Detective Adventures of Eternal Music
Valentyna Stepova, soloist with the National Opera of Ukraine, marked two important events this February: about a week ago she was conferred the title of People’s Artist of Ukraine and then held her very first news conference, presenting a new CD titled “In Eternal Musical Embrace.”
In fact, the album almost rates a detective story. In December 1998, she signed a contract with the Caravan CD recording company. Valentyna Stepova says she was enchanted by the prospects of cooperation. Her new partners promised to release CD in Germany in two weeks. Master cassettes and booklets were purchased, and she paid a fee of UAH 13,200 “for services rendered.” A month passed, followed by another. Nothing happened. No CD, no company people in sight. She made inquiries and discovered the company had vanished into thin air. Her husband-cum-impresario Ihor Stepovy was the first to realize they had been defrauded. Eventually he found their would-be business partners. Now the issue is to be resolved by civil suit.
Despite all hardships, the CD was released, except that their partners are different: Rostok Records. “In Eternal Music Embrace” consists of ten classical pieces in modern arrangement by Anatoly Karpenko who believes that his main task was using modern rhythms so as not to distort the original tune. Valentyna acts as a romantic and lyrical singer, with different intonations and overtones worked into Schubert’s Serenade, Bach’s Ave Maria, Rossini’s Neapolitan Tarantella, or Queen of the Night aria in Mozart’s Magic Flute.
She plans another CD this year. This one will be dedicated to Ukrainian music. And there is a surprise in the offing, perhaps a duet with Zhanna Bondaruk, a pop singer. Stepova’s devotees must remember her excellent rendition, with Tayisiya Povaliy, of Rossini’s Cats and Tatiana and Olga’s duet in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
