A Return to Light
A Return to Light
Pianist Violina Petrychenko is on a mission to make the music of her native Ukraine more widely known
Pianist Violina Petrychenko began her musical education in her home town of Zaporozhye; her studies have taken her to Kiev, Weimar, Essen and Cologne, where she currently works and teaches. The recipient of numerous awards, scholarships and prizes, Violina has performed extensively in concert halls and festivals throughout Germany, Holland, France, Austria, Spain, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. She has dedicated her last three albums to Ukrainian composers of the 20th century, many of whose works have never been previously recorded.
Violina performs Viktor Kosenko’s étude op. 8 No. 8 in F-sharp minor
What was it like growing up in Ukraine, and what inspired you to learn the piano?
My parents are musicians, and as a child I was always surrounded by music. It came naturally for me to start playing the piano, as not only did my parents play, but many of their friends did as well. When I was six years old, I remember trying to imitate my mother at the piano; this was the moment when she said, ‘now, it's time to start.’
My parents were pretty strict about how I spent my time. I didn't watch TV growing up, and was told I should read a certain number of books every week. I was a very curious child, and enjoyed describing everything I read and heard. Later I would become very interested in the field of musicology, and had the pleasure of also including this work in my studies.
Although you chose to leave Ukraine to continue your studies and work abroad, in the last several years you’ve released three albums focusing on the lesser-known works of 20th century Ukrainian composers—what sparked this interest?
Violina's Trio of albums featuring the music of Ukrainian Composers
I think leaving one's home country is not an easy decision for anyone. I enjoy living in Germany very much, and I do feel at home, but of course I'm missing Ukraine too. And for me the best way to connect with my country is to listen to or play Ukrainian music.
That's why in every concert I include something Ukrainian in my program. It makes me feel more at ease when I’m on stage, and I'm also happy to familiarize people with this music. Merely five years ago there were no decent recordings of Ukrainian music for piano, which was a reason for me to create them myself. I believe this music deserves to be heard; these composers were very interesting personalities, and did a lot for Ukrainian culture. It’s very sad that they are hardly known in Europe today, and still receive so little attention.
Vasyl Barvinsky, Prelude No. 3 in G major
This music is very beautiful, and although at times reminiscent of Russian composers like Scriabin or Tchaikovsky, the composer’s styles are very much their own. How would you compare their works to the other Slavic and Western European contemporaries of their time?
Of course there is a connection with Russian music, but there are also connections to many other cultures as well—Polish, Czech, French and Hungarian music for example… Kosenko adored Chopin; Barvinsky studied with Novák; Kolessa collected Ukrainian folk music and often sounds like Bartók.
But these are merely influences… every composer has his own style that is recognizable and distinct. Generally speaking Ukrainian music is very vocal and melodic. Often there are quotes and references to Ukrainian folk songs. That's what makes this music authentic. But the art of crafting a piece is dominated by the western European tradition, i.e. forms such as sonata, concerto, fugue…
Vasyl Barvinsky, Song
Your first album focuses on the theme of ‘Slavic Nobility’, featuring Ukrainian composer Viktor Kosenko and Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. Can you speak a little about these artists, and why you chose to associate their music with this theme of nobility?
For me, Kosenko is truly unique. He lived through extremely difficult times, and despite being of noble descent he was rather poor. Still, he wrote music so sublime that the term nobility applies without a doubt… listening to his piano works and Romances one would never think that this man lived in an unheated apartment, and ultimately died of hunger. Under the oppressive Soviet regime, he elevated Ukrainian music to a new, truly noble level.
Scriabin was a universe of a man. He was really special – and also very aware of it. Just like Kosenko he was born a nobleman, and was backed by many members of high society. At a time when Kosenko performed in villages on half-broken instruments, Scriabin indulged in the acoustics of the very best concert halls in Europe. Their differences in wealth and character aside, the music of these composers was very similar and carries a distinctive, noble tone.
Viktor Kosenko, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2
Your third recording features the works of Vasyl Barvinsky—the title suggests that his work has been neglected, even intentionally so.. can you speak a little about this, and your interest in dedicating a full album to his music?
When I first learned about Barvinsky's life I was shaken. Also, I didn't understand how after all these years he could have remained forgotten to the point where there was not even a single recording of this true master.
Barvinsky lived at roughly the same time as Kosenko, but his cultural influence was concentrated in the western areas of Ukraine. This is where he came to be a famous personality, with a splendid career. However this man was literally annihilated by the Soviet regime – and not only personally, but with him an entire layer of Ukrainian culture was wiped out. This is why it was so important for me to record his music, and retrieve his name from the oblivion it had fallen prey to in Europe.
The recording featured below is titled ‘Pain. Struggle. The Victory of Love’. Can you explain a little about the intention behind this video?
Because of the tragic outcome of Barvinsky’s life, he has been dubbed ‘the composer without scores’. All of his works were burned during his deportation to GULAG (Soviet labor camp), because of one false denunciation accusing him of being a spy. For many years Barvinsky was forgotten, and only thanks to his students, who after his death sent his scores to Ukraine from all around the world, has some of his music been saved. With this video I wanted to show that the power of music can survive anything!
Vasyl Barvinsky, Piano Cycle ‘Love’ [3rd movement] Pain. Struggle. The victory of love
Speaking of political hardship, the recent years have once again been a time of great crisis and upheaval in Ukraine—what does it feel like to be living and working abroad during this time, and what message do you hope to express through sharing the musical and cultural heritage of your country?
Ukraine is a very diverse country with a long and interesting history. However most of the time the fine arts have received no support from those in power, and even worse, on several occasions were completely destroyed. I do love my country deeply, but I have to admit that working as a classical musician in Ukraine is exceedingly difficult – and because music is what I truly live for, this is the reason why I left.
During the twelve years I've lived in Germany the situation in Ukraine has become even worse, and sometimes it’s painful to think of Ukraine after all that's happened. But playing Ukrainian music, for me, is like returning home for a while; delving into this world feels completely different than the music of Beethoven or even Rachmaninov. It is my goal to show the world the diversity of Ukrainian music, and that it deserves to be known, played and enjoyed.
— To learn more about Violina and her music visit violina-petrychenko.de and follow her on youtube —
