Lyrical Pragmatist Andriy Shkurhan

UNIVERSITY ONSTAGE OR A REVOLT OF BARITONES

The singer says he never misses an opportunity to perform in Ukraine.

“I am on quite good terms with the National Philharmonic Society, unlike the Kyiv and Lviv Operas. Well, that’s a long story. Over ten years ago I wanted to work for them, but they had no vacancies, not for me anyway. I was very perplexed, so when I was invited by the Great Theater of Lodz, and after winning the Ada Sari contest in Poland, I happily accepted. I had to start from scratch without friends or relatives to help. I worked hard and later sang in the opera houses of Wroclaw and Bytom. I went on numerous concert tours taking me across the world and finally the critics became interested. But I never severed contact with my native Chernivtsi. I give concert several times every year. This is a must for me. I also take part in all-Ukraine creative contests and sing in Donetsk, Odesa, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Somehow, I haven’t been able to establish cooperation with the National Opera in Kyiv. Here is a recent example. Its director Petro Chupryna called me and offered I join their concert tour of Europe. I was glad to say yes, telling myself our misunderstanding was finally over. We agreed that I would sing in Rigoletto, Nabucco, and Eugene Onegin. To do so I had to miss the premiere of Szymanowski’s King Roger. Three days before the tour Chupryna told me the company’s baritones revolted and presented an ultimatum: either they or Shkurhan. This meant that our previous agreement was canceled, leaving me back where I started; I didn’t go on tour and didn’t sing in the premiere. Also, the Polish producer is still angry at me and doesn’t invite me to his new productions. Ever since I’ve always performed at the National Philharmonic Society when in Kyiv.

“I’ve never borne any grudges against Lviv, for it was there that I studied at the conservatory and my brother Arsen lives there with his family, as does my conservatory professor and excellent singer Ihor Kushpler. Zinayida Maksymenko, God rest her soul, was my chamber music teacher and permanent accompanist for many years. Together we held all solo concerts in Ukraine.”

The singer believes that his performance at the Lviv Opera in April 2000, commemorating the company’s centennial, was his triumph. He sang the lead in Verdi’s Nabucco and then performed a large solo program. He admits that it was his response to all those that did not believe in his talent. The orchestra was conducted by the celebrated Anthony Wicherek whom the singer considers his godfather and to whom he attributes his spectacular career. “They call the maestro a living legend in Poland,” he says with an obvious admiration. “He was manager of the Great Theater in Warsaw and of the Lodz Opera, then headed the National Opera and Philharmonic Society of Cairo, Egypt. He was also chief conductor at five opera houses in Germany. We met in Lodz and it was Anthony Wicherek who offered me an opportunity to prepare all the baritone parts at the theater. He also encouraged my participation in international contests and staged the opera Mazepa in Warsaw specially for me. In his Halka three leads were played by three Ukrainian singers: Tetiana Zakharchuk (Odesa), Volodymyr Kuzmenko (Kyiv), and me. It was a lucky start for Zakharchuk, as she is with the Berlin Opera now. And also for Kuzmenko, who now has contracts with Stuttgart, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. I have a tight schedule as well, contracts with the Warsaw Opera and many companies in Poland and the Czech Republic; I sing in operas and solo concerts practically all over Europe.”

“I’M INTERESTED IN SONGS MEN DON’T SING AT ALL “

La Traviata, Don Juan, Othello, Andre Chenier, and Louise Miller are far from all the operas in which Andriy Shkurhan prepared his parts last season. He performs abroad a great deal, but he knows what the situation is like in the Ukrainian opera at large. He is worried that modern compositions are seldom on the repertory. He is certain that the Ukrainian operatic art will fall into decay unless supported by the so-called new Ukrainians.

“Rich people invest in pop shows rather than classical music, because they want to get their dividends immediately,” he says. “That’s why we have so many pop stars. I know how it’s done, because I started as a pop singer in 1978 and it took me 24 years to reach my current level. I never dreamed of prestigious titles, I only wanted to improve my skill. Today, it’s the other way around. Someone appears onstage, starts singing, and the promotion starts right off, although that singer has no musical education, no world view, just a rich sponsor specializing in pop stars. Videos are made, CDs recorded, time on the air bought. Then what? No one wants this kind of goodies abroad. Such pop stars remind me of our hryvnia. It feels and looks like real money, the design isn’t bad, either, but it’s just paper abroad. To me, a real vocal star means the highest professional level, a true creative personality interesting for both the Ukrainian and foreign public.”

Andriy Shkurhan does not want cheap publicity; hit parade pieces are not for him. Several years ago he took an interest in Czech music and prepared Dvorak’s Gypsy Songs and Smetana’s Evening Songs. He performed Smetana’s Biblical Songs at the Tenth Religious Music Festival in Brno, accompanied by the Czech Symphony Orchestra. The performance was a spectacular success. In our interview, Mr. Shkurhan admitted that, while working on that program, he became interested in the compositions of Dvorak’s pupil Vitizslav Novak who taught composers of the Lviv school Vasyl Barvinsky, Dezyderi Zadar, and Mykola Kolessa.

Few Ukrainian singers can boast a solo concert broadcast by Danish Radio all over Europe. Shkurhan’s was, and it happened in the city of Erhus. The singer is obviously pleased to recall the event. The program included works by Lysenko, Moniushko, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky. Every year he adds to his repertoire compositions associated with Taras Shevchenko, currently totaling over fifty, making up two large concert programs including music by Mykola Lysenko, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Ihor Belza. “Lysenko’s creative heritage is like a crystal clear spring to me,” he says. “He composed music for sage performers mastering a special vocal technique. For example, his Cherry Orchard is for a tenor, I Sent my Man On the Road for a soprano. I transposed them for my voice. I’m interested in songs seldom performed or which men don’t sing at all.”

Andriy Shkurhan appears at many theaters and cooperates with quite a few producers. In his words, this cooperation allows him to broaden his creative range. Although he is against “art within the art,” as is the case with some modern producers working on original pieces so hard that the end product is no longer identifiable. He encountered this approach when rehearsing Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Szymanowski’s King Roger. He even had an argument with the Butterfly producer. The singer told him, “Maestro Puccini comes first, as far as I’m concerned. He is the supreme authority not only in music; he is also an unmatched operatic dramatist. You don’t revise his brilliant composition but muster the skill to render it as accurately as possible. If you want to produce a modern version, you’re welcome, but you shouldn’t do it in a way that there is nothing left of the original creation. I have seen a lot of innovative versions, but only few turned out really interesting. Thus if I can’t accept the producer’s interpretation, I simply refuse to work with him.”

HOW THE UKRAINIAN SINGER DEFENDED THE HONOR OF THE WHITE RACE

Andriy could make a noted mathematician, translator, or an excellent car mechanic. Instead, he became an operatic singer and teacher. The whims of fate eventually guided him to the right path.

“Music was always heard in my parents’ home,” he recalls. “My father, also a baritone, was a soloist with the Philharmonic Society. My mother, a pianist and choral conductor, has taught at the Chernivtsi School of Music for the past 35 years. I started singing as a small boy. Dad was realistic and was skeptical. He thought that being an actor was a very complicated and unrewarding occupation. Few reached the top, while the rest spent their lives in backwater provinces. The latter were so-called rank-and-file soloists. Under the Soviets few Ukrainian performers managed to work abroad on contracts, not just concert tours. So, I enrolled in the university after school and continued to sing just for the fun of it. I studied at the mathematics department of Chernivtsi University. The kind of knowledge I received still helps in terms of self-discipline. I think that an actor needs precision in choosing the right creative direction. I’m a lyrical pragmatist. My creative career began at 17, singing with what was known as a vocal-instrumental group, while studying at the university. Then I studied at the conservatory of music while performing on the side, first with the Verkhovyna Song and Dance Ensemble in Drohobych, and later I was a soloist with the Halychyna Song and Dance Ensemble in Lviv. I was lucky to be born to see the Iron Curtain torn down and had a chance to give myself a try in Ukraine and abroad. My father is an excellent teacher. He has been a professor with the Krakow Academy of Music for the past ten years. I have met with different people on that road. Some have been helpful, others an obstacle, but I’m grateful to all for the experience. Getting somewhere in life takes not only talent, good voice, but also strong character.”

Early in his career Andriy Shkurhan took part in various competitions, winning the French President’s Cup in Toulouse in the year marking the first anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Danish Queen Margaret II presented him with the Grand Prix of the international contest of European singers. He was awarded the title “The Best Verdi Voice” in Busseto, home town of the great Italian composer.

“The principal requirement of the Verdi Voice Contest was that a singer had to know six parts from Verdi’s operas. I prepared ten, much to the organizing committee’s surprise. They thought that such sophisticated compositions could be handled only by singers trained in Italy. When preparing for the contest, I heard various recordings of Verdi’s operas starring the world’s top operatic performers. I took my time analyzing them, studying every singer’s style, breathing, phrasing, and vocal technique. I never tried to copy anyone, I wanted to develop a style all my own. Dad was very helpful, an excellent singer himself. In 1996, two-thirds of the contestants came from the Orient: South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. All had a sound Italian training, so no one was surprised when a Japanese mezzo soprano placed first (she had spent six years taking lessons from the best Italian professors). A South Korean bass came second (after on-the-job training in Italy). I placed third. True, I already had a diploma from the Luciano Pavarotti Contest. I remember placing third in 1991 made me very sad. I had to sing one of the parts from Donizetti’s La Favorite, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, or Verdi’s Il Trovatore. None was on my repertoire at the time. I returned home and worked hard to fill the gap. Five years later, I won a well-deserved bronze medal. Critics wrote that by my singing I had protected the honor of the white race. The Italian school means above all filigree technique and full mastery of one’s voice. I managed to combine technique and vocal capacities. The combination proved a formidable weapon, so I had practically no problems vying in subsequent contests. I became laureate of eleven international ones.”

HIS MUSE FROM MYKOLAYIV

Professional singing calls for being in good physical shape. Andriy says that he does not respect smoking singers. And the main thing is not to catch cold, take care of one’s health, meaning an appropriate diet, balanced physical strain, and limiting one’s intake of alcohol. One must know how to combine work with rest, a good sleep, and keeping one’s temper. He also believes that his best operatic role still lies ahead. When he starts working on a new part he must fall in love with the composition in general and his hero in particular. He adores Rigoletto and Nabucco, and can talk about them for hours.

While in Poland, Andriy mastered yet another profession, translation. He graduated from the Polonium Institute for foreigners and took a special course in the Philology Department of Warsaw University. Now he has a Polish translator’s diploma which is very helpful at work and at home. He has taught at a secondary music school for three years and is showing progress in the pedagogic realm. His pupils continue to study at the music academies of Gdansk and Warsaw.

He associates all his attainments with Olha, his wife, adviser, and muse. She was born in Mykolayiv and they met at a rehearsal at the Silesian Opera. Olha was playing her violin at the orchestra. Andriy had made his name as a singer by that time and even had a medal of the Polish Musical Association for outstanding merits in the operatic arts. Waiting his turn, Andriy sat on a chair without noticing a violin case on it. Then he did and just sat on the floor, making the orchestra laugh. Olha walked over to help him up and this was how they met. They got married in 1994, but they seldom perform together as each works under separate contracts. Olha is the second accompanist at the Warsaw Operetta and Comedy Theater. Andriy says she keeps their home warm and comfortable and that he is getting to be a homebody. He can spend hours leafing through scores or listening to CDs, doing translations, studying new operatic parts (he learns each by rote in two weeks) or fumbling in the engines of his Renault 25 and Ford Sierra. Actually, not just fumbling but making adjustments, and enjoying it immensely. He has agile fingers and can fix anything, Olha is convinced.