Anna Yaroslavna returns to Ukraine (09/22/96)

Anna Yaroslavna returns to Ukraine

by Natalia B. Lysyj

WEST HILLS, Calif. - Out of the 11th century, across the banks of the River Seine in France, by way of the Ukrainian diaspora in America, Anna Yaroslavna, daughter of the ruler Yaroslav the Wise, has returned home to Kyiv.

Antin Rudnytsky's opera, "Anna Yaroslavna, Queen of France," composed in New Jersey in 1964-1966 and premiered at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1969, finally arrived at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv last December.

The 900-year journey of the Ukrainian princess and French queen heralded not only the enrichment of Ukrainian opera repertoire, but also is being cited as a "visiting card to Europe" in introducing Ukrainian music and culture.

The premiere at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv was attended by the diplomatic corps and numerous dignitaries, including the widow of the late Antin Rudnytsky, Maria Sokil, former soloist of the Kharkiv and Kyiv operas, who was accompanied by sons Roman and Dorian Rudnytsky.

According to numerous reviews from Ukraine, this original operatic work, on a scale comparable to major European masterpieces, was very well received in Kyiv. It was described by reviewers as "spectacular," staged with a "European-style refined sense of lapidary detail," capturing the "feeling of space, form and internal dynamics of the music." Music critic Vasyl Turkevych of Vilna Dumka wrote that the significance of this new opera lies in that "it not only enriches the musical repertoire of Kyiv opera but has contributed to Ukrainian, as well as the worldwide history of the art form."

The enthusiastic reception for Rudnytsky's opera in Kyiv, also underscores the significant role played by the diaspora in preserving, nurturing and advancing Ukrainian culture during the dark era of Stalin's physical and cultural oppression.

According to Maria Sokil, in composing this original work her husband was inspired by historical events marked by the merging of the Ukrainian and French cultures, as well as the drama associated with the painful emotions felt by a father sending his favorite daughter to a faraway land and culture, and the unexpected results of the arranged marriage that blossomed into romantic love between Anna and King Henri I. The composer's aim was to recreate the action in the musical style as it might have been in 11th century Kyiv.

"Anna Yaroslavna, Queen of France," music by Antin Rudnytsky and libretto by Leonid Poltava, was first performed at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall in 1969 in honor of the Ukrainian National Association's 75th anniversary. The opera portrays a union of different cultures by way of mutual understanding during a period of nation-building in medieval Europe, a period when Kyiv was a pivotal center ruled by Yaroslav the Wise, dubbed by historians as the "father-in-law of Europe."

The opera stresses the European roots of the Ukrainian nation and its contribution to good international relations in Europe, and cooperative efforts toward fostering progress in the arts, education and culture as embodied by the wise ruler of Rus', Prince Yaroslav. The widowed king of France Henri I also turned to Kyiv for a new queen.

From a historical perspective, Anna Yaroslavna, princess of Rus', played a major role in French history. The young, literate queen became an able and valued political adviser to the French king. After Henri's death, she proved herself a capable regent while her son and the heir to the throne was under age. The bible that Anna Yaroslavna brought from Kyiv to Paris in 1049 was in use for eight centuries for the swearing in of all subsequent French kings.

Under the queen's patronage, cathedrals and monasteries were established in France. As this writer stood in the ancient cathedral at Sanlis a few years ago, the experience for a tourist of Ukrainian background was especially moving: I had stepped into the pathways of antiquity and was transported into the Middle Ages to a place where Queen Anna Yaroslavna would have prayed and officiated over the affairs of the state. Documents displaying the signature "AHA Regna" may be viewed at the cathedral. The Paris mint issues commemorative medallions with a likeness of Anna, queen of France, and these are available for purchase.

The staging of the premier in Kyiv resulted from cooperative efforts between France and Ukraine: stage direction Michel Volkovytsky with scenery by Alexandre Ero, both of France, and the operatic talents of the National Opera of Ukraine under the helm of conductor Ivan Hamkalo, with original, historical costumes by Nadia Shvetz. A visiting professor from Sweden at the University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy is undertaking translation of this work into the Spanish, Italian, German and Swedish languages.

Antin Rudnytsky, a native of Lviv who was educated in Lviv and Berlin, was the conductor of the Kharkiv and Kyiv operas from 1927 to 1932, before leaving with his wife, Maria Sokil, for Lviv and western Europe and subsequently settling in the United States in 1939. His opera has been added to the permanent repertoire of the National Opera of Ukraine, and it is scheduled to be premiered in Toulouse, France, in 1997.