“Why Are They Afraid?” (Interpretation of the Later Piano Work by Valentyn Sylvestrov)

Abstract

Relevance of the study. Piano works written by the outstanding Ukrainian composer Valentyn Sylvestrov over the past two decades, in their totality, represent a unique phenomenon in Ukrainian and, possibly, world musical culture. Its uniqueness is primarily provided by such obvious properties as a huge volume, genre integrity and stylistic unity. The special requirements of the composer for the performers of these works, the specificity of their prevailing existence not on the concert stage, but in semi-amateur author’s “home” recordings, determine a whole complex of philosophical, musicological, cultural and interpretational problems awaiting their theoretical and practical solutions. The purpose of the study is to reveal the specifics of the performing reception of the later piano work by V. Sylvestrov through the prism of the categories of subjective and objective performance, on the basis of many years of experience in performing the works of the composer by the author of the article. The results and conclusions. Piano music is the quintessence of the composer’s later style, the center of attraction for his creative aspirations. Despite the seeming simplicity and the absence of technical virtuoso tasks, the later piano work of V. Sylvestrov poses certain interpretation problems for the pianist. The composer, with the help of numerous instructions, determines the special pronunciation of the musical text, which is characterized by the obligation for the performer and stylistic constancy. In bagatelles — these musical moments and insights — the subjectivity of the lyrical expression is achieved by the total restriction of the performing freedom, which is traditionally the defining quality of the subjective performing style. V. Sylvestrov’s careful writing of all performing designations deprives the pianist of the possibility of his own subjective reading. The composer objectifies the subjective, objectifies the implicit essence of pianistic art in an effort to stop the musical moments-insights presented to him from above.