Ukrainian Composers of the 19th Century

[Christopher]

I've been passed a few Ukrainian orchestral pieces from the archives of Ukraine Radio by late-romantic composers and have put in the downloads section. I don't know the exact date of composition but they certainly fall within the UC style.

Mykhaylo Adamovych Skorulskyi - 1887-1950 - Mykyta Kozhumiaka - symphonic poem (translates as Mykita the Tanner - an East Slavic legend which is summarised here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_the_Tanner   (unfortunately the first couple of bars are missing).

Stanyslav Pylypovych Lyudkevych (1879-1979) - Melancholic Waltz

Mykola Vitaliyovych Lysenko (1842-1912) - Ukrainian Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra, Op.34

[Sharkkb8]

I don't find them in Downloads - for me, most recent addition was Reissiger Piano Trio. Anyone else see them ok?

[semloh]

Sharkkk8, you were just a bit quick off the mark. The moderators need to check out all uploads before approval, so there's always a (hopefully short) delay. That has now been done, and the files are available.
Many thanks, Christopher!

[Sharkkb8]

ahh, got it.  My time zone is almost exactly 12 hours different from UK, so by the time I get to see something each day, it has usually been around for a while.  Didn't see that this one was just now unfolding.  Thanx.

[semloh]

No worries, Sharkkb8. I'm in the same situation. 

[Dave]

Vladimir Ivanovich Sokalsky (1862-1919)
-->https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Sokalsky

[izdawiz]

I came across Anatol Kos-Anatolsky 1909-1983. While born early in the 20th century his music is very Romantic and attractive. His music can be found on YouTube. I didn't see much mention of him here, or in the forum so thought I'd name drop for people unfamiliar with his music as I was until just a couple days ago. Ukraine composer - http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CK%5CO%5CKos6AnatolskyAnatol.htm

[Christopher]

Vladimir Ivanovich Sokalsky (1862-1919)
-->https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Sokalsky

OK....was there something you were going to say about him?

[Alan Howe]

I imagine he was just pointing out his existence...

[Christopher]

Indeed there's a whole thread on him....

http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6750.msg72289.html#msg72289

[Alan Howe]

I'd forgotten that - thanks for posting the link.

[Christopher]

Olexandr Leontiyovych Horilij - 1868-1937 (Олександр Леонтійович Горілий). Also known by his name in Russian - Alexandr Leontievich Gorelov (Александр Леонтьевич Горелов) or sometimes Goriliy (Горилый).

A doctor by training, he was repressed (ie murdered by the state) - according to the Russian wikipedia "Since A. Gorelov repeatedly toured abroad, it is not surprising that he was repressed in 1937 and became one of the many victims of the Great Terror".

Wikipedia pages in Ukrainian, English (VERY brief) and Russian:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Горілий_Олександр_Леонтійович
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleksander_Horilyj
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Горелов,_Александр_Леонтьевич

These reveal that he wrote:

(Ukrainian wikipedia:)
Stage works:
the opera Viy (1897);
the operetta Good Neighbors (1891);

vocal-symphonic works:
cantata to the 35th anniversary of M. Lysenko's creative activity (1903);

for symphony orchestra:
3 symphonies (1893, 1898, 1905);

chamber and instrumental works:
Piano Trio (1900);
2 String Quartets (1894,1901);

Vocal and choral works:
choruses;
romances - "Like a storm in the forest" (by M. Starytsky) and others;
2 Liturgies;

Other:
He orchestrated S. Hulak-Artemovsky's opera "Zaporozhets by the Danube" for the theater troupe of M. Sadovsky, and wrote an introductory aria "Prylyn, Prylyn" (1902) and more.

The only piece by him that I have been able to find on youtube is that aria that he wrote for insertion into Hulak-Artemovsky's opera "Zaporozhets za Dunaem" ("A Zaporozhian Cossack Beyond the Danube" aka "A Cossack in Exile"). Four different recordings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O_JBj8ICI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJXgOBqIlbA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WxNdNmuhA0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cZbvA7CQvY

Snippets more information on him in these links (you'll need to use google-translate):

https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_music/2141
http://www.cherkasy-music-art.org.ua/mus/imag_news/File/Opera_ZZD.pdf

BUT - the really intriguing link is this one -  https://petrsu.ru/page/aggr/truentizm/2016/sentyabrya - which says (in Russian) = "A few hours after the publication of this material on the PetrSU website, an email came from Kyiv with a photograph of Gorelov and files of his musical works." 

I have emailed the 2 email addresses given next to that article to ask about these musical files.  No answer as of yet (though it is Orthodox Christmas still...).

[Joachim Raff]

I came across Anatol Kos-Anatolsky 1909-1983. While born early in the 20th century his music is very Romantic and attractive. His music can be found on YouTube. I didn't see much mention of him here, or in the forum so thought I'd name drop for people unfamiliar with his music as I was until just a couple days ago. Ukraine composer - http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CK%5CO%5CKos6AnatolskyAnatol.htm

Yes, I have just across this composer and was mighty impressed by his Piano Concerto No.2. Large scale and a romantic feeling to the piece. Obvious Rachmaniov comparisons but i can hear Tchaikovsky creeping through as well. The recording on Youtube is not ideal but urge anyone who hasn't heard it to give a whirl.   

https://youtu.be/uocRv_hXs4I

[eschiss1]

Wikipedia does have biographies of Anatoli Iosifovich Kos-Anatol'sky, btw, in Russian and Ukrainian. The former one is @ this address and the Ukrainian one is linked from there.

[Christopher]

The guys at Ukrainian Live Classics (https://ukrainianlive.org/) have made a premiere recording of the music for the play "Pidhiriany" ("The Highlanders") by Ukrainian composer Mykhailo Verbytskyi (1815-1870), whose best known composition is the Ukrainian National Anthem that many now will be familiar with for tragic and outrageous reasons (aka russia's aggression and unprovoked invasion).

In their words:
Let's immerse ourselves in the magic of the theater and the magical music of Mykhailo Verbytskyi.  The melodrama PIDHIRIANY "The Highlanders" impressed Ukrainians more than a hundred years ago. The play to the libretto by Ivan Gushalevych became one of the most famous musical works of Mykhailo Verbytskyi.
In total, the author of the music of the National Anthem of Ukraine wrote musical accompaniment for more than 20 performances. He actively collaborated with the "Ruska Besida" theater, where the premiere of "Highlanders" took place.
The second life of this piece today was given by Volodymyr Bohatyrov's orchestration, specially commissioned by the Lviv Organ Hall.

Luhansk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Lviv Municipal Choir "Homin"
Soloists - Alina Didenko, Liliya Nikitchuk, Matviy Melnyk, Oleksiy Kuvitanov, Ivan Lykhach, Oleksandra Kunitsyna, Anastasia Kulinich
Ivan Ostapovych - conductor
Project director - Taras Demko


It should be pointed out that the Luhansk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra is now in exile from its home city (Luhansk), which is now illegally occupied by russia. The orchestra and its members individually and collectively accepted the invitation by Ukrainian Live Classics to make their new home in the Lviv Organ Hall. As you can imagine under the current circumstances, funding is on a shoestring. 

https://youtu.be/EIqDMvmxhFA?si=mqzhr6iT9n9wqYNA


More about Verbytskyi here - https://ukrainianlive.org/verbytskyi-mykhaylo#read-in-english and here -  https://musical-world.com.ua/en/artists/verbytskyi-mykhailo-mykhailovych/

More about the piece here - https://ukrainianlive.org/verbytskyi-pidhiryany