Yury KHARENKO: “I had a completely different view of the <I>Concerto</I> before September 11”
Myroslav Skoryk’s Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra, dedicated to the original performer, noted violinist Yury Kharenko, turned out a major event at the Fest. Skoryk has long been a favorite of Ukraine’s music circles and audiences, as well as far beyond. In fact, Maestro Skoryk was blessed by Pope John Paul II himself during the Papal visit to Lviv. Not surprising, considering that Skoryk’s latest opera, Moses, based on Ivan Franko’s poem, had been financed by the Vatican and proven a great success with audiences.
After the concert, The Day’s reporter interviewed Myroslav Skoryk and Yury Kharenko.
The Day: When did your creative tandem take shape?
Skoryk: Yury and I have known each other a long time. Yury is not only an old friend, but also the performer of many compositions I’ve written, particularly Partitas No. 3 and No. 6 as I was visiting the United States.
Kharenko: Myroslav and I have spent years performing and being good friends, ever since I was in Kyiv. Yes, I have performed quite a number of his compositions. And I was the first in Ukraine to present his A-R-I-A for violin at the 1998 festival.
The Day: Myroslav Skoryk is the author of three violin concertos, yet two of them are not dedicated to anyone, although they are known to have been performed by distinguished musicians such as Oleh Krysa and Anatoly Bazhenov. Why did he dedicate this particular composition to you?
Kharenko: I think the composer is keenly aware of my style, technique, and general mood; he knows my character only too well.
Skoryk: I agree with Yury one hundred percent. I might add that the concerto is, in a way, an autobiography, in terms of general mood, creative emotion, yet every listener can find in it a reflection of his own feelings and ideas.
The Day: Did you like the premiere rendition?
Skoryk: Yes. The soloist was quite professional, he conveyed the general mood and was appreciated by the audience; people listened to the concerto with full understanding. I think that’s what counts most for a composer — being aware of writing music not only for oneself, but also for all those other people.
The Day: Mr. Kharenko, what do you say?
Kharenko: The concerto is a very sophisticated composition. Myroslav Skoryk wrote it in a matter of weeks. I would receive it literally page by page, by e-mail. I got the last couple of pages ten days before the premiere. And you know what struck me most? The whole thing had a touch a fatalism. Dramatic, at times tragic premonitions in the finale. Just as we were working on the concerto, America came under the terrorist attack. We are watching the consequences. Before September 11, I viewed the concerto in one way and after in another. But perhaps this is what creative talent is all about.
THE DAY’S REFERENCE
Yury Kharenko was born in Kyiv; graduated from the Mykola Lysenko College of Music and Kyiv Conservatory; worked for Kyiv’s Philharmonic Society after graduation, combining soloist performances with those as a member of the Leontovych Quartet, and teaching at Kyiv Conservatory. Since 1991, has resided and worked in the United States, performing on prestigious stages in Western and Eastern Europe, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. Appeared at Vostli Mozart (New York), Moscow Autumn (Russia), Victoria International Festival (Canada), etc.
