Markiyan Melnychenko - Postcards from Ukraine, Vol. 1 - Violin Miniatures - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Szymanowski / Tansman / Pikul / Wijatkowski - Symphonie Concertante for Piano & Orchestra Op 60 [COMPACT DISCS] date 09/25/2001

The Ukrainian folk song is unquestionably a unique phenomenon. No nation in history has amassed such a wealth of songs as those created by the Ukrainian people. UNESCO has an impressive audio library of folk songs from all over the world. The Ukrainian contribution amounts to some 15,500 songs and is far and away the biggest collection in the library. Folk music in the Ukrainian language originated in the 9th century at the time when Kyivan Rus was founded; the authors of the texts of most songs have long since been forgotten. Over the years, many composers researched and arranged them, principally for voice and piano, and transformed them into InchRomancesInch, art songs, like German Lieder. The program includes 15 songs three romances by four composers and three folk songs. Each work has accompanied the artist's life in one way or another, so it has a special meaning for Lena Belkina. Many of the works on this album are being recorded for the first time - and this is a great opportunity to discover Ukrainian music, it's character, it's temperament, it's melodic language and the influence of time upon it. The program is emotional and multi-faceted and would not have sounded so authentic without the pianist Violina Petrychenko. She is making Ukrainian piano music known around the world, recording composers like Kosenko, Revutskyi, Barvinskyi and other artists little known in the wider world. This duet is a union of opposites that are brought together to complement one another, to reflect personal strength and passion for music. The artists united by a common goal - showing Ukrainian art full of love for their country to the whole world.

The first album of Postcards from Ukraine gave a potted history of Ukrainian music in the form of a series of miniatures for piano and violin. In this second instalment four representative chamber works demonstrate how quickly Ukrainian music developed a proud and independent tradition - although all four composers here were bullied by the authoritarian regime to the north. One of them, Vasil Barvinsky, even spent ten years in the Gulag, during which time the Soviets destroyed his manuscripts. Upon his , unbowed, he set about reconstructing those lost scores, though he died before he could complete the task. His glorious A minor Piano Trio gives an indication of what was nearly lost - and how much remains to be discovered.