NEW YORK – Composer Myroslav Skoryk is one of those rare beings who succeeds at anything he touches; his many beautifully crafted, accessible works have made him a beloved figure for audiences. He is also one of the rare composers whose works are, at the same time, esteemed by professionals and performed all over the globe. On March 4, an overflow crowd vied for seats at the Ukrainian Institute of America (UIA) for the concert “Celebrating Composer Myroslav Skoryk’s 80th Birthday.”
A quick glance at YouTube shows 5,080 video performances of Mr. Skoryk’s compositions. In addition to ubiquitous incarnations of his deservedly popular “Melody,” you can see excerpts from the opera “Moses” – composed for the 2001 visit of Pope John Paul II, nine violin concertos, cello and piano concertos, music for film, ballets and large orchestral works, chamber music for solo instruments and ensembles, psalms and songs, and works in jazz idiom.
From the 1970s on, I have often performed Mr. Skoryk’s “Violin Sonata No.1,” and later conducted the Orchestral Triptych from “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” in Ukraine, and his “Melody” with the Seoul Philharmonic in Korea. I can certainly attest that Mr. Skoryk’s music is just as enjoyable to perform as it is to listen to.
Prelude
Four score years ago, Myroslav Skoryk was born in Lviv. When he was 9 years old, Mr. Skoryk’s family was deported to Siberia, where Myroslav grew up. They did not return to Lviv until 1955. His parents loved music but were not professionals. However, Mr. Skoryk’s great aunt was the world-renowned soprano Solomiya Krushelnytska, who was chosen by Giacomo Puccini to premiere his successful revision of the opera “Madama Butterfly.” (Mr. Skoryk has composed a ballet named after this famous relative, plus a keyboard fantasy on themes from “Madama Butterfly.”)
Pianists Mykola Suk and Myroslav Skoryk play four hands jazz.
Between 1955 and 1960, he studied at the Lviv Conservatory, where his composition teachers included Stanislav Liudkevych. Post-graduate work was at the Moscow Conservatory with composer Dmitry Kabalevsky. Several of Mr. Skoryk’s compositions later came to be required elements at international solo competitions. He has nurtured many notable students, including Yevhen Stankovych, who was honored last season with an author’s concert at the Ukrainian Institute of America.
After UIA President Daniel G. Swistel, M.D. introduced the octogenarian composer, the new consul general of Ukraine in New York, Oleksii Holubov, offered his tribute as well.
Themes
Pianist Mykola Suk opened the first half of the celebratory concert with Mr. Skoryk’s five movement “Partita No. 5 in modo retro for Solo Piano” (1975). This pastiche began with a Baroque styled “Prelude,” followed by a whimsical Ravel-like “Waltz,” performed with subtle rubato by Mr. Suk. “Aria” began slyly with a Chopin flavor, only to be met with more acerbic harmonies, while the concluding “Finale” was a merry romp with unexpected syncopations and a rollicking Latin American middle section. An ambiguous ending pulsated with alternating C7 and D7 chords.
This homage to the giants who came before him illustrates how Mr. Skoryk can make many styles his own, and yet synthesize a personal creation in a contemporary idiom. The composer is, indeed, a revered pedagogue at conservatories in Lviv and Kyiv. His delving into modern harmonies led to his dissertation on the modal system in Prokofiev and writing a text, “The Structural Aspects of Chords in 20th Century Music” (1983).
Mr. Suk was then joined at the piano by the composer to perform “Three Jazz Pieces for Four Hands.” Beginning with “Pleasant Stroll” evoking Scott Joplin, this is a composition geared to elicit smiles in toe-tapping audiences. The closing movement, “In Folk Style,” incorporated a Hutsul-type theme in a jazzy style. As one might expect, this built to a boisterous close.
Variations
Exotic Ukrainian folk music has always been a font of inspiration for the composer, who was born not far from the Carpathian Mountains. One of Mr. Skoryk’s earliest works to bring him international acclaim was the atmospheric score composed in Hutsul style for Sergei Paradzhanov’s 1965 film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.”
Violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv with members of the Momenta String Quartet.
The final piece of the first half was in a similar idiom. The “Carpathian Rhapsody” was arranged by the composer for solo violin and string quartet in 2005. Dvorak, Liszt, Bartok and other composers utilized a rhapsody format to alternate the improvisatory and whirlwind dance styles of folk music. The Momenta String Quartet – violins Emilie-Anne Gendron and Alex Shiozaki, violist Stephanie Griffin, cellist Michael Haas – was joined by double bassist Ryan Kamm.
The artistic director of Music at the Institute, Solomiya Ivakhiv, negotiated all the demands and expressive potential of the solo violin part. Ms. Ivakhiv certainly understands the idiom, and her singing tone was well-suited to the opening lyricism, while the dance-like repetitions were energetically performed.
Gran pausa
Ms. Ivakhiv thanked audience members for their support of Ukrainian music, and now invited listeners to peruse and help promulgate the composer’s published works displayed in the foyer.
Following intermission, the Momenta String Quartet performed Mr. Skoryk’s “Diptych for String Quartet” (1993). Interestingly, this composition began in an early Schoenbergian style of “Transfigured Night.” All the interweaving strands of this expressionistic opening were performed with a suitable rich tone by the performers. After agitato slashes à la Bernard Herrmann’s music for “Psycho,” the music unexpectedly veers into a funky, quasi-jazz playfulness before closing on an echo of the opening. The quartet delivered a fine performance of this difficult score.
Finale
The last composition, “Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra,” was commissioned in 2017 by Igor Leschishin, principal oboist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Spanning 14 minutes, it begins with plaintive phrases that transform into short jagged interchanges between the soloist and strings.
It is a substantial piece, although the oboe writing began to feel a bit square and repetitious, not fully utilizing the soaring improvisational capability of the instrument. Mr. Leschishin possesses a lovely, centered tone with an attractive, controlled vibrato. He met all the quick hazards of this concerto with solid technique.
Unexpectedly, a stately lyrical melody appeared midway in the concerto. This tune crystalized the essence of Ukrainian ethnic music without any direct quotes, much like Dvorak did in his “Slavonic Dances.” This haunting melody was beautifully decorated with string counterpoint and immediately modulated. Now the strings repeated the tune, with the oboe contributing embroidery around it.
It was an affecting, lovely moment and a memorable calling card left by the master composer, Myroslav Skoryk.