Mozart Video

The new concert and theatrical season is gaining momentum. Music Soirees at St. Andrew’s Church is the title of a project challenging academic stereotypes. Its artistic director and conductor Josef Franz recently organized the production of a CD with soiree recordings, including the Finale of Mozart’s String Divertimento in D Major, but in a music video format, the first such arrangement in Ukraine.

Josef Franz and his creative team recently made yet another cherished dream come true, arranging for live broadcasts of their concerts on the Internet, owing to cooperation with the ADAMANT Company. Now the Music Soirees at St. Andrew’s Church have their own web site containing voluminous and interesting data, including programs of coming concerts, photos of performers, their profiles, and audio files. Welcome to http://www.renesans.org.

Concert programs focus on young talented performers. It is especially gratifying to realize that they are helped in their careers precisely by the project at St. Andrew’s Church. It is common knowledge that such young performers often find it hard to appear on big concert stages in the capital. On the other hand, our audiences deserve to watch and hear talented young people. In this sense the efforts of the Ukrainian Philharmonic Society are truly invaluable.

Every concert at St. Andrew’s Church traditionally begins at 7:30 p.m. on weekends. In September, the audience met with Tchaikovsky National Music Academy graduate student Valentyna Matiushenko (soprano) and Kyiv Children’s and Teens’ Music Theater soloist Mykhailo Rakosiy (Bass). The soirees featured a variety of chamber and instrumental concerts. Thus, the Russian Music Salon presented the Ravissant Ensemble. Svitlana Shabaltina (harpsichord) and Oleh Kudriashov (flute) performed Mozart’s early compositions that are rarely heard today.

German, French, English, Italian, Russian, and Ukrainian music has sounded under the vaults of the church. Romances of the Golden Pages of Vocal Art series were performed by Oleh Sychov (bass), Oleksandra Pashkova (soprano), and Lesia Hryshko (piano) on September 27. St. Andrew’s Church always opens its doors hospitably to devotees of classical music, and concerts are often held with standing room only.