DATELINE NEW YORK: A spiritual launching for earthly delights (12/13/98)

DATELINE NEW YORK: A spiritual launching for earthly delights

by Helen Smindak

The Ukrainian Institute of America, dressed up for its yearlong 50th birthday celebration with lavish window coverings and fresh wall paint, became a veritable garden of earthly delights for the November 14 premiere of the Woskob Collection of 20th century art from Ukraine, on exhibit through December 27. The opening was attended by visitors from England, Canada and Ukraine, and many New York dignitaries.

Immense arrangements of fresh and dried flowers mixed with exotic foliage greeted throngs of visitors in the lobby and second-floor ballroom of the turn-of-the-century French Renaissance-style chateau. Votive candles in red glass holders and dainty arrangements of fresh roses wrought magic in another room.

More than 400 guests moved from room to room on three floors, examining 125 paintings and 40 watercolors as they sipped champagne and Perlova vodka, the Lviv-distilled vodka that took the gold medal in the premium category at the Wine and Vodka Fair in St. Petersburg last June. Bandurist Michael Andrec played in the paneled library, while waiters in evening dress moved through crowded rooms and stairways with platters of delicious hors d'oeuvres.

The works of 25 Ukrainian artists, the flowers and the champagne were there thanks to the generosity of philanthropists Helen and Alex Woskob of State College, Pa. (The refreshments were provided by the institute, and Perlova donated the vodka.) After collecting traditional, contemporary and modern Ukrainian art for 40 years, Mr. and Mrs. Woskob arranged with the institute to show their private collection, the first time these works have been on exhibit in the United States.

The event received an auspicious and spiritual launching with the entrance of Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, then on a visit to the U.S. The prelate gave his blessing to the exhibit and presented Mrs. Woskob the Church's St. Volodymyr Medal in recognition of her untiring efforts to nurture Ukraine's cultural rebirth.

In his remarks, Patriarch Filaret said: "We are deeply indebted to Pani Halyna [Mrs. Woskob] for taking upon herself such a tremendous project, collecting so many examples of Ukrainian art, to show the world our Ukraine and its finest representatives. This exhibit will reveal to everyone who visits it that Ukraine has its own independent state, but that it also has its own rich culture which originated in the time of Volodymyr the Great. The canvases here show the great history of Ukraine, as well as its struggles; they will not let us forget such tribulations as the Great Famine of 1932-1933 or the Stalinist repressions, which took millions of Ukrainian lives."

Attending the event were the Woskobs' two sons, both residents of State College - George, with wife, Nina, and children Laryssa, George and Alexander, and Victor, with his children Victor Jr., Ashley and Jonathan. Mr. and Mrs. Woskob's daughter Laura, flew in from London, England, with her husband, Alex Gryshchuk, and their children Alexa, Nicholas and Laryssa.

Other Woskob relatives on hand included Mrs. Woskob's sister, Marilyn Lenny, of Toronto, who was accompanied by her husband's sister, Halyna Pankiw, also of Toronto, and Woskob nieces Sonya Zhuk, Olenka Drobot and Oksana Demario with her husband, Robert.

The formal presentation of bread and salt to Patriarch Filaret was made by Iryna Koziar, with young George and Laryssa Woskob, in Ukrainian costumes, presenting bouquets of flowers. Maria Kond of Miami, media coordinator for the exhibit, greeted the throng in Ukrainian, noting the special efforts of Mrs. Woskob to promote the work of Ukrainian artists and show them off to the world. UIA president Walter Nazarewicz expressed thanks to everyone "for taking time to join us for what we consider is a very important event in the Ukrainian American community."

The evening was graced by the presence of dignitaries from the Ukrainian Mission to the United Nations, including Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukraine's permanent representative to the U.N., as well as representatives of many Ukrainian organizations. Frances Archipenko, the widow of noted sculptor and painter Alexander Archipenko, attended with a group of friends.

Visitors from Ukraine included Vitalii Karpenko, editor of Vechirnii Kyiv, journalist and poet Nina Bai, and Oleksa Dykyj of Radio Ukraine.

Though the Woskob Collection on display includes the work of world-renowned masters, the exhibit primarily promotes the original work of young artists. One-third of the works are for sale, with prices ranging from $1,200 to $3,800 and watercolors priced at $240. Part of the proceeds is earmarked for the Ukrainian Institute of America.

More than 20 works are the creation of Ivan Baldukha, an artist from Ukraine's Vinnytsia Oblast who specializes in religious art and has painted more than 2,500 icons. Currently working on religious murals on the walls of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Cooper City, Fla., Mr. Baldukha was present at the opening and happily conversed with guests about works like his enigmatic oil "Chornobyl Madonna."

Ancient Kozaks and scenes of Kyiv are the focus of several pieces by Yuri Kucharenko from the Kirovohrad region, who is attracted to Ukraine's glorious past. Kyiv resident Alexander Ivakhnenko presents clear and precise compositions with a lyric style, as seen in his oil paintings "The Harvest" and "Spasa" (Blessing of Fruit).

Olena Zvyahinzeva from Zaporizhia is represented by a dozen works that show her individuality; she strives to find a new, appropriate artistic resolution for every work or cycle of works, as demonstrated in her 1995 oil "Old Times Duet."

Ukrainian folk dancers are spotlighted by Svitlana Novhorodska-Kucharenko in her compositions, while village scenes are captured in the color etchings of Kyiv-born Katerina Korniychuk.

The exhibit includes framed wood-carved scenes by Serhiy Karpenko, wood-inlay works by Anatoly Konovalenko and metal reliefs by Rem. There are landscapes by Rostyslav Zvyahinzev that continue the traditions of the Ukrainian school of realism, such as his 1983 oil titled "Winter."

Canvases by Anatoli Burtovy depict the unity of man, earth and sun, while those by Mykola Malynka follow the tradition of realism. A monumental work by the late Victor Zaretsky of Kyiv, portraying the national actress T. Tsymbala, appears at first glance to be a mosaic design but is actually a painting.

Two abstract works by Alexander Archipenko, who originated a new style of representation of the human figure - a cubist and purely abstract form - and three watercolors by Alexis Gritchenko (Oleksa Hryshchenko), an aficionado of modern painting, particularly cubism, draw the attention of every viewer.

The contributions of Sophia Homeniuk, who has mastered the ancient method of painting with unique short-handled brushes made of forest grass, are characterized by fold paintings, wherein one side of a work is a mirror image of the other side.

Watercolorist Nadezhda Kozylko is the talented artist whose light-hearted, fanciful works fill the entire third-floor gallery.

The exhibit is rounded out with Mykola Varennia's impressionistic landscapes of Ivano-Frankivsk environs, etchings on paper by Eva Biss, a tempera work by Volodymyr Botsvin, and oils by Victor Tkachenko, Ruslan Kutnyak, Mykola Myliaretz, Alexander Sopilkin and Mykola Zhyravel.

A host of American and Ukrainian American visitors, among them Met Opera star Paul Plishka, turned out for a preview of the exhibit on November 12. That function, though less crowded, was a shining forerunner to the formal opening two days later.

After concluding its run at the Ukrainian Institute, the Woskob Collection will travel to Toronto, Philadelphia and California.

Mr. and Mrs. Woskob, known in Ukrainian circles as Oleksij and Halyna Woskobijnyk, are dedicated to the economic, social and artistic development of Ukraine, a zeal for which the Ukrainian government awarded them the Order of Merit. The award was presented by Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma.

Mr. Woskob, a successful builder and real-estate developer, received the Order of St. Volodymyr the Great from Patriarch Filaret when the prelate visited St. Nicholas Church in Cooper City on October 25.

Artists on the move

So many events and happenings have filled the Dateline calendar in recent weeks that it's impossible to give each one full coverage. Following a report on some of the happenings, in capsule form.

Odessa-born soprano Maria Guleghina, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1991, received a rave review from The New York Times music critic Paul Griffiths for her performance in the season premiere of "Aida." Mr. Giffiths devoted most of his review to praises of Ms. Guleghina's vocal powers and acting ability. On October 30, The Times announced that "the Ukrainian soprano Maria Guleghina, who drew strong reviews for her recent Met 'Aida,' will sing the title role in 'Tosca.' " Ms. Guleghina will return to the Met stage in March and April to reprise the title role in "Aida." Following the 23rd annual benefit concert of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation on November 15, The Times' reviewer Anthony Tommasini reported that Ms. Guleghina was "especially compelling" in Lady Macbeth's first-act scene from Verdi's "Macbeth."
Popular Met bass Paul Plishka used his booming voice and stylistic know-how to great effect in the Metroplitan Opera's November performances of "Aida." Mr. Plishka has a busy Met schedule coming up: "Lucia di Lammermoor" in January, "Il Trovatore" and "Simon Boccanegra" in February, and "Aida" in April.
Baritone Vassily Gerello, born in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, will appear in March productions of Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades" at the Met. He made his Met debut in January 1997 in the role of Alfio in "Cavalleria Rusticana." Mr. Gerello recently performed with the Kirov Orchestra and Opera Chorus at Carnegie Hall in Tchaikovsky's "Iolanta" (The Times' Bernard Holland called his performance "strong"). He also sang with the Kirov Chorus when it presented Rachmaninoff's "Vespers" and Tchaikovsky's "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on November 6.
Other Ukrainian singers appearing in Met productions this season include tenor Vladimir Grishko, who will perform in "La Bohème" in February and "Khovanshchina" in March; bass Vladimir Ognovenko, also scheduled to sing in "Khovanshchina"; and mezzo-soprano Elena Zaremba, who will make her Met debut in "Il Trovatore" in February.
Appearing in the New York City Opera production of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" (a new production said to be a fresh and affecting take on this repertory staple), soprano Oksana Krovytska made "a deeply moving, though vocally uneven Butterfly," according to The New York Times. Back in March, when Ms. Krovytska sang in the standard New York City Opera production of the Puccini opera, The Times' Allan Kozinn wrote that the Ukrainian soprano's vocal agility, graceful movement and dramatic sensibility "make the title character's ingenuousness both believable and touching" and called her "the Butterfly Puccini wanted."
Canadian jazz pianist John Stetch, who arrived in New York in 1993, gave his first New York concert before a Ukrainian audience on November 21 and left listeners at the Ukrainian Institute of America hoping for more. The John Stetch Trio, with Mr. Stetch at the piano, Mark Turner on saxophone and Johannes Weidenmueller on bass, performed two sets of music - pensive melodies like "I'll Remember April," Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are" and Duke Ellington's bluesy "Things Ain't What They Used To Be." In the second half, the trio offered jazz improvisations of Ukrainian folk music that included the title tune from Mr. Stetch's most recent CD "Kolomeyka Fantasy," as well as "Chervona Ruta," a recently written work called "Zabava" and "Carpathian Blues," based on the Arkan dance melody. Mr. Stetch can produce tinkling notes that sound like gentle raindrops and loud bass chords that simulate thunder; his work is creative and refreshingly unpretentious. Winner of the 1998 Prix de Jazz du Maurier at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Mr. Stetch was described by Roger Levesque of The Edmonton Journal as "one of the best young pianists and composers in the country ... As a soloist, he's less interested in showing off than he is in finding delicious harmonies and a thoughtful inner momentum."
After four years of partying and living life on a very dangerous edge, 1994 Olympic gold medalist Oksana Baiul is making a comeback. Ms. Baiul has been training since August with Natalie Linichuk at the University of Delaware in Wilmington, and says she hopes the International Skating Union will let her regain amateur status and Olympic eligibility. Performing before a crowd of 2,000 at the university's Rust Arena on November 8 as the final act of the "Stars of the Present and the Future" exhibition, she tried a few triple jumps and landed all but one. The Ukrainian-born figure skater, who turned 21 last month, told TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey on November 16 that "it's very important for me to compete again." Two days later she was seen on TV doing just that - competing as a professional skater in "Ice Wars" with Tara Lipinski, Nancy Kerrigan and Surya Bonaly. She came in first in the first half of the competition, but lost by one point in the second half to Ms. Lipinski. It's good to see her back on the ice!
In the media: During one of her mid-November TV shows, homemaking guru Martha Stewart interviewed Jerry Kurowycky Sr., who showed how the Kurowycky Meat Marekt's delicious hams are smoked, baked, glazed and carved. The Kurowycky market was also featured last month in the Zagat Survey on New York's cable TV, Channel 1.
The October issue of Victoria magazine ran a photo story on the autumn wedding of Christine Gilbert and Taras (Terry) Solomon at Soyuzivka, where the two had met three years earlier. The bride, wearing a Vera Wang gown, and the groom, were pictured in front of the Ukrainian Orthodox chapel on the grounds of the Ukrainian National Association's resort. Both are of Ukrainian ancestry,

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