Indeed insuperable is the longing of the human soul for the beautiful, the consummate, and the elevated, which is why sometimes quite eccentric cultural projects are made possible. As the case may be, in this context Kyiv burghers can be hardly surprised by the enthusiasm of some of their fellow residents: we have grown accustomed to commonplace international musical contests and festivals, colorful picture exhibits, and offbeat theatrical performances. It may sometimes dawn upon us that the remaining forty-five million Ukrainians not only toil to turn Ukraine into a market economy but also to try fill the cultural vacuum we get in return. This, obviously, explains the pageant of musical contests and festivals that many cities across the nation have seen in recent years. But while it is only natural for these contests to be held in such musical hubs as Odesa, Lviv, Donetsk, and Kharkiv, where they have become more of a tradition, the appearance on the musical map of Ukraine of one more regional center of gravity for young virtuosos in this branch of classic art deserves special mention. It has been the ninth time that the marvelous vacationers’ retreat of Theodosia on the sunlit Black Sea shore, so much coveted by Kyivans in the wintertime, hosted the children’s musical festival, Visiting Aivazovsky. Young pianists, violinists, and brass players from Moscow, Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv and, of course, the Crimea have been performing and honing their professional skills during classes in Theodosia music schools under the guidance of acclaimed pedagogues. It would be hard to overestimate the importance of vacation-time master classes, with children enthusiastically combining full-value rest at the seashore with professional communication with their peers and instructors representing various schools and temporarily unencumbered by the routine duties of the educational process. And the very concept of the festival (after all the children have come to visit Aivazovsky!) obliges one to rise above the level of immaculate passages and correctly performed etudes. A concert in the Aivazovsky Picture Gallery is truly a sight not to be missed. Music performances among canvases of the brilliant artist are bound to make a lasting impression on both the children and adults. And it is not a nuisance that under the pressure of tropical heat students have to wear swimsuits to their classes which normally end with a dash for the sea. From the pedagogic viewpoint this is a great advantage, since not only sea water but also an outpouring of positive emotions come as a blessing for the children who can thus combine recreational activities with intensive training. Thus it is not surprising that scores of children showed all of their creative genius, their performances striking with artistry, creative freedom, with a youthful quality to them which is often so hard to call forth during performances at home. Much of the success of the festival rested on the all-round support of the Theodosia city hall, authorities, and a number of charity funds (patrons are in abundant supply in Theodosia), in part the Kharkiv Volodymyr Krayniev Fund and the Moscow Vladimir Spivakov Fund. Without a doubt, the festival rightly deserves even more support on the part of the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine. It is not so much the financial backing that is needed. Rather, the festival and its organizers who put a lot of effort into the festival from year to year could do with a little moral support and recognition from the state.
This year the Kyiv school of young musicians was represented by the piano class of Natalia Hrydnieva, meritorious cultural worker of Ukraine and teacher at the Kyiv Mykola Lysenko Secondary Magnet School of Music. Her students performed works by Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Yakushchenko, et al. It deserves special mention that all concerts (not only those by Kyivans) invariably drew full houses. Performing before the audience and taking part in concerts are preconditions of professional development of the young musicians.
“Personally, I highly appreciate creative discussions with fellow musicians from across Ukraine, with Muscovites, since creative competition among musicians is a major motivating factor in the work of both teachers and students,” says Natalia Hrydnieva.
“We have discussed repertoire-related issues, problems of interpreting works of certain stylistic trends.”
The Vladimir Spivakov Fund presented to the public very gifted children, among them laureates of international contests Pavlo Terebilenko playing balalaika, and Viktor Rekalo playing cello. Valeriya Mirosh, a talented young pianist from Kerch, delivered a brilliant performance. And the motive force of the festival was Valeriy Altukhov, principal of the Kharkiv Secondary Magnet School of Music and meritorious worker of the arts of Ukraine. A person obsessed with art in general and music in part, he was art director of the festival. Once he heard a little boy play the fife right in the street in Theodosia. He immediately invited the boy to the Kharkiv Magnet School of Music. Now the name of Mykhailo Haiduk, a gifted clarinetist, is well known in the circle of professionals.
The young musicians received special treatment from the management of the Aivazovsky Picture Gallery. Incidentally, they have the exclusive right to give concerts in the hall of the gallery once a year during the festival. Four concerts of this kind have been staged this year, each of them being a memorable event for the young performers, their teachers, and the audience.
