The latest concert of the “Golden Pages of Italian Music” series was held in Kyiv as part of a joint project of the Italian Institute of Culture in Ukraine and the National Philharmonic Society. The soiree at the Lysenko Hall of Columns offered music lovers an unforgettable encounter with two masters, the legendary singer Viktoria Lukianets and the magnificent Kyiv Chamber Orchestra with its outstanding conductor Roman Kofman.
Our famous countrymen do not perform in Ukraine very often. Viktoria Lukianets has been a soloist with the Vienna Opera since 1994, and she collaborates with leading operatic and philharmonic companies in Europe. However, she always tries to find a couple of days in her tight concert tour schedule to perform in her native land.
For the past few years Roman Kofman has lived and worked in Germany, where he is the chief conductor of the Bonn Symphony Orchestra. The maestro has not severed his links with the Ukrainian capital and continues to “look after” Ukrainian musicians, particularly the members of the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra and the student orchestra of the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music. Incidentally, the day before the concert at the National Philharmonic Society Kofman performed at the Tchaikovsky Fest with his “charges,” the musicians of the student orchestra (look for an interview with Kofman in an upcoming issue of The Day).
Every program in which Lukianets and Kofman take part attracts tremendous public interest and the concert hall is always packed. This concert was no exception. Politicians, diplomats, scholars, cultural figures, and classical music lovers came to listen to the “silver Ukrainian soprano” and the “maestro with a keen interpretation of music,” according to foreign critics. The program included works by Italian composers, which are seldom performed in Kyiv. Lukianets’s singing was inspired, as she performed two arias from Pergolese’s Stabat Mater and Mozart’s motet Exsultate, Jubilate for soprano and orchestra in F major; for her encore she sang Lauretta’s aria from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.
The maestro and the orchestra accompanied the singer and also performed solo numbers. Listeners say that when Roman Kofman is at the conductor’s podium, they feel as though the composers’ souls are assembled in the concert hall. The audience listens to the music, afraid to miss a single note. The maestro charms people with his music, and from his musicians he demands filigreed technique and coloratura sound from all the instruments. During concerts conducted by Roman Kofman there are no buzzing cell phones or people rustling candy wrappers, no coughing, and when the orchestra falls silent, it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. After the final chord the maestro lowers his baton and the listeners give vent to their emotions, rising in applause. That night, among those standing and applauding was Viktoria Lukianets’s most ardent devotee, her four-and-a-half-year-old niece Solomia, who was clapping and shouting at the top of her voice, “Vika! Vika! Bravo!” When her mother tried to calm her down, the little girl burst into tears; she only wanted to express her sincere feelings and impressions. In an unchildlike way she conveyed everything the grownups around her felt.
In the dressing room after the concert, the girl stood jealous guard over her famous aunt. Many people stopped by to voice their appreciation and admiration. Solomia was on the verge of tears because no one seemed to be paying any attention to her. But after Aunt Vika told her she would spend the evening with her, the girl calmed down and listened attentively to Lukianets’s interview with The Day (forthcoming).
“An excellent concert, an excellent combination of Italian music and Ukrainian creative interpretation,” said Fabio Fabbri, Italy’s Ambassador to Ukraine, who did not even attempt to conceal his admiration. “I was enchanted by the magical singer Viktoria Lukianets and the excellent Kyiv Chamber Orchestra conducted by uber-maestro Roman Kofman. This is the third concert in the Golden Pages series. I am glad that a variety of people attend your concerts, that even ranking politicians find the time to listen to Italian music. I believe that the next performance of the Italian music series will also have an enthusiastic audience.”
Italy’s star violinist Uto Ughi played Beethoven and Tchaikovsky with the National Opera’s orchestra on a Guarneri del Gesu violin (read the interview with maestro Ughi in an upcoming issue of The Day).
“The concert offered me a unique encounter with two world stars, Roman Kofman and Viktoria Lukianets,” said Academician Mykola Zhulynsky, director of the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences. “The orchestra was fantastic. I also think our singer is serving a great cause, representing Ukrainian art abroad. Lukianets has international acclaim. She has performed in the world’s leading opera companies. Among her partners have been such celebrated singers as Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, and Placido Domingo. The Italian Institute of Culture with their Golden Pages concerts has demonstrated how national culture, music, performers, and composers should be promoted. This program is a true holiday of the heart and an encounter with high art.”
“Viktoria and I have performed together on many occasions; her debut with an orchestra was with me,” says Maestro Roman Kofman. “Lukianets was in her third year at the Kyiv Conservatory. Today she is a famous singer, but she is immune to the folie de grandeur. At least I’ve never noticed that whenever I have worked with her. For this concert Viktoria sang two arias from Pergolese’s Stabat Mater for the first time. We had two rehearsals, each lasting 45 minutes, and you have just seen the excellent result.”
Maestro, during your concerts the audience is afraid to move a muscle, because people say that you stop the performance if there is any noise.
Kofman: Yes, there was a time when I stopped a concert. It was at a philharmonic society, and people in the gallery were walking around and the TV camera crews were noisy. I believe that during academic concerts the audience has to listen and behave properly. If people want to make noise, they should go to pop and rock shows, where they can jump around and dance. Classical music requires concentration and attentiveness from the audience.
“I think that the Golden Pages cycle organized by the Italian Institute of Culture was a great event in Kyiv,” said parliamentarian Les Taniuk, president of the Theatrical Workers Association of Ukraine. “It isn’t often that you see so many prominent figures among the audience at the National Philharmonic Society. The audience gave a warm reception to the concert program and the performers. Kyiv music lovers always look forward to seeing Roman Kofman performing. People love and respect his mastery as a conductor. As for Viktoria Lukianets, she is like Figaro: today she is here, and tomorrow she is performing in Vienna or some other European city. Every concert here is remembered for a long time afterward. This singer always treats music lovers to new concert numbers. I came to this concert with my wife and friends. We are happy that Kyiv is getting back its reputation as a music capital, not a province, as was the case for so many years.”
