Mykola Vitaliyovich Lysenko (1842-1912) is believed to be one of the most important personalities of Ukrainian classical music of the XIX-XX centuries and one of the brightest figures in the struggle of Ukrainians for independence as well. In the last quarter of the XIX century while the Ukraine did not exist as an independent state and Eastern Ukrainian lands were part of the Russian Empire. The Ukrainian language and whatever creations of the Ukrainian culture was forbidden for the mass media. But in spite of all these circumstances at that time Mykola Lysenko created the Ukrainian school of classical music. He had composed and staged in Kyiv and Lviv real Ukrainian classical operas based on history of his nation and synthesized Ukrainian folk ground with the language and technique of Western European classical music. He also organized The School of Music and Drama in Kyiv (nowadays – Kyiv Music college by
M. Lysenko). So we can consider him as a founder of the Ukrainian school of classical music, which was created one century earlier than Ukraine finally received its independence as a state.
It is significant that Lysenko was the offspring of Ukrainian Chieftain – Vovgura Lys - Cossack leader of the XVII century, who courageously fought for the liberation of Ukraine. And Mykola Lysenko’s impact on the struggle for independence with his musical and social activities was no less successful than military actions of Vovgura Lys and another Cossacks.
At the present time in honor to Mykola Lysenko and with the great love of the Ukrainians to his music The National Kyiv Opera Theater starts and crowns each season with the Lysenko’s opera “Taras Bulba”. The National competitions of the classical performers take part each year in his honor.

IRYNA RIABCHUN’s first big performance oh the music by Mykola Lysenko took place in 1992 in the Kyiv National Academy of music where she within the Republican Conference of the Ukrainian music for the first time released her project “Ukrainian Music of the 18-19 centuries. The first part of the concert program by Iryna was holly devoted to the Mykola Lysenko’s music.
Then in 1993 – 1999 Iryna Riabchun performed the piano works by the great Ukrainian composer on the different stages in Greece (Crete, Athens). Several of her Lysenko’s tracks had been translated by Greek television.
In 1999-2002 Iryna performed Lysenko’s works in Kyiv. In 2000 she had participated in the international Opera conference in Kyiv (Worsel) and in the final session of the Kyiv Richard Wagner Society had prepared and performed opera music by Lysenko with the vocalists.

In 2002 she recorded Lysenko’s “Ukrainian” piano suite for the Full Academic Collections of the Lysenko’s work.
In 2200-2002 the pianist performed Lysenko’s music in Ukraine and in Indonesia many times. In May 2002 she had played the “Ukrainian suite” by Lysenko in the Balikota of Jakarta (the main governmental building of Indonesia) as a first item opening the International festival JakArt 2002.
In 2004 Iryna Riabchun performed works by Mykola Lysenko within the program “Ukrainian piano music of the XVIII-XX centuries” in New Delhi and in her solo piano program “Ukrainian Journey for the music lovers” in Calcutta (India)
In February 4, 2004 in Kyiv during her visit from India to Ukraine the pianist released her unique project called “Lysenko’s Piano Birthday (Imaginary - emotional interpretations of the music by Mykola Lysenko”. It was the first in history of piano performance of the one soloist entirely with the works by Mykola Lysenko. “It was the historical event” - said Rada Lysenko (professor of the Kyiv Mysic Academy, grand-daughter of the great Ukrainian composer, initiator Ukrainian school of the classical music) after the concert by Iryna Riabchun which took place in the Lysenko’s House-Museum - “because even composer themselves had never played full program of his own compositions. And no less important that Iryna’s style of performing Lysenko’s music and her piano sound playing memorial “Bluethner” (piano of composer) were perfect.”
In March 2005 Iryna received copies of the autographs of the unfinished sketches by Mykola Lysenko and made her own version of this music composing for its ending about 30 percents closely to the Lysenko’s style. So in this program two unique compositions by M.Lysenko – I.Riabchun will be performed: The sketches (Agitato, Allegretto)
In April 2005 Iryna released the project “When the wonderful May had came” (The circle of the romances and duets by M.Lysenko on the poetry by H. Heine in the translations of the Ukrainian poets) with the singers O.Dobrovolska, V.Matwijishyn and V.Feschak. Two performances took place – in The Kyiv Children Academy of Arts, when the pupils of Iryna Riabchun played the piano part and in The Kyiv House of the Scientists, when Iryna had played the piano accompaniment herself.
In June 2005 Iryna made video and audio sessions in The Kyiv Memorial Lysenko House- Museum. Fragments of the video were given to the Greek TV channels.

The offered to your attention IRYNA RIABCHUN’S solo piano Lysenko program opened with The First Rhapsody on Ukrainian folk themes op. 8. (1875) This Lysenko’s song is rarely performed even in Ukraine because of it’s the very complicated stile and technical difficulties. The First Lysenco’s Rhapsody could be compared with the historical travel in the tempest time of the Cossack’ s rides in the Mediterranean aria during the XVI –XVII centuries. Recitative music of the large slow exposition of the Rhapsody consist with the intonations of the authentic central Ukrainian historical song – “Duma” (“Thought”) Internal expression of the slow part is turning into the energy of the fast dance and then rising to the bright joyful climax.
The second item - “Ukrainian Suite” op.2 (in the forms of the old dances on the themes of the folk songs) had composed by Mykola Lysenko in the years of studying in the Leipzig Music Academy in 1867-1969, but the perfection of this Suite demonstrates mature stile of the composer. The sense of this composition was to find common intonations, rhythmic formulas and other structural elements of the Western-European dances of the so called Olden French suite and Ukrainian folk music.
The first part of the program will be concluded with the another bright example of Lysenko’s style – his Ukrainian Rhapsody “Dumka-Shumka” (1877). Like The First Lysenko’s Rhapsody this composition is also based on the two contrast folk themes. The slow introduction is composed in the style of the Ukrainian “Duma”), closely to the intonations of the Duma about Marusia Boguslavka and about Turkish capture – improvising singing declamation comparable with the music of Mediterranean monody. The fast part of the Rhapsody is based on the Ukrainian so called “Noisy dance” (“Shumka”) which has a rapid rising of dynamics. The sequence of the graceful “seductive” female dances and the bold male dancing variations becomes the main line of the dramaturgy and is released in the final variations as bright flame like ethnic festivity.

The Second Part of the concert will start with the most fundamental work in Ukrainian classical-romantic piano music of the XIX century- Mykola Lysenko’s Piano Sonata (1875). This music track is full of reminiscences of Cossack songs, marches and prayers. For example the refrain of the Final part of the Sonata – Rondo, Allegro is based on the folk song: “Hey, red berry in the valley”. It is quite possible to descript the meaning of the music of A- minor Lysenko’s Sonata connecting it with the life story of the world famous Ukrainian Cossack’s hero – Chieftain Ivan Mazepa whose image had inspired a number of poets and composers – Byron, Pushkin, Liszt and Chaikofsky. In this case we could consider the lyric Second part of the A – minor sonata as the dedication to the great love between Ivan Mazepa and beautiful and noble Maria Kochoubey. Another version of the interpretation of the Second Part of the sonata is based on the similarity of this music with the very famous Lusenko’s “Prayer for Ukraine”. Resuming we can compare this music with the expression of the warmest fillings of the great national hero – his immense love and flame like passion, in his private life and in his struggle.
A short but meaningful item of the Second Part of the program is Lysenko’s arrangement of the Ukrainian song - “The boat is filled with the water” :

One thing should be added for understanding of the meaning of the Lysenko’s arrangement – the poetry of the song “The boat is flowing full of the water: to explain why this song is so bitterly sad we mention that the obligatory service in Russian army in XVIII – XIX was 20 years long. That’s why the heroes of the song - Maiden and her wished Cossack - are about to lose their happiness.
The music of the Lysenko’s arrangement is extremely bold and successful transfer of the Italian genre of barcarole (the song singing from boat) to the Ukrainian folk musical space. The reminiscence of the famous Schubert’s barcarole in the introduction of this arrangement plays role of the “genre cod” involving folk song directly in the western classical substance. Two intonation sources – the classical western European and Ukrainian folk are becoming themes of the double variations. Modulation in the parallel major tonality creates a middle part of the general three-part structure of the composition. And in the recapitulation both themes are coming simultaneously and synthesizing three different musical phenomena (Ukrainian folk song, Italian genre of barcarole and Franz Schubert’s romance “Barcarole”) in one substance.
The last item of the program – The Heroic Scherzo op. 25 had composed under the influences of F. Liszt and F. Chopin. In this song Mykola Lysenko had developed the best fetchers of the romantic genre connecting them with the spirit and pathetic of Ukrainian heroic images.

The program of the solo performance:

(Ukraine)
Piano works by Ukrainian composer

1 PART

Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)

The First Rhapsody on Ukrainian folk themes op. 8

“Ukrainian suite”op.2 (in the forms of the old dances on the themes of the folk songs):

Prelude (“Good fellow”)
Courante (“Softly, softly play my brother”)
Toccata (“And mother went to the village”)
Saraband (“Sunset is coming, evening is nearing”)
Gavotte (“To whom you belong, maiden?”)
Scherzo (“And Soloha was telling me”)

The Second Rhapsody on the Ukrainian folk themes “Dumka – Shumka”

II PART

Sonata in A minor op. 16 in 3 parts: Allegro moderato
Poco adagio
Rondo (Allegro)

Barcarole ”The boat is floating”
Fore sketches:
1.Humoresque
2.Musical Moment
M.Lysenko-I.Riabchun 3.Agitato
4.Allegretto

The Heroic Scherzo op. 25Durations of the program – 100 min. Encore: The Zaporozian (Cossacks) march
The March from the Play by L.Starytska-Cherniahivska “Chieftain Doroshenko”
The Melancholic waltz op. 17, N1

In the sound track: M. Lysenko Barcarole ”The boat is floating” Piano - I.Riabchun