Ukrainianb. 1942 · Ukraine
Yevhen Stankovych (b. September 19, 1942, Svaliava) is one of the central figures of contemporary Ukrainian music. He studied at the Uzhhorod music institute and briefly at the Lviv Conservatory before transferring to the Kyiv Conservatory, where he trained under Borys Liatoshynsky and Myroslav Skoryk. Since 1966 he has written six symphonies, the operas When the Fern Blooms and Rustici, six ballets, a large body of oratorical, vocal, and chamber works, incidental music for six theatre productions, and scores for over 100 films; his Chamber Symphony No. 3 received UNESCO World Tribune recognition in 1985. He chairs the Faculty of Composition at the National Music Academy in Kyiv. A former Chairman of the Composers’ Union of Ukraine, he is a People’s Artist of Ukraine and a Hero of Ukraine, and has received the Taras Shevchenko National Prize.
Solomiya Ivakhiv, violin; Quynh Nguyen, piano
Performed by Solomiya Ivakhiv (Violin), Quynh Nguyen (Piano)
Maidan Fresco by Yevhen Stankovych is a small concert piece for violin and piano, commissioned by the 2014 San Marino Contemporary Music Festival. Impressions of the tragic and dramatic events of the Revolution of Dignity in the city of Kyiv were the basis for the content and images of the work.
choral setting from the folk-opera “When the Fern Blooms” (1979), performed by Ukrainian Chorus “Dumka” of New York
Performed by Ukrainian Chorus “Dumka” of New York (Chorus)
Kupala Songs by Yevhen Stankovych is the choral setting of a scene from the folk-opera When the Fern Blooms, composed in 1979. The celebration of Kupala, known in English as St. John’s Eve, was the most exuberant and rich ritual in the heritage of the ancient Slavs that inhabited the land of modern Ukraine. Pagan Slavs believed in the magical power of nature, and St. John’s Eve, celebrated in the middle of the summer, was one of the most important pagan holidays. Its rituals symbolize eternal life and love, the unity of humans and nature. During this short summer night young men and women jumped over the fire and promised eternal love to each other, all the flowers acquired magical power, the dew became healing, and for just this short time the fern bloomed in the deep forest. Young men went to look for the fern flower, as it was believed that whoever found it would become rich and would understand the language of animals and plants. The “Kupala Songs” immerses the listener into the amazing world of strong human spirit, passionate love, and rituals of purification and fertility.
Performed by Sabina Torosjan (Violin), Ira Khonen Temple (Bayan)
The idea of the work is to express personal feelings connected to the morning daily routine. It could be thought of as representing a tradition of nocturnes, but unlike nocturnes, Morning Music is a poetic reflection of morning contemplations. Coincidentally, Yevhen Stankovych comes from a compositional lineage of the Irish composer John Field, who discovered the genre of the romantic nocturne.
