Work of Ukrainian Composers in Concert and Performance Practice of Pianists of the Canadian Diaspora in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to highlight the main milestones of the concert performance activities of pianists of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada in the second half of the twentieth century; to reveal the palette of their repertoire; to outline the role of Ukrainian composers in the performing heritage of emigrant pianists. The research methodology is based on the following scientific approaches: chronological, which allows the author to consider the artistic activity of pianists of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada in a chronological sequence; specific search, which consists in studying the literature on related topics; subject-targeted analysis of the concert and performance atmosphere in the diaspora, which helped to trace the individual performance style of emigrant pianists and the palette of their concert repertoire. The scientific novelty of the research lies in a comprehensive study of the main aspects of the performing creativity of pianists of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada in the second half of the twentieth century, mainly in clarifying the role of the Ukrainian composers in their repertoire; for the first time, the concert and performance achievements of pianists Roman Stetsura and Stefania Zhovnir-Klos, little-known in Ukraine, were analysed. Conclusions. Having analysed the concert activities of Ukrainian pianists of different generations, it can be argued that the creative and performing activities of artists of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada have made a significant contribution to the development of the musical culture of Ukraine, as its representatives have made great efforts to preserve and popularise the national musical art in a multicultural environment. A vivid evidence of this is the inclusion in their performance repertoire of works by composers of different eras: from D. Bortnianskyi and M. Lysenko, to examples of the musical creativity of contemporary masters – B. Filts, E. Stankovych, M. Skoryk, H. Liashenko, O. Krasotov, Zh. Kolodub, L. Dychko, with whom the pianists worked closely.

Key words: Ukrainian diaspora of Canada, piano performance, Ukrainian composers, repertoire, concert performances.