Contemporary Music in Odessa: the Festival “Two Days and Two Nights of New Music” in April 2017

Международный отдел • International Division 2017,2

DOI: 10.17674/1997-0854.2017.2.072-077

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC IN ODESSA: THE FESTIVAL “TWO DAYS AND TWO NIGHTS OF NEW MUSIC” IN APRIL 2017

n April 22–23, 2017 a notable event to the festival “Two Days and Two Nights of New happened in Odessa, Ukraine, – namely, Music” to perform or to have their music heard Othe 23rd contemporary music festival there. In various years such composers as Jean- “Two Days and Two Nights of New Music.” This Luc Darbellay from Switzerland, James Clarke of festival has been organized since 1995 by composer England, Ghennadie Ciobanu and Vladimir Beleaev Karmella Tsepkolenko and her husband Oleksandr from Moldova, Mikhail Kokzhayev from Yerevan, Perepelitsya, who are the directors of the Odessa- Armenia, Dmitri Kapyrin from Moscow, Russia, based Association for New Music. Every year for two Rashid Kalimoullin from Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, days in April the concerts of the festival have started Volodymir Huba, Alla Zahaikevich and Alexander at 4 PM and have continued non-stop until late at Shchetynsky from Kiev and many others have been night, about 3 or 4 AM, with merely short 15-minute the participants of this festival. Such performers as intermissions between each concert. According to Joel Sachs and the Continuum Ensemble from New Ms. Tsepkolenko, the idea for setting up a festival of York and cellist Ivan Monighetti from Switzerland such a peculiar format was conceived by her, when have performed at the festival. One important she attended one of the irst contemporary music participant of the festival, who serves as its president, festivals of European avant-garde music to be held is German percussionist and composer Bernhard in the Soviet Union – in Leningrad in 1988 – and Wulff, who comes to Odessa every year to perform after the concerts of the festival inished she and her at the festival and takes a most active part in the colleagues met and discussed actively during the festival’s organization. He frequently brings other wee hours of the night the music heard by them at percussionists with him, including his students, and the festival’s concerts. Perhaps this has also been together they present a lively addition to the festival’s one of the leading factors for the very generous and program by performing intriguing music by new warm bohemian atmosphere inherent to the Odessa European and American composers for percussion festival, the congenial environment for bringing instruments. The Association for New Music has together composers and performers from different also hosted other events, including a conference in parts of Ukraine, from Russia, Moldova, Georgia and memory of the famous professor of orchestration Armenia, and from many other countries of Europe, at the Moscow Conservatory Yuri Fortunatov, Asia and America. Usually prior to these two days which was organized by Odessa-based musicologist there has been an opening concert (at a regular time Iouri Semenov, to which many composers and format), conferences, master-classes and meetings musicologists from many former Soviet republics with some of the guest composers. This has created came, including Fortunatov’s former students. numerous opportunities for the participants of the This year the festival presented a broad festival to meet each other and to develop professional assortment of trends of contemporary music as and creative contacts and friendships. Add to this the exempliied by brilliant performers playing the unforgettable atmosphere of Odessa in its historical music of various composers. The irst event, which center, and then we can fully appreciate the wealth took place on April 21, 2016 was a pre-festival of impressions the participants and attendees of the concert in the concert hall of the Odessa Music festival have received upon coming to the numerous Academy, performed by musicians from Lviv – musical events of this great artistic endeavor. violinist Lydia Shutko and pianist Oleksandr Since Karmella Tsepkolenko is the president of the Kozarenko (the latter being primarily a composer). Ukrainian section of the International Society for The program consisted of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Contemporary Music (ISCM) and attends the annual Sonata for Violin and Piano, opus 134 from World Music Days festivals in the different cities of 1968, the Sonata for Violin and Piano from the world that they are organized, she has developed 1926 by early 20th century Ukrainian composer contacts with some of the most signiicant composers Boris Lyatoshynsky and the Second Sonata for and performers of contemporary music from many Violin and Piano by contemporary Ukrainian countries. Many such musicians have been invited composer Myroslav Skoryk, written in 1990. All

72 2017,2 Международный отдел • International Division three sonatas, being tonal in harmony and mostly textures and sonorities, the composition possessed romantic in their styles, presented varieties of brilliant theatrical qualities and was appreciated lyrical, epic and at times melodramatic musical by the audience. Concerto for Marimba with moods. This featured a more “accessible” program, Percussion Instruments and Chorus by American in stark contrast to the more complex music to come Composer Gene Koshinski, performed by the during the two nights of the festival, in the way of a aforementioned percussionists along with the musical “hors d’oeuvre.” Student Chorus of the Odessa National Music After the concert American composer and Academy, conducted by Grigoriy Liosnov and bassoonist from New York, Johnny Reinhard, Galina Shpak contrasted the lengthy drawn out known for being a specialist in microtonal music sounds of the chorus with the lively motor sounds and the artistic director of the American Festival of the percussion instruments, to which the chorus of Microtonal Music in New York, presented a tuned in at times. Possessing tonal harmonies master-class at the Small Hall of the Odessa Music and features of a neo-classical style, combined Academy, which was well-attended by many with an innovative percussive textural world, people, including the visitors and participants of the composition stood out with its dramatic and the festival, as well as the faculty members and theatrical qualities and its ambivalence in regards students of the Music Academy – most notably, to the alternating leadership between the chorus, bassoonists. Reinhard demonstrated to the audience marimba and other percussion instruments. an assortment of new extended techniques for the Johnny Reinhard gave a virtuosic performance bassoon, including microtones, circular breathing, of four bassoon pieces, starting with his already multiphonics and, most notably, taking the bassoon famous work “Dune,” inspired by the science iction apart and producing unusual yet very musical novel by Frank Herbert, which alternated lengthy sound effects on separate parts of the instrument. In alternately tuned melodic lines with virtuosic trill- addition to that, he gave some very comprehensive like and quasi-tremolo effects and special techniques explanations and demonstrations of various new of taking the bassoon apart and playing into its microtonal tunings, most notably, his recently separate constituent parts – the latter presenting both invented tuning of 128 tones per octave, all based satisfying acoustic and theatrical effects. “Ballad” on extensions of the overtone series to the ninth by the writer of these lines was a slow and lyrical octave, and performed parts of his compositions for composition combining plaintive melodic writing bassoon “Dune” and “Zanzibar”, which involved with usage of intervals from the 128-note scale. A many of these techniques. Finally, he presented a more intellectually complex piece, extended in its demonstration of improvisation on the bassoon, duration and extensive in its gradual development asking a few of the bassoon students to accompany was the piece “For Johnny Reinhard” by Austrian him, which resulted in a brilliant improvisatory composer living in New York, Georg Friedrich performance on the stage of the Small Hall. He Haas, where the audience had ample opportunities encouraged the performers and composers present to delve into the intricate sounds of the tiny intervals at the festival not to be afraid to experiment and comprising the 128-note scale, played at close search for new musical solutions while playing their proximity with each other. “Hard Rain, Johnny” instruments or while composing their music. by Bosnian born and New York-based composer The festival proper started the following day, on Svjetlana Bukvich for bassoon and electronics was April 21. The Percussion Ensemble of Freiburg a lively composition making full use of nonstandard Music University represented by Mathias Droll textural noises in the electronics and colorful from Germany and Arrigo Aixa from Italy together melodic writing inspired by Bosnian folk music, with the Percussion Ensemble of the Lübeck which greatly impressed the audience. Music University, represented by Vera Seedorf, Most impressive was the performance of young Florian Stapelfeldt and Seorim Lee, all directed 24-year-old Ukrainian pianist Vitaliy Kyianytsia, by Bernhardt Wulff, gave a brilliant performance who gave brilliant performances of Tristan Murail’s of “Clash Music” by famous German composer texturally elaborate and emotionally expressive Nicklaus Huber, involving regularly pulsed harsh piano piece piano piece “La Mondragore” (written percussive sounds played both on the standard by the composer in 1993), Brian Ferneyhough’s percussion instruments, the piano, and extraneous brilliantly virtuosic and ultra-complex composition non-musical objects. Notwithstanding its rough “Lemma-Icon-Epigram” (composed in 1981),

73 Международный отдел • International Division 2017,2 his own dynamic and innovative composition the background of which the creator of the project “Euphoria” (written in 2016) and very cerebrally produced sounds on small non-musical objects, sounding piece with harsh textures “West Pole II” Kaiju Zhang from Australia played the saxophone, (2009) by Greek composer Panayiotis Kokoras. occasionally accompanying herself with percussion The enthusiasm, agility of technique and the instruments, while Nuriya Khasenova from Moscow, daring of Kyianitsya’s musical endeavors both as a Russia played the lute, occasionally switching to composer and performer arouses presented a great percussion. The result was the achievement of the impression and demonstrated the presence of young effect of diluting the “concrete” images of the music talents in Ukraine who are ready to uphold the lessons in the video with the abstract musical sounds traditions of European avant-garde music. played by the musicians. The chamber music Senza Sforzando, devoted Swiss soprano Karolina Eurich produced a to performing contemporary music, founded and fantastically morbid theatrical performance by directed by Oleksandr Perepelitsya Jr., gave a singing Morton Feldman’s “Three Voices for performance devoted to the memory of singer Vasil’ Joan la Barbara” for voice and electronics, its Slipak, one of the enthusiasts of contemporary music three movements titled: Whisper“ ,” “Unaccented and performers of many new works by Ukrainian Legato” and Snowfall “ .” Against the background composers. The irst seven songs from Arnold of a darkened stage illuminated with fantastic Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire were performed, with colors, she was dressed in an extravagant suit with Andriy Malinich as the singer, dressed in the fashion luorescent colors, her face painted in a bizarre of a Pierrot, with his face painted in a theatrically way. Eurich’s performance aroused sensations of a colorful manner. The performance produced a most grotesque, eerie nocturnal atmosphere, which was unusual yet gratifying effect of having the vocal enhanced by her walking on stage in a theatrically part sung by a tenor, instead of a soprano. Andriy dramatic manner. Malinich’s own composition, his mini mono-opera Most impressive was the performance on the “Pierrot et la beauté” for two voices and chamber solo violin by Ukrainian violinistAnna Savitska ensemble, set to poems by Charles Baudelaire and living in Switzerland, who performed a number of Paul Verlaine, although lasting only ten minutes, works, including Karmella Tsepkolenko’s “Solo- was an emotionally saturating work, which achieved solisimo”, a dramatic, colorful piece, written by the a harmonious blend of lyrical expressivity with composer in 1999, involving lyrical, expressive solo harmonic and textural innovation of sound. A video lines, alternating with non-traditional textures for the ilm presenting Vasil Slipak singing Oleksandr instrument and occasional vocal exclamations by the Kozarenko’s composition was next shown, featuring performer. All of these effects produced a saturating episodes from rehearsals and performances of dramaturgy for the composition. Swiss composer Kozarenko’s music, as well as the composer and Fabian Miller’s four-minute-long composition the singer talking about their work. This served as “Munchs Traum(a)” was remarkable for its gradual a prelude to a live performance of Oleksander musical development, emotional expressivity and Kozarenko’s work “Pierrot’s Deadly Loop” for textural contrast. Boris Alvarado’s lengthy work chamber cantata for counter-tenor and chamber “Sava,” written especially for Savitska, was more ensemble, set to poems by Mykhaylo Semenko, one intensively dramatic and theatrically artistic and of Ukraine’s most modernist poets from the early 20th combined in a natural way traditional virtuosic century. The latter was the same musical composition effects, typical for the violin since the times of heard in recording on the video. It was impressive Paganini, with modern harmonies and contemporary by its emotionally intense, expressionistic qualities, technical effects for the instrument. both lyrical and harshly grotesque ones, enhanced by Cellist Zoltan Almaschi from Ukraine an imaginative elaboration of diverse textural effects performed a number of solo compositions by produced by the instruments and the singer, which three different composers. Tonyukuk “ ” by Firuz altogether created a most powerful and striking Allahverdi from Azerbaijan was a work distinct composition. for its accessible musical language and references A most extravagant multi-media project followed, to traditional Azeri music, intermingled with a titled “By the way, how the hell(o) do people learn moderately innovative European musical idiom. to speak,” featuring a video with fragments of music The irst night of the festival rounded off lessons made by Leo Collin from France, against with three works for solo percussion. German

74 2017,2 Международный отдел • International Division percussionist Vera Seedorf performed a most Percussionists Vera Seeforf, Florian Stapel- extravagant piece by American composer Stuart feldt and Seorim Lee from the Percussion Saunders-Smith called “Songs I-IX,” written Ensemble of the Lübeck Music University gave an in 1981 for percussion instruments and various accomplished performance of a number of works, household items. The musician walked on stage, among which most impressive was Echoes for three spoke and sang various words and syllables in a percussionists by Ukrainian composer Mikhaylo theatrical way, presenting the effect of a delirious Shved. Its meditative, romantic mood was enhanced person, and made noises on the percussion by repetitive igures on the marimba and vibraphone, instruments, as well as on knives, plates, pots and joined with soft, delicate sound effects on other pans. Her declamation essentially demonstrated percussion instruments, such as triangle and gong. the more conspicuous part of the work, with all the Next there was a selection of compositions percussive effects forming an accompaniment to by Julia Gomelskaya, one of the leading igures the former, all of which in conjunction produced a among the group of Odessa-based composers, who lively effect, illed with a vivid humor. was killed in a car accident in December 2016. Loops II for solo vibraphone by French The works were written in the most diverse styles, composer Philippe Hurel, performed by Florian some of them adhering to a traditional, folk-music Stapelfeldt, was a colorful work, combining oriented style, while others following an advanced regular motor-like rhythms and repeated harmonies avant-garde idiom. The choral cantata “Spring, Fun with irregular, free and quasi-improvisatory and Jokes” for children’s chorus, violin, percussion rhythms and developing harmonies, added to which and piano was performed by Solo Musica, the was a vigorous mood and varied textures of the Children’s Chorus of the School of Pedagogical instruments. David Lang’s “Unchained Melody,” Practice, afiliated with the Odessa National Music performed by Seorim Lee, was an ongoing chain Academy, directed by Yevhenia Bondar. This was of percussive effects in almost regular motor-like a work incorporating Ukrainian folk music into the rhythms, performed on jingling bell-like objects. composer’s personal style in a most colorful, artistic The second day, April 22 opened up with manner. The composer’s string quartet “From the Children’s Chorus from the School of the Bottom of the Soul,” a highly emotionally Pedagogical Practice, afiliated with the Odessa tense, expressionistic work written in advanced National Music Academy, conducted byYevheniya musical idiom, incorporating a moderate share of Bondar, singing works by contemporary composers. novel instrumental techniques for enhancement of Young Odessa-based composer Kira Maidenberg- expressive means, was performed by the “Harmonies Todorova’s “Au” for children’s chorus and piano, of the World” String Quartet (Nataliia Lytvynova, set to the text of Moscow-based late 20th century violin, Leonid Piskun, violin, Iya Komarova, viola, poet Genrikh Sapgir, combined tonal harmonies Serhii Scholz, cello). The duo “DiaDem Julia” for and accessible melodic lines with an imaginative two violins, played by Anna Savitska and Yakub and innovative theatricality, enhanced by quasi- Dzialak, was an emotionally saturating, elegiac jazz glissando effects and non-pitched declamations work with lengthy contrapuntal elaborations of the by the chorus and the chromatic harmonies and two violin lines, extended tonal harmonies and an virtuosic bell-like textures in the piano. “Aglepta” overall gradual musical development. “Hutsulka – by Swedish composer Arne Mellnaes, written in Dance for piano and percussion player,” heard in 1969, set to the text of Bengt Klintberg, was a short the performance of Ukrainian pianist Vira Kuusiku and striking piece with a mysterious, nocturnal and Italian percussionist Arrigo Aixa, was an mood, bordering at times on declamatory style in agile work with regular motor rhythms, dynamic its combination of tonal harmonies with outlandish contrasting textures of the piano and the percussion sound effects, including drawn-out sonoristic chords, instruments, chiely the xylophone, and a dynamic, mingled by glissandos and non-pitched shouts, boisterous mood. The “Diptych” (“Liuli for Yuli, a all brilliantly performed by the children’s chorus. Lyllabye” and “Curly Catherine”) for female chorus The famous “Geographical Fugue” by Austrian- and percussion, performed by the Oriana Female American composer Ernst Toch, consisting of non- Chorus (directed by Halyna Shpak) with Daniel pitched, rhythmic incantations of names of different Fednando and Castro Semenova on percussion countries and geographical locations, received a instruments, contained elements of Ukrainian folk superb, highly energetic performance by the chorus. music, modiied in an organic way by the composer

75 Международный отдел • International Division 2017,2 to adjust to her original compositional style. The Ukrainian composer Liubava Sidorenko was a most composition featured sonoristic effects on extended accomplished piece, which combined organically diatonic harmonies in the chorus with only occasional modernist harmonies and instrumental textures slight, sparse effects in the percussion instruments. with an exuberant, highly expressive emotional A most unusual and extravagant instrumental mood, presenting itself diversely in the work’s trio, namely, the Kontra-Trio, featuring Madeleine contrasting sections emphasizing various emotional Bischof on the contrabass-querlute, Thomas Mejer moods by means of diverse harmonies and textural on the contrabass saxophone, and Leo Bachman on combinations, ending in a very subdued manner. the tuba, performed a selection of works for this “On the Coast” for piano by Anna Tikhoplav from most unusual ensemble of instruments. The most Odessa was an extensive, moderately lyrical yet agile interesting pieces of their selection were “Aquarium piece with rather diatonic harmonies and textures 17” by Madeleine Bischof and “…und auch der which combined lyrically subdued with dynamic Wind wohnt…” by Karmella Tsepkolenko. In and quasi repetitive motions. Polish composer Alicja Bischoff’s composition the sonorities of these three Gronau’s “Agnezioni II” for solo lute was a lyrical, instruments spelled out the basic tones of the overtone texturally reined and rhythmically elaborate piece series and created quiet percussive slap sounds on with tonal melodicism and elements of Impressionist all three of the instruments, at times resembling stylistic features. “Szena’ for violin and piano by sounds of such aquatic animals as whales, seals and Kiev-based composer Andriy Merkhel was a very dolphins, albeit never departing from the diatonic impressive piece with a wealth of subtle novel effects harmonies centering around the overtone series. for the combination of instruments and a very intricate Tsepkolenko’s piece contained an array of sonoristic kind of emotional expressivity. “ Tomorrow”, a effects, involving juxtapositions of arrays of fast chamber cantata by Odessa-based composer Kira- notes played very softly in the low register with Maidenberg-Todorova for soprano, clarinet, cello, lines with slightly slower durations in the same low marimba, toy piano and piano on a poem by Tatiana register, with gradual incursions into higher registers Polozhy was the longest and most elaborate work in with occasional whispering harmonic sounds (in this block. It was a highly dramatic work written with very high registers), albeit continuously in very soft new harmonies and instrumental textures, involving registers. This set of effects created a mysterious, stark contrasts of instrumental textures, ranging from eerie and fantastic poetic atmosphere, itting the title slow and reined to loud and motor-like, dominated of the piece. “Tartarelischer Tanz V” by Thomas by an epically intensive vocal line, which expressed Mejer was a slow, static piece with sonoristic in a very heartfelt way the emotional content of the effects around diatonic harmonies mostly in soft poem which formed the semantic basis for the music. dynamics with only a few occasional sforzando Kira Maidenberg-Todorova appears to be a very accented notes. In this piece the sounds of the three promising young representative of the new musical instruments emphasized tonic minor sonorities in scene in Odessa, and she should deinitely be heard the extreme low registers with very slow melodic from more often. swaying around the basic notes. In Rafal Zapala’s A block of compositions by Odessa-based “Trialog” short detached notes played by the three composer Aliona Tomlionova, currently residing instruments in their low registers alternated with in Moscow, came next. “ For Emily”, performed soft declamations of words and syllables, creating a by Oleksandr Murashko on the oboe and Olena surrealistic effect. “Downstairs” by Julia Ruffert Pavlova on the piano, was an extensive piece, featured slow, static long notes in the instruments’ written in a romantic idiom with tonal harmonies lower registers, intermixed with non-pitch breathing and traditional textures. “Two Bagatelles for on the instruments. “Tinguely Machine 2.0” chamber structures” for lute and piano, performed by Katharina Rosenberger presented static by Darya Chorba on the lute and Olena Pavlova polyphonic elaborations of the three instruments’ on the piano were very short and concise with lines in the extreme low register with occasional slap an extended diatonic harmonies and moderately and breathing effects. traditional instrumental textures. “Two Poems by Another performance by the Senza Sforzando Vlada Ilyinskaya” were likewise short in duration, ensemble, directed by Oleksandr Perepelitsya Jr., moderately tonal in harmony and lyrical romantic in featured a set of chamber works by a few contemporary their mood. They were performed by soprano Nina composers. “A priori” for lute, violin and piano by Kachur-Nevska and pianist Olena Pavlova.

76 2017,2 Международный отдел • International Division

Johnny Reinhard presented another selection more virtuosic passages on the bassoon, now of contemporary pieces for the bassoon in microtonal assembled together. tunings and temperaments. “Tenkenas (for Johnny The Innovation Duo from Switzerland with Reinhard)” by Monroe Golden from Birmingham, violinists Anna Savitska and Yakub Dzialak Alabama, USA, was an impressive enigmatic piece performed a set of works for two violins, the most composed in the 128 note scale, which showed memorable of which was “Ashes” by Ukrainian ample contrast of rhythm and texture to set up Mykola Khshanovsky, a piece, which included a lively yet quizzical mood during its moderate an assortment of extended techniques for the length. A very accomplished work was “Lento instruments, including scrapings on the wood, Pensieroso” by Alexander Shchetynsky, one of pizzicato effects, playing on the other side of the the leading composers in Kiev, which produced a bridge and numerous other scratching and scraping great impression on the audience for its expressive effects. The other pieces performed by the duo were and innovative use of the bassoon’s new techniques for the most part composed in a similar radical style. and organic application of microtones, thereby A group of ive young composers presented their creating an emotionally and texturally saturating new works for odd ensembles of instruments, among composition. “Maknongan” by the famous Italian which “Song about Corasis” by young Odessa- composer Giacinto Scelsi created its due emotional based composer Anton Koshelev for marimba and effect with its static melodic line and abundance of bass guitar produced the most impression, being small microtonal intervals, all of which presented diatonic in harmony, quasi-minimalist in its style the composer’s established pensive, meditative style and organically combining the classical idiom with in yet another manifestation. The hit of the program elements of jazz style. was “Dreams like little Movies” by Los Angeles- The festival came to a close with two dynamic based composer Peter Thoegersen. An extensive, percussion works, namely, “Kim” by American technically elaborate and virtuosic composition, it composer Askel Masson, a loud, energetic and kept the attention of the audiences throughout the rhythmically intense work for solo snare drum, played entire 17 minutes of its duration by its apt usage by Italian percussionist Arrigo Axia, and Bernhard of the pitches of the 128 note scale, well thought Wulff’s “Metalli 2” for full percussion ensemble, out musical development, its contrasting textures a loud, rhythmically dynamic piece, performed and saturing musical dramaturgy. Johnny Reinhard by the Percussion Ensemble of Freiburg Music greatly intrigued the audience with his original University together with thePercussion Ensemble performance of John Cage’s “0 minutes and of the Lübeck Music University, conducted by 0 seconds” by performing the theatrical gesture of Bernhard Wulff, with which the festival concluded coming up to the writer of these lines and pointing on an exuberant note with a bang. the bassoon at him. Johnny Reinhard’s own piece This year the festival “Two Days and Two Nights “Zanzibar” presented a most sensational close to of New Music” in Odessa once again impressed and his performance, with the composer-performer dazzled its audiences with its lively assortment of the declaiming the words “Zanzibar,” “Tanzania” and most varied trends of new music and created a rare “Africa,” taking the bassoon apart and creating artistic environment, which was greatly appreciated sound effects of bamboo canes and elephant calls by the composers and performers participating in it, by playing on the separate parts of the instruments, as well as for the regular audiences of Odessa and throwing a ping-pong ball down, playing the main among the guests from other cities and countries, theme on the bassoon, and then roaring it out with who came to the city to savor the great celebration his voice in the manner of a lion, then performing of new music.

Anton А. Rovner Ph.D. in Music Composition from Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA), Candidate of Arts (Ph.D.) from the Moscow State Conservatory, faculty member at the Department of Interdisciplinary Specializations for Musicologists of Moscow State P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory ORCID: 0000-0002-5954-3996, [email protected]