Vasyl Parashchuk – cimbalom
Danylo Lazariev – Cycle “States of Soul and Body” for solo cimbalom
“States of Soul and Body” for solo cimbalom is a cycle united by a single idea. Cimbalom players have a very limited repertoire in contemporary classical music, particularly in the contemporary genre. There are precedents in world music where composers who are not cimbalom players, such as György Kurtág or Zoltán Kodály, have written for solo cimbalom or included it in ensembles. For instance, there is the Suite by Henri Dutilleux for strings and cimbalom. Abroad, the cimbalom is no longer perceived purely as a folk instrument, but in Ukraine, there is still a certain aura surrounding it. It is quite peculiar, considering the instrument’s wide range of capabilities and its ambiguous sound.
In this composition, the composer attempted to streamline everything into one technique, in this case, the twelve-tone technique, a 12-tone system developed by composers of the New Viennese School. The author also applied an unconventional approach to the cimbalom’s sound – a preparation. It was necessary for the cimbalom to produce sounds in an atypical manner. The result of this mix of experiments is manifested in a suite for solo cimbalom with four parts: “Reflections,” “Movements,” “Questions,” and “Variations.” The music reflects various states of the soul and how they influence the body. This can be seen as an allusion to the saying “a healthy mind in a healthy body,” but here it is transformed into “an unhealthy body, an unhealthy spirit.”
The pieces by the composers from Kharkiv offer a rich field for reflection, resonating with the hearts of listeners, especially those experiencing circumstances similar to the turbulent realities faced by millions of Ukrainians during the Russian-Ukrainian war. The project coordinators are Volodymyr Bohatyrov, Polina Kordovska, Ivan Ostapovych, and Taras Demko.
Video – Yevhen Chervonyi
Sound engineer – Volodymyr Punko
Cover design – Arseniy Diskovskyi
Live recording from the concert in Lviv Organ Hall (December 14, 2023)
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