On Wednesday, January 18, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine launched its first North American tour with a triumphant concert at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Center in Fort Myers, Fla. Under the direction of American-born Theodore Kuchar, the NSOU dazzled the sold-out audience with its performances of Yevhen Stankovych’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor.
The concert opened with Verdi’s Overture to the opera “La Forza del Destino” (The Force of Destiny). From the first downbeat, Maestro Kuchar showed just how exceptional and remarkable this orchestra can be. The string sections attacked the opening strains with blistering speed, evoking all the unbridled Italian passion and drama that Verdi could have hoped for. The laser-like precision of Maestro Kuchar’s cues were matched by the orchestra’s lush lyricism and a spectacular dynamic range. This is an orchestra that clearly relishes its mission, bringing new vitality to well-known repertoire, while showing just as much fervor and devotion to unfamiliar works.
The Stankovych violin concerto, with soloist Dima Tkachenko, showcased the orchestra’s ability to keep an audience spellbound, even as it challenged listeners with sharp and edgy dissonances and bold new musical ideas. As the former chairman of the Ukrainian Composers’ League and chairman of the Composition Department at the Kyiv Conservatory, Mr. Stankovych is highly respected in classical music circles in his native Ukraine. His choral works have gained acclaim through performances by the Kyiv Chamber Chorus and the Pavana Women’s Choir, but his works are rarely performed with non-Ukrainian ensembles, and virtually unknown to international audiences.
The violin concerto began with a jarring splash of percussion followed by many spectacular flourishes on the part of Mr. Tkachenko. The interplay of instruments was deeply evocative and sumptuous. Unlike many works by contemporary composers that seem abstract and contrived, the Stankovych work leaves listeners feeling profoundly engaged. Mr. Tkachenko was able to draw the audience comfortably into Stankovych’s contemplative space. Backed by an orchestra riveted to his every phrase, he took listeners on a harrowing journey through new emotional territory marked by profound grief and human anguish, softened by long passages of compassion and tenderness. Stankovych uses a wide range of tonal color and clever percussion but without gimmickry. One of the most beautiful passages comes toward the end of the work with a very unusual but harmonically rich woodwind chorus that would have made Mendelssohn or Brahms proud. Stankovych has earned his place in the elite of modern composers, along with Shostakovich, Khatchaturian and Britten. With an orchestra as accomplished as the NSOU, perhaps his works will finally get the fair hearing they deserve.
The NSOU has long been considered to be among the finest symphony orchestras in Eastern Europe. It was entrusted with the premier performances of many world-renowned works by Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khatchaturian and Boris Lyatoshynsky. However, the symphony has suffered from lack of exposure outside the Soviet Union. With the aid of an experienced production company such as Columbia Artists Management Inc., the NSOU may finally have the opportunity to win acclaim among international audiences.
The orchestra is blessed with a brilliantly energetic conductor in Maestro Kuchar, who brings with him deep experience and a solid pedigree, having directed the BBC Symphony, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and the Prague Symphony. The conductor is a joy to watch as he goads his orchestra into drawing out all the subtlety and vibrant color each work has to offer.
By the end of the Tchaikovsky symphony, the orchestra brought the audience to its feet with wild ovations. Maestro Kuchar returned to the stage to thank the audience and to give a remarkably concise, scholarly summary of the important influence of Ukrainian music on the classical composers of Eastern Europe. The audience murmured its sympathy as he commented on the difficult times Ukraine has endured following the Maidan uprising and Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine and he thanked the sponsors for enabling the NSOU to bring its unique voice to the global community. He then topped off the evening with a breathtaking encore – a splendid rendition of Mussorgsky’s “Hopak” from “Sorochyntsi Fair.”
The NSOU is continuing its tour through the end of March.