Postcards from Ukraine, Vol. 1: Violin Miniatures
Ukrainian classical music is not even two centuries old, and for most of that time has had to contend with active attempts at suppression by a bullying neighbour. But Ukrainian composers have stood their ground, not least by taking inspiration from the folk-music that has long thrived in Ukraine’s mountains and fields. In this first of a series of Postcards from Ukraine the Ukrainian-Australian violinist Markiyan Melnychenko presents a programme of largely unknown miniatures for violin and piano, all based on, or inspired by, that folk-culture. Alternately sparkling and soulful, these violin showpieces make the case for a more thorough examination of the riches still to be discovered in Ukraine’s musical heritage.
Markiyan Melnychenko, violin
Benjamin Martin, piano
Peter de Lager, piano
Mykola Lysenko
- Ukrainian Rhapsody, Op. 34 (c. 1900)* (8:50)
Borys Lyatoshynsky
Two Pieces (date unknown)* (4:44)
- No. 1, Andante sostenuto (2:37)
- No. 2, Allegro scherzando (2:07)
Vasyl Barvinsky
- Chanson Triste (1910)* (3:29)
- Humoresque on Ukrainian Folk Themes (1934-35)* (2:41)
Borys Lyatoshynsky
Three Pieces on Tajik Folk Themes (1932)* (13:07)
- No. 1, Pramir Melody (3:33)
- No. 2, Tranquil Song (5:26)
- No. 3, Dance (4:08)
Anatoliy Kos-Anatolskyi
Two pieces from the ballet The Shawl of Dovbush (1950)
- Romance (1964)* (4:04)
- Dzvinka’s Dance (1955)* (3:09)
Borys Lyatoshynsky
- Melody (date unknown) (3:12)
Ivan Karabyts
- Musician (1974) (6:52)
Stanislav Lyudkevych
- Lamentations (1946)* (5:05)
- Chabarashka (1912) (4:01)
Mykola Kolessa arr. Kazakov
Three Kolomyiky (1958)* (6:18)
- No. 1, Allegro commodo (2:14)
- No. 2, Andante cantabile (1:31)
- No. 3, Allegro grazioso (2:33)
*First Recordings
MusicWeb International :
‘This is indeed a lyrical and terpsichorean disc, presented with authentic-sounding vitality, as well as nuance, by the Ukrainian-Australian Melnychenko and his two pianist colleagues. They’ve been well recorded in the same venue, two or so years apart.’
—Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
Pizzicato :
‘The violinist Markiyan Melnychenko, of Ukrainian descent and today mainly active in Australia, draws the 17 movements with great creative power, the will to expressive design and the technical presence and ability to implement. He gives each piece a formative charm, so that the range of compositional approaches becomes casually clear. In the work Muzyka he develops a classically influenced perspective as a soloist, so that the Fiedler character comes from the piece rather than the interpretation.
Peter de Jager plays the piano part in the Ukrainian Rhapsody, while Benjamin Martin plays all the other piano parts. Both manage to realize the duo concept on an equal footing and ensure that the violin part is accompanied in a stimulating way when playing together.
The accompanying text with further notes and the impeccable recording round off the picture that. The album, labeled as Volume 1, suggests further postcard greetings.’
—Uwe Krusch, Pizzicato