There is a talented young woman enrolled in the Peter Tchaikovsky Academy of Music. After graduating as a pianist, she did a postgraduate course in composition under the noted Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych. Now she is working on her Candidate of Science dissertation, which is being supervised by another celebrated composer and scholar, Prof. Myroslav Skoryk. She is also studying symphony conducting with Volodymyr Sirenko, a leading Ukrainian maestro. Recently Natalia Rozhko staged a concert in the Lysenko Hall of Columns. The National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by her professor and the orchestra’s artistic director Volodymyr Sirenko, performed five of her works. I spoke with Prof. Yevhen STANKOVYCH before the concert.
What do you think of your student?
Ye.S.: She completed a postgraduate course as a composer and she is working on her dissertation to become a music specialist.
What are some of her attractive (or dissatisfactory) traits?
Ye.S.: She is quite independent, with her own world outlook; she’s diligent and hard-working; she’s trying to assert herself and this is very difficult for anyone. Time will tell, of course.
Is Natalka following in your footsteps creatively?
Ye.S.: Not exactly. She has her own inner world and her works show that she is working in a number of different directions. However, I believe that she is self-sufficient as a composer. Her works are proof that she is a real musician and that she’s on the right path. God willing, she will fully realize herself.
Indeed, her creative legacy is already sizable, judging by the concert program.
Ye.S.: Most of these works date from her postgraduate period, but there are also several independent ones. I tried to reduce my interference to a minimum during her postgraduate years; graduate students are professional composers and they work independently as a rule, I mean those who are willing to do so.
What do you think is more important: creativity, training, or talent?
Ye.S.: You can have talent, but you won’t be able to put it to the best use without knowing the technique and a proper education. On the other hand, you can have the best training and know refined composer techniques, but this won’t help you without talent. Both training and talent must be at work here.
This concert consists of symphonies. What attracts Natalia Rozhko the most: symphonies, dramatic, instrumental, or program music?
Ye.S.: I don’t think that switching from one genre to another is very important for a composer. When there’s talent, it’s not a problem to do this. Of course, there are composers who can best reveal themselves in music for movies or plays; others prefer large-scale shows. It all depends on one’s taste and desire. I believe that a professional composer who knows his trade must work in all directions.
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The concert included the First and the Second Symphony (entitled Per Aspera ), a 7-part symphony concerto, the Sun and Heart Piano Concerto (with the composer at the piano), and finally an orchestral piece entitled “A Crane’s Song,” which is reminiscent of the traditions of the instrumental “melody” genre found in Rachmaninoff and Skoryk. This was my first time hearing Natalia Rozhko and I liked her compositions. The concert lasted for almost 90 minutes and held the audience’s rapt attention. Without a doubt the young composer has talent and she is Ukrainian in every sound. The very first chords filled me with her spectacular creative presence. Often I felt physically invigorated by her penetrating music with its captivating folk overtones and energy. It created sunlit lyrical images born of the author’s feminine essence, ranging from pastoral simplicity to psychologically saturated tragedy to captivating symbolism stemming from evil. The composer thinks in terms of movie frames and scenes. The story reaches its peak through layers of new material. The energy builds up with surges and falls, following the author’s scenario. What makes Natalia’s music so attractive is her perfect command of diversified orchestral timbres and modern rhythmic perception. At times one can discern echoes of Stravinsky and Hubarenko. This is not surprising because the composer is so young and her imagistic, intonational world is only forming, which is only natural. The composer’s greatest asset, however, is her heart-warming nationally colored intonation.
I talked to Natalia ROZHKO after the concert.
The concert program has an epigraph, “To Feel You.” To whom does the word “You” refer?
N.R.: “You” is in the upper case, so I think it implies a more general notion than what is written. Everyone must decide what it means.
What is music to you: an occupation, a means of self-expression, or perception of the world?
N.R.: It’s the way I breathe.
Who are your favorite creative personalities?
N.R.: All those that have dedicated themselves to the art of music. Whether it’s Beethoven or Mozart, it’s hard for me to say. Bach made a very strong impact on me because he combines intuition and logic on the highest level. As for modern composers, I would single out Adams, Cancelli, and Stankevych.
Who else has performed your music?
N.R.: The First Symphony has been performed by the Orchestra of the Radio Company of Ukraine conducted by Viacheslav Blinov, and the second one by the State Variety and Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kyrylo Karabyts. Other pieces were played during Kyiv Music Fests and Premieres of the Season. Musicians have taken my notes to Germany. I’ve played a lot in Kyiv, and I’ve sent a piece to an international competition, but I’m not going to say what and where.
Are you satisfied with today’s performance?
N.R.: I’m not satisfied, I’m happy! It’s the best orchestra and their performance was excellent; it filled the audience with such good energy. They performed wonderfully during the rehearsals and the concert. I’m very grateful.
As the composer, did you influence their interpretation in any way?
N.R.: I simply gave the score to Volodymyr Sirenko. He is a very experienced musician, so I knew he would make the best of it.
What’s your favorite pastime — if there’s any time left?
N.R.: Sleeping.
I wish you every creative success. My last question is about your plans.
N.R.: We’re going to record a CD of this concert program.
