Stankovych a central figure of contemporary music (12/23/01)

Stankovych a central figure of contemporary music

Yevhen Stankovych is one of the central figures of contemporary Ukrainian music who, together with such composers as Valentin Silvestrov and Leonid Hrabovsky, introduced innovations in Ukrainian music.

A prolific composer, he has, since 1966, authored 10 symphonies, six chamber symphonies, an opera ("When the Fern Blooms"), four ballets, a large number of works in the oratorical, vocal chamber and instrumental chamber genres, as well as incidental music to six music theater plays and over 100 films.

Maestro Stankovych studied at the Kyiv Conservatory under Borys Liatoshynsky, and later under Myroslav Skoryk. Beginning with his first compositions, Stankovych declared himself as a composer of dramatic temperament. While his technique is contemporary, folkloric themes of Ukraine's cultural groups are paramount in his works. Examples of these are his opera, "When the Fern Blooms" (1978), and "Kaddish- Requiem for Babyn Yar" (1991).

Maestro Stankovych's uniqueness lies in his pronounced affinity to the vernacular, his blending of folk motifs with orchestral colors, reproducing the unique aspects of the folk song and of multi-layered polyphony. A composer, he believes, cannot create music in isolation from his cultural lifeline and works to extend that lifeline to his audience.

The composer's elaborate polyphonic textures and meditative lyricism are reminiscent of the strict instrumental style of Baroque music, while the full-bodied affected melodies with an obvious post-Romantic coloring give the music warmth and expressiveness. His music is remarkable in many respects, showing his emotional freedom, consummate technical mastery, and flexibility of form.

As the Soviet Union collapsed, Maestro Stankovych wrote several monumental works commemorating Ukraine's victims. His "Kaddish-Requiem for Babyn Yar" was the composer's gift to the memory of the Jews and other victims who perished at the hands of the Nazis in Kyiv in September 1941 (premiered September 1991 in Kyiv); "Requiem for the Victims of the Famine" commemorates the 6 million who perished of hunger in 1932-1933 in Ukraine (premiered in 1993 in Kyiv); and "Black Elegy" is a remembrance of the victims of the Chornobyl tragedy (premiered in 1991 in Winnipeg).

Maestro Stankovych is the recipient of several major awards. His Chamber Symphony No. 3 was selected by UNESCO's World Tribune as one of the 10 best works of 1985. He has been recognized with several awards in Ukraine, including the country's highest award for artistic creativity, the Taras Shevchenko State Award.

The composer's works have been performed in Canada, the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, China, the Philippines, and Yugoslavia, in addition to performances in the former Soviet Union.

Maestro Stankovych's work has been featured at contemporary music festivals in Germany and Poland, and he was invited to serve as senior juror in a contemporary music competition held in Winnipeg in January 1992.

In 1996, he was composer-in-residence in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland.

His works have been recorded on the Melodiya, Analekta, ASV, Naxos and Troppe Note/Cambria labels.

Maestro Stankovych is chair of the faculty of composition at the Kyiv Conservatory and former chairman of the Composers' Union of Ukraine.

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