Symphony No1 by Volodymyr Zagortsev: history of creation, commentary on reconstruction

Abstract

Relevance of the study: the article describes the process of Vladimir Zagortsev’s Symphony No1 reconstruction, whose score considered to be lost since its first performance. Main objectives of study: to form a base to a further complex studying of Zagortsev’s Symphony No1. Methodology: textological analysis of score manuscripts. The results of the study: the article contains a description of how Zagortsev’s Symphony was reconstructed and also it emphasizes the main directions of further studying. The article is significant as a research of a notable composition by an outstanding Ukrainian composer.In general, in V. Zagortsev's student oeuvre, Symphony No. 1 was of special significance, but its presentation at the state exam was rather unsuccessful, after which it had probably never submitted for performance, appearing only in the lists of Zagortsev’s works. The score for Symphony No. 1 was considered to be lost.In the spring of 2015, the author of this article accidentally discovered that in the basement of the library of the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music it was kept a folder with a full set of orchestral parts to the three-movement Symphony No. 1 by V.Zagortsev. Its digital copies were immediately sent into the personal fund of V. Zagortsev at the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine, and somewhat later (during June 2017) the work was completely reconstructed and edited.In general, Symphony No. 1 by V. Zagortsev is a three-movement cyclus, which in total has 471 bars: the first part is Mysteria (bars 1–212) with a developed piano part; tragic slow movement (bars 213–306); a brief eccentric final, in which the themes of the previous movements are cited (bars 307-471).Symphony No. 1 by Volodymyr Zagortsev is an outstanding piece of Ukrainian musical Sixitiers’ generation, which has all the prerequisites for taking a prominent place in the repertoire of Ukrainian symphony orchestras.