Modernist features of B. Lyatoshynsky’s romances: difficulties of interpretation

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Borys Lyatoshinsky’s works marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of Ukrainian music. Thanks to the composer, European musical modernism penetrated Ukrainian musical culture and gave it a powerful impetus for the creative pursuits by a whole constellation of artists. However, Lyatoshinsky’s profound work, which was not infected by the artificial and deceptive optimism of socialist realism, often drew unfair criticism from the ruling strata of the USSR. It was only during Ukraine’s independence that Lyatoshinsky’s music finally gained proper recognition both in our country and abroad. The composer’s works, from piano preludes to symphonies, have become a permanent part of orchestras, ensembles, individual performers repertoire. But the proliferation of the prominent composer’s music inevitably raises questions about the interpretation of his works. After all, even the smallest works by Lyatoshinsky always have a clear and meaningful idea, are full of deep psychological meanings, and are created with the help of complex expressive means. Therefore, working with the composer’s music, even a hundred years after its creation, requires a performer to be very well prepared. The scientific novelty of the study is justified by the almost complete lack of research on modernist features of the composer’s romances and their influence on the interpretation of these works. The purpose of the study is to identify the difficulties of interpretation that a vocalist must overcome in order to perform Lyatoshinsky’s romances in a vivid and artistically convincing manner. Research methods. Musicological, comparative, figurative-semantic analyses helped to achieve the chosen goal. Results and conclusion. The study concluded that in order to perform the studied solo parts in an aesthetically pleasing manner, a singer, in addition to a thorough acting training, needs to be confidently competent in the various pitch systems of the twentieth-century music. Since only knowledge of the specifics of those tonal systems that differ from the major-minor system will help a singer to properly train their ears and voice to overcome performance difficulties and convincingly interpret Lyatoshinsky’s romances. Also, in this context, the issue of the special coherence between vocalist and pianist is extremely relevant, since the piano takes an equal place in Lyatoshinsky’s chamber-vocal works.