DATELINE NEW YORK: Another autumn season begins (09/30/01)

DATELINE NEW YORK: Another autumn season begins

by Helen Smindak

As the world's greatest metropolis struggles to come to terms with the shock and horror of the World Trade Center tragedy, the cultural life of the city has resumed its normal schedule. In a bold resolve to persevere, and heeding Mayor Rudolph Guiliani's appeal to citizens and organizations to continue business as usual, New York's theaters and museums are open. But there is new meaning and a new intensity in all events and activities.

The Ukrainian community has followed the citywide trend to maintain order and normalcy in an environment turned upside down by terrorists. New York's Little Ukraine, located in Lower Manhattan, was encased in the restricted traffic zone below 14th Street for a week or more, but shops, restaurants, cafes and bars in the area stayed open, along with the Selfreliance Federal Credit Union and St. George Academy. The Ukrainian Museum, closed only on September 11 and 12, has resumed its regular viewing hours (Wednesday through Sunday, 1-5 p.m.) and begins its annual eight-session embroidery workshop this weekend (September 29 to November 17).

Most of the city's churches opened their doors to parishioners and passers-by for prayer and meditation, with the surprising exception of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church on East Seventh Street, which remained closed except for Sunday liturgies.

The benefit recital for the Shevchenko Scientific Society's scholarship fund, which was to take place on September 13 at India House in the Wall Street district near the World Trade Center, had to be canceled. Planners say the recital will be held at a later date in line with the schedules of its two stars, bass-baritone Paul Plishka and pianist Thomas Hrynkiw. The September 15 all-Rachmaninoff concert set for Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, starring acclaimed performers, including bass Sergei Koptchak, will be re-scheduled sometime later in the season.

The much-anticipated North American tour of a dance company from Ukraine headlined by former Virsky dancers has been called off. Planned in celebration of Ukraine's 10th anniversary of independence, the "Stars of Virsky" tour was to begin in Rochester, N.Y., on September 18 and eventually come to a number of U.S. cities, including Pittsburgh, Chicago and Newark, as well as the Tilles Performing Arts Center in New York's suburbs on Long Island.

Though impresario Leonid Oleksiuk of Toronto could not be reached for comment, "Dateline" contacted his brother-in-law, Toronto publisher Donald Baker, who said that "ticket sales just dried up after September 11" and it was decided to cancel the tour even though the group's September 23 performance in Montreal received a standing ovation.

An exciting season

Despite the city's somber tone, the 2001-2002 cultural season holds promise of exciting presentations and momentous doings involving Ukrainian artists. The operatic venues of Greater New York will present no less than 10 singers of Ukrainian ancestry - Paul Plishka, Sergei Koptchak, Maria Guleghina, Vassily Gerello and Larissa Shevchenko at the Metropolitan Opera, and Oksana Krovytska, Michael Didyk and debut artist Anna Shafajinskaia at the New York City Opera.

Vitalij Kowaljow is in the cast of the Opera Orchestra of New York's concert performance of Verdi's "La Battaglia de Legnano" on November 13, while Marina Vyskvorkina is preparing to perform with the Connecticut Grand Opera at the Palace Theater in Stamford, appearing in a Puccini gala on October 13 and in "Romeo and Juliette" on November 10 and 11. (For additional information on the singers and their roles, see closing item of "Dateline.")

The gala opening of American Ballet Theater's two-week fall season at City Center, on October 23, will spotlight ballet stars Irina Dvorovenko, Maxim Belotserkovsky and Vladimir Malakhov, who are billed to perform principal roles in several productions through November 4. The Dance Theater of Harlem is trotting out the spectacular John Taras "Firebird" ballet three times this weekend.

Pianist Alex Slobodyanik is scheduled to perform Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky works at Carnegie Hall on December 13 with the Kirov Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev. Mr. Slobodyanik, who arrived in the United States at the age of 15, became the youngest pianist ever to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. He frequently appears in recitals with his father, concert pianist Alexander Slobodyanik.

More exciting news

The Ukrainian Museum, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary on October 14 with a festive luncheon at the Palace Hotel in Manhattan, is eagerly anticipating the beginning of construction on a three-story, 17,000-square foot structure with space to display 8,000 pieces of folk art, 4,000 works of fine art and 27,000 photos and documents. Contracts were signed last month with the firm of S. Digiacomo and Son to build a $7.6 million home at 222 E. Sixth St., and construction will begin as soon as city permits have been obtained. Among recent large donations to the building fund was a $500,000 gift from the Self Reliance (New York) Federal Credit Union during the celebration of its 50th anniversary. The Stride and Ride to Build, a walk/bike-a-thon and picnic planned for September 23 to benefit the museum's building fund, has been postponed to April 21, 2002.

While eager to see the new building in place and ready for occupancy, Director Maria Shust and her staff at The Ukrainian Museum continue their diligent work on the top two floors of 203 Second Ave. (at 13th Street), where the current exhibit "Three Generations of Cholodny Artists" features paintings and icons of Petro Cholodny the Elder (1873-1930), his son Petro Cholodny the Younger (1902-1990) and Andrew Charyna (born 1951), the grandson of the younger Cholodny. The exhibition, which opened in April, reveals the unique talents of each artist, but also discloses a common bond - painting the Ukrainian icon in the Ukrainian neo-Byzantine tradition. (The work of the younger Cholodny may also be viewed in Manhattan on the iconostasis at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr on West 82nd Street and the stained glass windows of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church on East Seventh Street.)

The Ukrainian Institute of America embarked on an ambitious schedule of concerts, art exhibits and "Music at the Institute" evenings with last weekend's program of folk music by a group of talented singers from eastern Slovakia's Rusyn/Ukrainian region around the city of Presov (Priashiv). Interpreting Ukrainian and Rusyn songs, both sad and merry, in solos and duets and as a group were six winners of the Makovytska Struna vocal festival in Bardijov, to the north of Priashiv - baritone Mykola Petrashovski and his daughter, soprano Natalia Petrashovski, altos Mykhajila Balontova and Natalka Pokloshova, and Lubov Herus and Adriana Ballova, who sing as the harmonious Vyshyvanka duo. Mr. Petrashovski , a composer of original songs as well as a singer, provided piano or guitar accompaniment for many numbers, his daughter played a recorder for some numbers, and Ms. Herus strummed her guitar for the Vyshyvanka selections.

Ms. Herus and Ms. Ballova were in long stylized gowns, while the other performers sported the native dress of the region. For the women this meant short boleros over puff-sleeved blouses and knee-length skirts of finely pleated fabric that swirled brightly around them when they turned quickly, a movement that took place often toward the end of the evening when three of the women joined arms at the shoulders and performed a snappy circle dance, all the while emitting lighthearted shouts.

The vivacious emcee for the evening, Kateryna Nemyra, who co-directs Cleveland's "Svitlytsia" radio program and gallery with her husband, Volodymyr, credited the Buryk brothers (Oleksandr of Cleveland and Mykola of Bardijov) with bringing the group to her attention. She also noted that famous Ukrainians Ivan Franko and Markian Shashkevych had Rusyn mothers and that the family of pop artist Andy Warhol originated in the Priashiv region.

During the post-concert reception, when various renditions of "Mnohaya Lita" were exchanged by the singers and concert-goers, UIA President Walter Nazarewicz announced that the institute had made a $1,000 contribution to the singers to offset their expenses and compensate for the lack of a capacity audience - a problem attributed to New York's recent disaster.

The institute opened its first art exhibit during the past week, focusing on artists from Odesa. This weekend the institute joins with the Ukrainian American Professionals and Businesspersons Association of New York and New Jersey in presenting Askold Melnyczuk, author of the novel "What is Told" and an eloquent champion of Ukrainian America, who will read excerpts from his new novel "Ambassador of the Dead."

October and November events include the celebration of Ukraine's independence anniversary, an exhibit of paintings and sculpture by artist Patricia Stillman, the season's opening MATI concert, featuring the Leontovych String Quartet in its 30th anniversary year, and an arts and crafts exhibit sponsored by the institute and Branch 113 of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, organized to cast a fresh light on the media used by 12 artists, from textile design to silversmithing.

The Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, 206 W. 100th St., which plans to continue its series of conferences on world-renowned Ukrainians who have contributed to the culture and science of the United States, expects to throw the spotlight this season on Yosyp Tymchenko, the inventor of the stroboscope, and Igor Sikorsky, the inventor of the helicopter.

The numerous presentations planned by the Shevchenko Scientific Society, 63 Fourth Avenue (at Ninth Street), will take in a conference commemorating the 250th anniversary of the outstanding Ukrainian composer Dmytro Bortniansky and a talk by Toronto archeologist Prof. Volodymyr Mezentsev about his excavation of the historical town of Baturyn, once a Kozak company center and later the capital of Hetman Kyrylo Rozumovsky.

Both the Shevchenko Society and the Yara Arts Group are focusing attention - on the same day, October 27 - on the newly published bilingual anthology of 20th century Ukrainian poetry "A Hundred Years of Youth." The Shevchenko society is planning a book presentation at its headquarters featuring several poets and translators featured in the anthology, while the Yara group will present a program combining drama, poetry, song, history, art, music and movement at the Tompkins Square Library.

Operatic notes

For opera enthusiasts who want more information about our singers and the productions in which they are appearing this season, I offer these additional notes, provided in alphabetical order.

Michael Didyk, the leading tenor of the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv, joined the New York City Opera during the 2000-2001 season as the Duke in a new production of "Rigoletto." This season he sings Rodolfo for the first time in NYCO's acclaimed production of "La Bohéme" on October 13 and returns for five more October appearances.

Baritone Vassily Gerello, a native of Ukraine's Chernivtsi region, made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Alfio in "Cavalleria Rusticana" in 1997. He will appear at the Met in January 2002 as Rodrigo in Verdi's "Don Carlo" and in February and March will sing the role of Napoleon Bonaparte in Prokofiev's "War and Peace."

On May 8 and 11, 2002, the dramatic soprano Maria Guleghina will sing the title role in the Metropolitan Opera production of Puccini's "Tosca," a role she has sung to critical acclaim at the Royal Opera House. Born in Odesa, she made her Met Opera debut in 1991 as Maddalena in "Andrea Chenier" and has since been heard here as Tosca, Santuzza in "Cavalleria Rusticana," Lisa in "The Queen of Spades" and in the title role of "Aida."

As Sparafucile in Verdi's "Rigoletto," Sergei Koptchak took part in the Metropolitan Opera's World Trade Center Benefit, a sold-out pre-opening night event on September 23 that raised more than $2.5 million for victims of the terrible disaster. The production was enjoyed by 4,000 opera lovers in the house and some 3,000 persons watching the first live simulcast of a Met Opera production in the Lincoln Center Plaza. The singers and orchestra, along with about 1,000 other staff members at the Met, donated their services for the night. Mr. Koptchak, a native of Dacov in Slovakia's Rusyn/Ukrainian region, sang the same role during the Met's gala opening program the next day.

Vitalij Kowaljow, a Ukrainian bass who made his New York debut last March as Baldassare, the prior of the monastery, in Eve Queler's Opera Orchestra of New York production of Donizetti's rarely heard "La Favorita," returns to Carnegie Hall on November 13 to sing Barbarossa in the OONY concert performance of Verdi's "La Battaglia di Legnano."

Oksana Krovytska is singing the soprano role in the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's performances of Dvorak's "Spectre's Bride" this weekend - on September 28 and 30 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J., and on September 29 at the War Memorial Theater in Trenton. The work will be recorded next week on the Delos International Label. Ms. Krovytska became a favorite of NYCO audiences with her lovely, vulnerable and impassioned interpretation of Cio-Cio San in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." She made her debut with City Opera in 1993 as Liu in "Turandot," a role she will reprise beginning November 3.

Veteran Metropolitan Opera bass Paul Plishka will appear as both Benoit the landlord and Alcindore, Musetta's admirer, in the Met's October productions of Puccini's "La Bohéme." Mr. Plishka is also scheduled to sing the role of Prince Gremin in "Eugene Onegin" on October 16 and the role of Wurm in Verdi's "Luisa Miller" on November 10 and 16. He will return next April as Bartolo in Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia."

Ukrainian-born but now a naturalized Canadian, soprano Anna Shafajinskaia will make her debut with the New York City Opera next spring. Opera Canada has described her as extremely attractive, smaller and thinner than dramatic sopranos usually are, and the possessor of a large, rich and lustrous voice. Beginning March 23 Ms. Shafajinskaia will sing the title role in "Tosca" through April 13.

Soprano Larissa Shevchenko, born in Lviv, is a graduate of the Lviv and Leningrad conservatories. A member of the Kirov/Mariinsky Theater since 1976, she has a wide repertoire and has performed internationally. She will take on the role of Maria Akhrosimova in "War and Peace" from February 14 to March 19.

Born in the town of Kotovsk in the Odesa region, soprano Marina Vyskvorkina is the 1997 winner of the International Vocal Competition of Anton Dvorak in the Czech Republic. She will appear in the Puccini gala presented by the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra on October 13 at the Palace Theater in Stamford, Conn. (a short Metro North ride from Grand Central Station). She returns to the Palace Theater on November 10 and 11 as Juliette in Gounod's classic tale of star-crossed lovers "Romeo et Juliette."

Helen Smindak's e-mail address is [email protected].

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