He sings for each one of his listeners
Ivan Ponomarenko’s solo program was a test for the title of maestro extraordinaire
A vocalist’s solo concert is an extraordinary event in the modern music world. On such occasions the emotional and physical burden is such that domestic (and even more so foreign) stars of academic art prefer collective performances. Figuratively speaking, one may include opera productions among “collective” costume productions, since the cast includes a number of vocalists plus the orchestra, choir, and ballet. Therefore, even a complicated main opera role cannot be compared to a solo concert in terms of the artistic and aesthetic strain placed on the artist. So it is no surprise that a solo program featured in the National Opera’s December repertoire and performed by Ivan Ponomarenko, People’s Artist of Ukraine and winner of international competitions, attracted keen public attention.
The concert’s festive atmosphere was enhanced by the master of ceremonies, who instantly announced that the distinguished singer had been nominated for the Taras Shevchenko State Prize. One can imagine the degree of the singer’s creative excitement. At the same time such performances are a creative progress report to the public, a test demonstrating the peak of mastery to the officials of the state prize committee, and a creative marathon on the way to the musical Olympus.
Well, according to the “Hamburg count” the contender passed all these trials and marathons with honors; practically every concert number performed by Ponomarenko, every classical Ukrainian romance (rarely heard at the opera) was followed by an ovation and shouts of “bravo.”
The participation of the excellent National Orchestra of Folk Instruments, directed and conducted by People’s Artist of Ukraine Viktor Hutsal, added a special charm to the concert. The orchestra not only provided flawless accompaniment, but performed several virtuoso numbers of its own that embellished the concert program.
The audience was able to enjoy Ponomarenko’s bewitching baritone without accompaniment when he sang the touching folk song Vivtsi moyi, vivtsi (My Sheep). The impression was overwhelming.
It is true that the Kyiv public has long grown accustomed to the singer’s brilliant performances in numerous operas, including Tchaikovsky’s Mazepa, The Queen of Spades, Eugene Onegin; Verdi’s Nabucco, Aida, Rigoletto; Bizet’s Carmen, and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. In fact, his very participation alone often ensured a production’s success. The latest example is the recent Festival of Italian Opera Music in Kyiv. The first two operas of the festival — Aida and La Traviata — are tailor-made for Ponomarenko, for his renditions of the most sophisticated operatic roles were superb.
His solo concert revealed to the public another aspect of the singer’s talent, as only Ukrainian music was performed that night: folk songs, modern Ukrainian compositions, and classical Ukrainian romances. Needless to say, the audience was ecstatic over Mykola Lysenko’s masterpiece Bezmezhneie pole (A Boundless Field). The ovation was like a tsunami. In many cases it was hard to determine what was more absolute: the composer’s music or Ponomarenko’s performance. The singer’s talent allowed him to demonstrate the process of true creative collaboration between interpreter and composer.
Another memorable feature of the concert was a duet sung by Ponomarenko and People’s Artist of Ukraine Liudmyla Semenenko.
Ponomarenko is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his operatic career in excellent vocal shape (something many young singers can only dream of). Every month he leaves the Kyiv public with unforgettable musical impressions. He has been on concert tours in every part of the world and received countless invitations; he has performed in Paris, Moscow, St. Petersburg, even in Pretoria and Johannesburg (South Africa). The noted Italian conductor, Carlo Franci, said after Ponomarenko’s South African tour that he was born to sing Verdi operas. Now we know that he is capable of more.
Ponomarenko’s excellent voice and musical talent are Ukraine’s national treasures. The audiences’ applause and calls for encores are undeniable proof that he is recognized and loved by the public. Of course, he deserves the prestigious national prize, despite the puzzling presence of a microphone on the stage, which sometimes distorted the celebrated vocalist’s beautiful timbre. The unforgettable Edith Piaf once said: “I don’t sing for everyone, I sing for each one.” The same applies to Ivan Ponomarenko; his art resonates in every listener’s heart.
