Art project of the Department of Piano Accompaniment of Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts: experience of performer’s and composer’s comprehension

Abstract

Statement of the problem. The discipline “Piano accompaniment” is one of the core subjects in a Bachelor program for pianists at Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts. While studying it, the students improve their skills of piano accompaniment in different genres. Special attention is paid to opera, while performance of any opera as a whole piece presents a substantial problem on the level of the whole educational establishment. It is the Department of Piano Accompaniment with its long-lasting tradition which contributes greatly to the solution of this problem. We are talking about 23 operas performed at the concerts through years within the project lead by Professor Ye. Nikitska, Honored Art Worker of Ukraine, Head of the Department. Recent research and publications. In the domain of Ukrainian musicology, there are some works devoted to specifics of piano accompaniment as an art, to the personality of a pianist-accompanist (Iniutochkina, 2010; Kretov & Novik-Kretova, 2017; Molchanova, 2013; Pavlichuk, Chaika, Tyshkevych, 2020; Zub, 2021). Scholarly sources portray an image of a musician who is integral in their essence: they are equally competent in such spheres as music history and music theory, art performance and technical issues, this is a musician capable of combining the qualities of a soloist and ensemblist, a thoughtful interpreter. The objectives of the study are: 1) to research the special ways in which opera as a stage genre can exist in untypical conditions of concert performance; 2) to justify the importance of the project created by the Department of Piano Accompaniment of Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts under the guidance of Professor Ye. Nikitska as a tool which allows students to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for self-realization and building a successful career of the piano accompanist. The scientific novelty of the study is caused by the fact that this project has not yet received proper attention in scientific research works. The article uses such research methods as genre, functional, comparative, and performing ones. Results and conclusion. The work on an art project guided by Ye. Nikitska allowed to gain significant experience in the concert performance of opera. This experience includes various directions of work, such as:1) preparatory work with the opera clavier aimed at abridgement of less essential scenes, removal of secondary characters; 2) creation of a script and usage of a concert presenter to make up for the reduction of the performance; 3) compensation for the limited stage space with concentrated acting and emphasized articulation of all the necessary details in vocal and piano parts; 4) compensation for the lack of the orchestra with specific “theatrical” expressiveness of the piano playing; 5) the work of each student on the whole opera text to make them interchangeable; 6) development of an accompanist as a polyfunctional musician; 7) bringing up a pianist-accompanist that is fully capable and ready to take his job just at the opera theatre.