Halyna Konkova conceived the idea for a series of books about distinguished Ukrainians after publishing her two-volume work consisting of Thirst for Music: Parallels and a Time for Recollections and A Theater with Free Admission [in Ukrainian]. This was her first attempt to present conversations with musicians and actors, and their frank views on art and life. A third volume, entitled A Conductor by Calling, a dialog with the National Opera’s chief conductor Volodymyr Kozhukhar, has been prepared for publication.
Konkova is working on the book The Composers’ Creativity Building: Harmony of Music and Nature (a dialog with Olena Kuts, who has been the director of this building for more than 40 years). She is also researching her next book, about the noted poet Yurii Rybchynsky. The way she builds her story helps creates a well-defined portrait of the creative personality. After leafing through Konkova’s book Lidia Zabiliasta: A Voice like the Strings of a Soul, you immediately realize that the author is devoted to the theater.
Her pages, emotionally divided into larger and smaller parts, contain a dialog with the singer while forming a view on her “from the side.” Like in an orchestra, the interview plays the leading part — it is the soloist — while all the other concepts and statements are played by other instruments. Their well-orchestrated and polyphonic rendition begets Zabiliasta’s voice. The interview is not a statement of dry facts from a person’s life, nor is it a serious scholarly text. Each page is a whimsical mosaic of emotions and ideas — a fireworks display of expressive statements. Combined, they form a picture of a life. Naturally, certain stages of life stories are similar: dates and places of birth, studies, plans, accomplishments, and failures.
Konkova constructs her questions so as to help the reader follow the phases of the singer’s life with chronological precision. Here you can find a story about her native village of Oleno-Kosohorivka, not far from the famous hamlet of Nadia in Kirovohrad oblast, where Zabiliasta spent the best years of childhood and where she is still the most welcome guest in her parent’s home; her beloved son Dmytryk, her pride and hope; her studies at a music college, then the Peter Tchaikovsky Conservatory; and singing with the Chamber Choir conducted by Viktor Ikonnyk. Special emphasis is laid on her training at La Scala in Milan, winning the gold medal at the Seventh Tchaikovsky International Competition, and her opera roles at the Kyiv Opera, whose range can be appreciated by this brief listing: Natalka, Tatiana, Margarita, Oksana, Mimi, Leonora, Lisa, Maryltsia, and Yaroslavna.
Konkova’s interview with Zabiliasta is nothing like a tabloid gossip column. The author, who is keenly aware of the singer’s character, avoids strictly personal, private subjects. Instead, she concentrates on the singer’s creativity, the winding road to the summit of her career. Interestingly, Zabiliasta is frank in sharing her thoughts and creative experiences, which allows the reader to picture the times she recalls and her place in them, and to form a picture of events that were taking place in Ukraine, operatic art, and the opera house. These emotions are complemented by a rich collection of photographs, documents, posters, and press coverage from different periods.
In her design for the book A Voice like the Strings of One’s Soul the artist Iryna Baliura creates a magical graphic world of fantastic images, including female figures of heavenly beauty, like nymphs of music. Looking at them, one starts to hear music.
Scattered throughout the book are Konkova’s favorite blitz interviews. She believes that such short questions and answers best reveal a person’s character. These brief interviews are so eloquent that, when combined into one interview, they help the reader form an idea about Zabiliasta as an individual, woman, and singer.
Another book by Konkova is entitled Oleksandr Zlotnyk: On the Shores of Life. It is about the noted Ukrainian composer, the author of musical dramas, symphonies, and chamber pieces; over 100 songs, each of which can be considered a hit performed by leading pop singers; the balladic opera The Blind Man, based on Shevchenko’s poetry; seven musicals, the last of which is The Equator; numerous instrumental works, concertos, symphonies, chamber pieces, vocal cycles, and the music for 40 motion pictures and documentaries.
Zlotnyk shares interesting stories from his childhood, the way he began studying music. He warmly remembers how he persuaded his parents to buy him a musical instrument: “Any kind, the cheapest — a violin, balalaika, or domra!” They bought him a button accordion and he enrolled in music school. How he loved his old record player, spending long hours listening to the records of Calman, Dunayevsky, and Offenbach.
Then there were years of study at the conservatory, his first professional works, and the first songs. Finally, Zlotnyk achieved recognition as “Composer No. 1” and the “Maestro of Song.” The composer has a restrained attitude to these titles: “In my world I don’t feel any summit.” Nevertheless, he is striving to reach it and work is the main thing for him.
Zlotnyk’s statements reflect a markedly professional approach to the art of vocal composition. He thoroughly analyzes a given work, the process of its conception. Like a music specialist, he studies the nature of songs, music for films, and musicals. He is also an expert on show business and a successful showman.
The happiest period of his life was when he was working with the unforgettable Nazarii Yaremchuk. He talks about the songs he wrote for him and his warm relationship with his family.
In the book On the Shores of Life Konkova does not diverge from her style of dividing each page into a larger and smaller part, with the smaller one serving as a view from the side. To add depth to a character, she quotes his colleagues, singers, stage directors, politicians, and press reviews.
Zlotnyk’s personality inspired the artist Iryna Baliura to design this book to reflect the hero and his creativity. The modern style reveals romantic, impressionistic overtones favored by the composer. A dreamy, uncertain atmosphere with vague landscapes is dominated by a gentle pink-blue-violet palette that seems to sing a heart-felt song — as heartfelt as all of Zlotnyk’s creations.
