Wagner and Ukraine

The works of Richard Wagner opened a new chapter in the history of world drama and musical art. It has long surpassed the limits of space and time. Today this composer is being written and argued about, and his works are staged by opera houses all over the world as frequently as a hundred years ago.

In the summer of 1876 the opening of a new kind of opera house in the scenic Bavarian town of Bayreuth marked the beginning of Wagner’s popularity that would continue to grow. The Bayreuth Festspielhaus attracted the political and cultural elites from every country and continent. The opera that was staged here was also unique and unlike any earlier operas: the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Niebelungen that the composer and poet called a “musical drama.” The plot is based on German mythology and reveals the sources of world evil, the fatal power of gold, betrayal, treachery, lust for power, and the life-giving force of love — the only indestructible value after the final global catastrophe.

The grand project of constructing a theater for the special purpose of staging a four-opera cycle that took the composer 26 years to write could not have become a reality without sensitive contemporaries who believed in Wagner’s genius — primarily his friend, the composer Franz Liszt. A meeting with the young king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, played a crucial role in the composer’s life; the king would always help him and support all his projects.

In addition to famous people and noblemen, ordinary music lovers in various countries began to form associations to help build the theater and carry out this project. Through their donations members of various Wagner societies obtained the right to attend premieres of this opera cycle. Thus, a movement began on the eve of the first Bayreuth Festival, which continued to grow and spread, attracting increasing numbers of Wagner admirers.

Since the composer’s death 113 years ago the wave of Wagnerism has reached the Ukrainian capital. In November 1996, professionals and amateurs gathered for the first time at the House of Scholars to announce the creation of the Wagner Society in Kyiv, Ukraine’s third after Lviv and Kharkiv, and the world’s 106th. Soon after Bayreuth learned about the Kyiv society, which was registered with the international center in Freiburg, where all pertinent data is channeled and where a journal of current events and annual reports on Wagner societies throughout the world are published.

Every last Saturday of the month the House of Scholars hosts a Wagner meeting where one can learn about the German composer’s creativity, his works that are staged in various opera houses, current opera events, new trends, and their links to historical traditions. Besides music specialists, amateur music lovers deliver interesting lectures and exchange information, as do owners of valuable collections of recordings, who are eager to share their treasures. Those who have been fortunate to attend opera performances in Bayreuth, Munich, Moscow, and St. Petersburg share their impressions.

Pilgrimages to Bayreuth to hear Wagner are a cherished dream of all music and theater professionals. A special scholarship fund, established during Wagner’s lifetime and on his initiative, assists gifted young people, allowing recipients to attend festival performances. Ordinary listeners have to pay for their own trip, hotel accommodations, and expensive tickets after spending years on waiting lists and confirming their applications every month. Membership in the Wagner Society membership offers young Kyiv musicians and people from other creative professions in other cities and countries a unique opportunity to visit Bayreuth in the summer to attend performances. Today, 16 young Kyiv pianists, music specialists, singers, and composers are recipients of the Wagner scholarship. Their exciting stories, photographs, booklets, and video tapes always attract keen public interest.

The famous ensemble Kyiv Camerata recently gave a concert at the House of Scholars in honor of the local Wagner Society’s 10th anniversary. Its artistic director and conductor, Valerii Matiukhyn, offered an interesting and carefully prepared program that included Wagner, Mozart, and Shostakovich, whose anniversaries have been marked this year. There were also works by three Ukrainian composers representing different generations. Remarkably, these works were their first attempts at composition, although Vitalii Hubarenko’s Symphonietta was written many years ago, while Oleksandr Voitenko and Vitalii Vyshynsky’s Variations for a String Orchestra are recent compositions.

Oleksandr and Vitalii are studying at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy. Both are members of the Wagner Society and have visited Bayreuth. Despite their individual styles, the music of these three Ukrainians has the same emotional sincerity, melodious talent, and elevated feelings that were masterfully conveyed by the Camerata musicians. The soiree was concluded by Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, known as Five Songs for a Female Voice. Its interpretation by the brilliant singer Liudmyla Voinarovska to whose every nuance the orchestra instantly responded was marked by profound insight and a keen sense of Wagner’s magical “unending melody.”

Wagnerites in Kyiv are planning another soiree on New Year’s Eve, entitled “My Wagner.” It will be organized by the recipients of the Wagner scholarship, which has led to their direct involvement in the great composer’s art.