Cultural Fund's concert series presents Khoma, Bagratuni and Vynnytsky (12/07/03)

Cultural Fund's concert series presents Khoma, Bagratuni and Vynnytsky

by Yaro Bihun

WASHINGTON - Cellists Natalia Khoma and Suren Bagratuni and pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky have performed in the capital area before. November 16, however, was the first time the three joined forces here on the same stage, and from the outset, the audience at the Lyceum, in Alexandria, Va., sensed this would be something special. And it was.

After establishing their ensemble by opening the second concert in The Washington Group Cultural Fund's 2003-2004 series with George Frederick Handel's Sonata for two cellos and piano in G minor, Ms. Khoma and Mr. Vynnytsky took over the first half of the program with a diverse selection of compositions that included César Franck's Sonata in A major, Mykola Lysenko's elegy "Sum", and "Lost Tango," a piece for cello and piano written by Mr. Vynnytsky himself.

Mr. Vynnytsky has been a featured performer in a number of concerts sponsored by the TWG Cultural Fund over the past few years; indeed, three years ago he shared the stage with Ms. Khoma in one of those concerts. This was the first time, however, that the Washington area audience was treated to a performance of one of his own compositions.

Both Mr. Vynnytsky and Ms. Khoma began their music studies in Lviv, and, according to the normal progression in Soviet times, they moved on to Moscow. Mr. Bagratuni's career path was similar, except that it began in Yerevan, Armenia. Later, with numerous prizes in international competitions and noteworthy performances under their belts, all three would settle in the United States, where they now perform, teach and, in other ways, are active in the performing arts.

Ms. Khoma, who is married to Mr. Bagratuni, is on the faculty of Michigan State University and University of Connecticut School of Music and is the organizer of the "Children and Music: The Natalia Khoma Fund in Memory of Wolodymyr Czyzyk" which provides music training, instruments and financial aid to young, gifted Ukrainian music students in need; Mr. Vynnytsky is a visiting member of the piano faculty at the University of Connecticut and music director of the Music and Art Center of Greene County; and Mr. Bagratuni is professor of cello at the Michigan State University and conducts master classes world-wide.

Following intermission, Mr. Bagratuni began with the Sonata for solo cello by the Armenian composer Adam Khudoyan; Mr. Vynnytsky took a solo turn with Franz Liszt's Mephisto Walzer from Lennau's "Faust," and then joined Mr. Bagratuni in Dmitri Shostakovich's Sonata in D minor to conclude the concert.

Present in the audience were representatives of embassies of Ukraine and Armenia, including Ukraine's chargé d'affaires, Sergiy Kyslytsya.

During the intermission, TWG President Ihor Kotlarchuk presented the organization's achievement award to the Cultural Fund's director, Laryssa Courtney. (The award, as he explained, would have been presented at the organization's annual meeting, but Ms. Courtney was unable to attend.) The TWG Cultural Fund, which Ms. Courtney founded in 1994, sponsors concerts, recitals, art exhibits and other cultural programs to acquaint the greater Washington area with the culture of Ukraine.

In recent years, the Cultural Fund has coordinated its efforts with the Embassy of Ukraine and has presented its annual concerts series and other programs under its patronage. The next scheduled concert in the Cultural Fund's 2003-2004 Music Series on March 14 will feature pianist Valentina Lisitsa.

| Home Page |