignore. Getting an appointment with him was easier said than done. There were so many people placing calls and eager to see him. This took a lot of his time, so Nina Svetina, his secretary, took care of his appointments — you would have to tell her exactly what you were after and she would pass judgment on priorities. She was a charming woman and she would help us a great deal.
Ivan Kozlovsky’s passing came suddenly. He had sustained several pneumonias. Finally, in the intensive care unit, he opened his eyes and said a couple of words. This lasted several minutes, then he was gone... Teachers and students [from Ukraine] attended the funeral. The mass for the dead was celebrated at the Ascension Church and he was buried at the Novodevichye Cemetery [in Moscow].
December 21 marks the tenth anniversay of his death. The Premiere Fund will stage a soiree in his memory.
