NEW RELEASE: Latest sacred choral composition by Roman Hurko

TORONTO - Composer and opera stage director Roman Hurko's latest sacred choral music composition, "Vespers," has been released on Right Angel Records, a Canadian label that specializes in sacred choral music.

As an opera stage director, the Toronto-based Mr. Hurko has worked with such luminaries as Placido Domingo, Dmitry Hvorostovsky, Andrea Bocelli and film directors Atom Egoyan and Werner Herzog, among others.

"Vespers" is Mr. Hurko's fourth major composition of sacred choral music, following the critically acclaimed Liturgy No. 2 (2003), Requiem for the Victims of Chornobyl (2001) and Liturgy 2000.

Mr. Hurko has also composed the music for two plays for the Yara Arts Group at La MaMa Experimental Theater in New York City: "A Light from the East "(1990) and "Explosions" (1992).

In 1999 he co-directed Prokofiev's "War and Peace" with Gian Carlo Menotti at the Spoleto Festival (Italy). Most recently, he directed Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" for the Vancouver Opera.

"Vespers" premiered on September, 24, 2005, at the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv's Monastery of the Caves, where it was performed by the Vydubychi Church Chorus under the direction of Volodymyr Viniar.

The CD was launched at a reception on January 29 at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto.

"Vespers," as performed by The Lemer Iseler Singers and Kyiv Chamber Choir, received a very favorable critical review in The Ottawa Citizen, in an article penned by Richard Todd (November 5, 2004).

Mr. Hurko's CDs are available through the Canadian Music Center at the website www.musiccentre.ca. For further information about Mr. Hurko please visit: www.romanhurko.com or contact Right Angel Records, 1207-580 Christie St., Toronto, ON, M6G 3E3; telephone, 416-569-8075; e-mail, [email protected].

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 19, 2006, No. 12, Vol. LXXIV

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