Volodymyr Hryshko Became an American General

Renowned Ukrainian tenor Volodymyr Hryshko has returned from a long journey. In recent years he has spent more time overseas than at home, working by contract with the leading companies of America and the Western Europe. Nine months ago his daughter Anna-Stephanie was born in New York. And this fall another pleasant event took place: a new version of Aida was staged with great success at the Salzburg festival. An unusual avant-garde version of Verdi’s opera narrates the story of colliding traditions of East and West. The familiar plot is transferred to the contemporary Afghanistan. Reality happened to intrude into this work. Volodymyr Hryshko played the part of Radames, who became an American general according to the director’s conception.

“I appear onstage against the background of a vast glow (scenery by Herbert Kaplmuller),” the actor recalls the premiere. “Our opera boasted an international cast. Marquita Lister, now one of the best American sopranos, played the role of AХda. Peter Winger sang the role of Amonasro, King of Egypt, and Olena Batiukova was Amneris. The scene of the campaign and the military base, my second appearance, was performed in an unusual way. I was throwing the ball into a basket imitating Michael Jackson, while my soldiers were exercising in the background. Unexpectedly for the audience, the priest appeared, playing with a ball and singing that Radames would be appointed a commander, as the gods had prompted it. The scene of Radames victory was also very spectacular. I held a magnum of champagne like Michael Schumacher, which was filled with gas pills. Perhaps I stirred it too hard, and it almost exploded in my arms, throwing Festschpielhaus all over the scene. The women in the crowd were dressed in yashmaks like Muslim women, and the children wore caps with targets on them, a detail shocking to some spectators.”

Hryshko considers this play a milestone in his career. The Radames part is complicated both in terms of singing and acting. After the four intensive acts, one needs much strength and skill to sing the final duet with pianos. Judging by the reaction of the foreign press, the premiere enjoyed great success and aroused much interest from the public. The critics called the modern interpretation of the opera a paradoxical coincidence in time.

Volodymyr confessed that he had dreamed of singing Radames for many years. He listened to the records by Mario del Monaco, Corelli, and Gilli, but believes Luciano Pavarotti’s treatment to be the best of all.

This summer the artist had practically no rest. In July he sang in La Traviata in Baden-Baden, in August took part in Valery Gergiyev Festival in Finland, singing Ricardo in Masquerade, and performed at the celebration of Ukraine’s Independence tenth anniversary. In the fall he gave concerts in the USA and Austria. Now he came to his native Kyiv for a short visit to meet his near and dear. Volodymyr Hryshko’s appearance in Kyiv Opera Theater at the recent Mariyinsky Theater concert tour and his friendly meeting with the Russian artists in the wings arouse a new wave of interest in the Ukrainian tenor. After Hryshko was awarded a Shevchenko Prize this year, they believe him to be a man who stole a march on his colleagues at the National Opera. There was even some angry mail from a group of artists to the prize organizing committee. Maybe this is why Hryshko appears on Kyiv stage so rarely. But time has not yet dampened his passions.

“My colleagues’ letters shock ed me,” the singer confessed, “but I’m not angry with them. To tell the truth, I was distressed with the situation. People are weak, and they showed a lack of spirit. All the 50,000 hryvnias of the prize I donated to charity: to the St. Volodymyr Cathedral where I sing on weekends when in Kyiv, to restoring the altar in St. Panteleimon Church in the village of Pyrohove, and to the needs of the church in the village of Velyky Dmytrovychi. A quarter of the prize I donated to buy wheelchairs and medicines for the children at the neurosurgery hospital and for needy families. This step is not an affectation but a sincere impulse: I wanted the money that called forth such envy to be of use. Believe me, I’m not a millionaire; I earn money by means of hard work. And I have to not only support my own family, my wife and two children, but also numerous relatives of my wife’s and mine. However, I believe I did the right thing. I won’t act against my conscience and say that everything is fine with the National Opera and that my colleagues and I quarrel all the time. It’s just not true. But still I will perform on my home stage, by which I mean the Kyiv one. On December 2 I sang Alfred in La Traviata, and on December 12 Lensky in Eugene Onegin. There are proposals to shoot a video, to give solo concerts, or even try myself as host of a show on classical music. They also invited me for a concert tour at the Mariyinsky Theater and Vienna Opera. All I need is enough strength to do it all.”