Musical gatherings at St. Andrew’s Church

This is the sixth season that young Ukrainian musicians are being introduced to Kyiv audiences in the improvised hall of St. Andrew’s Church.

Music lovers remember the concert called Pearls of Ukrainian Vocal Lyrics featuring the winners of international competitions Oksana Kazantseva-Kabka (soprano), Hennadii Kabka (tenor), Liudmyla Tsyhan (mezzo-soprano), and Ihor Savchuk (piano). That concert proved to be a worthy start of the St. Andrew’s Church Gatherings 2007.

The program was opened by tenor Hennadii Kabka, the pupil of the famous singer and pedagogue Kostiantyn Ohnievoi. Lyricism, soulfulness, expressiveness, a wide palette of colors, and richness of timbre allow the singer to embody different and sometimes diametrically opposing emotional states: from expressive (Andrii’s aria in the opera Kateryna by Mykola Arkas) to the subtle and barely perceived facets of chamber-vocal lyrics by Mykola Lysenko and Fedir Nadenenko.

With her unique, rich soprano, marked by rare timbral beauty, Oksana Kazantseva-Kabka (the pupil of the two most famous prima donnas, Yevdokia Kolesnyk and Yevhenia Miroshnychenko) always masterfully creates manifold vividness: her Milana, filled with warmth and tenderness, in the aria of Heorhii Maiboroda’s opera of the same name, is thoughtful and emotional, and she is a majestic and severe Young Lady in Mykhailo Verykivsky’s Vii.

The listeners noted the performance of Liudmyla Tsyhan (the pupil of the famous singer Halyna Tuftina) who gave a penetrating performance of the Mother’s aria in the opera Arsenal and Lysenko’s best-known romance “Oi, ia odna, odna” (Oh, I Am Alone, Alone).

Chamber-vocal lyrics formed a special part of the concert program. Deep, tender, and disquieting notes sounded in the expressionistic melodies of Fedir Nadenenko, an unfairly forgotten Ukrainian composer, who was a master of vocal lyrics. Hennadii Kabka performed a romance based on Ivan Franko’s poem “Choho iavliaieshsia meni u sni” (Why Do You Come to Me in A Dream) and Oksana Kazantseva-Kabka performed the song “Farewell” based on a Pushkin poem.

I was particularly impressed by the instrumental accompaniment. The talented young pianist Ihor Savchuk provided harmonic accompaniment to the vocalists’ mellow singing. One could feel his depth of interpretation, creative inspiration, and his vividly romantic performing style.

The audience reacted warmly to the popular folksongs “Stoit hora vysokaia” (A High Mountain Is Standing), “Dibrovo zelenaia” (O Green Grove), and “Nashcho meni chorni brovy” (Why Do I Need Black Eyebrows). The romance “Misiats na nebi” (The Moon in the Sky) capped the performance and brought a storm of applause.