Hurko conducts Chornobyl commemorative concert in Kyiv
by Oksana Zakydalsky
KYIV - Canadian composer and opera director Roman Hurko conducted a choral presentation of two of his own works - Panakhyda and Liturgia - at the Mykhailivskyi Sobor in Kyiv. The Kyivan Frescoes choir sang the Panakhyda to accompany a memorial service celebrated by the clergy of the Church, while the Liturgy was sung as a choral concert.
The works were presented on April 26 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy. Mr. Hurko said that the venue of the concert was very appropriate as St. Michael's Golden - Domed Sobor, destroyed in 1937 and recently rebuilt, served as a symbol of both death and rebirth - the themes of the two choral works.
Mr. Hurko said he initiated the concert by contacting Oleksander Bondarenko, the artistic director of the Kyivan Frescoes choir, and sent him the score of the music. The choir, which is made up of professional singers and which specializes in religious music, agreed to perform his works. Mr. Bondarenko arranged the venue; the concert itself was open to all.
Mr. Hurko said he was very pleased with the concert - he found the acoustics to be good and the appearance of the church itself was inspirational for both him and the choir. The icons and the music created a religious and spiritual atmosphere for all who were there.
"But most important for me," Mr. Hurko said, "was not to have my compositions sung but to commemorate that tragic event - not only remember it, but to remind people and the whole world that help is still needed both by those who suffered from the tragedy and by the Ukrainian government, which is still trying to cope with its consequences."
Financing for the concert was provided mostly by Mr. Hurko himself, but some assistance was received from the International Renaissance Foundation, the Shevchenko Foundation, the Embassy of Canada in Kyiv and Ukrainian credit unions in Toronto.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 20, 2001, No. 20, Vol. LXIX
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