Dmytro Gnatyuk on the opera stage (1951–1952)

Abstract

This paper explores the process of formation of D. Gnatyuk’s personality in the coordinates of cultural and artistic discourses in the context of cultural life of the 1950s, in particular the activities of Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater. Based on the materials published in periodicals, D. Gnatyuk’s entry into the sphere of professional opera performance, his emergence as a leading master of the stage, his mastering of the genre features of opera, the formation of an individual performing style, an original performing vocabulary, and a stage-vocal model of behavior were analyzed. D. Gnatyuk’s activities in the public and international spheres were studied. In close creative dialogue with public figures and writers, he discovers for himself Ukrainian history, culture, art, embodying their achievements with his performing arts in productions of M. Lysenko, S. Gulak-Artemovsky, Yu. Meitus, V. Gubarenko, V. Kireiko. In the 50 s of the XX century on the stage of the Kyiv Opera theater D. Gnatyuk creates unique images of Onegin ("Eugene Onegin" by P. Tchaikovsky), Eletsky ("The Queen of Spades" by P. Tchaikovsky), Schelkalov, Rangoni (Boris Godunov by M. Mussorgsky), Valentin ("Faust" by S. Gounod), which contributed to the formation of his skill as a performer of opera classics.