This international festival of classic music is well-known not only in Ukraine, but beyond our country too. Every year the world-level masters take part in Siverian Music Evenings, owing to the efforts of Mykola Sukach, artistic director and main conductor of the Academic Symphony Orchestra “Filarmonia” and founding father of the festival.
Twelve years for a festival is an age of maturity and prosperity, when certain traditions have been established. Taking into account the program, the circle of friends of Siverian Music Evenings is widening. What will be your treat for the music gourmets?
“Starting with the first festival (it coincided with the first years of existence of the Filarmonia Symphonic Orchestra) I did not even think that the audience would come to sincerely love our forum and the music lovers would anxiously wait for it, and the best contemporary musicians will come with pleasure to Chernihiv. I did not expect either that Vadym Rudenko’s concerts will grow into great creative friendship between this unique pianist and our not so young orchestra. I should say that Mykola Suk is a godfather of Siverian Music Evenings; this outstanding Ukrainian pianist, who has been residing in America for a long time, does not forget about his fatherland, and glorifies our country with his talent. It is probably for the fourth time that the festival will be attended by famous Russian musician Alexander Kniazev (cello). On the one hand, it is difficult to play together with him; on the other hand, it is an immense treat. He performs every work with devotion.
“This time Vadym Rudenko won’t appear with his regular partner Mykola Luhansky. He will perform Francis Poulenc’s Double Concerto with a young pianist Maria Kalugina, and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, remembered by the audience for the wonderful performance by American musicians, will be performed by Alexander Kniazev, Vadym Rudenko, and violinist Elena Revich. In my opinion, the zest of the festival’s closing will also be Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Viola, Violin, and Orchestra, performed by Kniazev and Revich. This will be a powerful chord of the Evenings (Alexandr will play viola’s part on a cello). I am sure that the music loves won’t miss the meeting with the original button accordion player Yurii Shyshkin. He visited Chernihiv for the last time three years ago. Shyshkin will perform with an orchestra the program we played six years ago, which the audience liked very much, The Seven Last Words of Christ by Sofia Gubaidulina. I remember how warmly the audience perceived this music piece; many people were touched to tears. And in the second department we will perform Piazzola’s Concerto for Bandoneon Aconcagua, which will grant a whole range of emotions to the audience. We are anticipating the meeting with the Tchaikovsky International Competition Prize winner Alexei Nabiulin: he will come to Chernihiv for the first time. He is a wonderful Russian pianist. We’ve communicated with him at a festival in Kharkiv, when Rachmaninoff’s concerts were performed, and I invited him to our Siverian Evenings. We have prepared an interesting chamber program with the participation of talented Kyivites Alisa Smarychevska (piano), Marianna Chuklia (violin), Yulia Bilousova (cello), and Valeria Tulis (soprano), who will play the compositions by Spanish composers. A concert of American symphony music will be presented by conductor Taras Krysa (US), and the soiree ‘Tenors Bel’canto’ will feature singers from Lviv, tenors Vasyl Ponaida, Taras Hlova, and Vasyl Sadovsky, and baritone Roman Antoniuk. These singers have been working together for many years, enchanting with their singing the audience not only in our country, but also abroad. We performed together in February, it was such a success that we decided to present the Chernihiv residents with one more meeting with wonderful Lvivites. The program will include 20 vocal hits, from classical music pieces to modern world hits. Our festival enables the audience to choose what they like more.”
Wonderful musicians Mykola Suk, Vadym Rudenko, and Mykola Luhansky are partners and good friends of the festival, but this year the billboard does not show their names. Why?
“I am thankful to the destiny that our forum is supported by the best of the best artists, like Mykola Suk, Vadym Rudenko, Mykola Luhansky, et al. With their authority and masterfulness, by taking part in the Siverian Music Evenings they raise the authority of the festival and Chernihiv as a city of music lovers. Mykola Suk resides in Las Vegas, he teaches at the Nevada University. At the same time he is a resident artist and artistic director of the Ukrainian Institute in America. This time Luhansky could not come to our city, because he has a very tight touring schedule. He is a soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic Society and is on the list of 10 most popular pianists of the world. Unfortunately, our plans did not coincide, but Luhansky and Suk promised they would come to the next festival.”
The instruments for the Filarmonia Orchestra are being replenished. Have you resolved the most burning issue, purchase of a concert grand piano?
“The question of instruments is very acute for us. We are the only academic symphony orchestra in Ukraine with no material base. It will be reminded that our Filarmony was created in the time of independence, whereas our fellow musicians from other orchestras have a history which takes root in Soviet times, when the state took more care of instrument purchase. Six years ago we received a substitute for harpsichord, a Clavinova (this is a Japanese instrument which we use as percussion, harpsichord, piano, etc.). And this year the oblast state administration at the initiative of Volodymyr Khomenko has allotted money for buying two French horns, badly needed by our orchestra. Hopefully, it will become a tradition and each year we will receive professional instruments to restore our orchestra base. And the problem with the grand piano has not been resolved yet. As we don’t have a good instrument, I cannot invite top-class masters, because musicians refuse from the tour as soon as they hear that they will have to play the grand piano ‘Estonia.’ Only such virtuosi and festival’s friends as Suk, Luhansky, and Rudenko, can play on ‘firewood,’ like the grand piano in our orchestra. Not only do we, the musicians, suffer from the lack of the instruments, but the audience as well.”
What is your vision of the festival’s future? Share your formula, how to encourage the youth to listen to academic music?
“The main formula is beautiful music and wonderful performance, which altogether carries emotional and intellectual information. I am gratified that the festival is expected, that Chernihiv residents of various ages come to the concerts and the youth seeks high music, which is academic art. As for the future, it is hard to predict, because our society of overpoliticized, and we all are living waiting for the elections. For some reason the humanitarian sphere is always lagging behind, but I know for sure that next year we will dedicate Siverian Music Evenings to Sergey Rachmaninoff, because The Days when the festival takes place will mark 100th birth anniversary and 70th death anniversary of the composer. This classic’s creative path has many times crossed the cultural-artistic life of Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. Only time will tell, what the future will bring.”
