August 14, 7:00 p.m.Stage
“Liberated Music.” A Concert of Works by Ukrainian Composers: V. Barvinsky, P. Senytsia, K. Shypovych
"Liberated Music of Ukraine" is a long-term research and cultural project that combines analytical work, creative interpretation, and public presentation. Its goal is to return the musical heritage of Ukrainian composers—repressed under both the Tsarist and Soviet regimes—to the public space.
The idea for the project belongs to cultural researcher and head of the NGO “Center for Cultural Initiatives Responsible Future,” Viktoriia Zubenko.
At the Bouquet Kyiv Stage festival, the Liberated Music of Ukraine project will be presented in the format of a large symphonic concert featuring works by Barvinsky, Senytsia, and Shypovych.
Tragedy struck not only the life of Vasyl Barvinsky but also his music—most of his compositions were destroyed by Soviet repressive authorities. Fortunately, the piano score of his Piano Concerto (1917–1937) was saved. After an extensive search, pianist Roman Savytskyi discovered it in Argentina. The manuscript was preserved in the archive of Father Severyn Saprun, a Ukrainian Catholic priest, chaplain, composer, and conductor. Symbolically, the discovery occurred in 1993, on the 30th anniversary of Barvinsky’s death.
A copy of the score was brought to Lviv, along with partial orchestral parts, and the concerto’s full orchestration was reconstructed by Yarema Yakubyak. In this version, the piece has since been performed multiple times.
The program will also feature—for the first time in over a century—Symphony No. 1 in F major (1905–1907) by Pavlo Senytsia. It is one of the earliest large-scale symphonic works by a composer who strongly identified as Ukrainian. This expansive student-era piece was performed only once, over 100 years ago. In it, Senytsia proposed his vision of professional Ukrainian music—distinctive, free from pan-European clichés, and rich in authentic national sound. His attempt was strikingly convincing.
The concert concludes with a Suite from the music to the animated film "The Bug at the Zoo" (1936) by Kostiantyn Shypovych—one of the least known Ukrainian composers today. At just sixteen, Shypovych stood out as a bold innovator and avant-gardist, aiming to capture in music the rhythm of the industrial age, the dynamism of machinery, and youthful enthusiasm. His career was cut short by repression: falsely accused, he was arrested and died at the age of 35 due to the consequences of imprisonment.
"The Bug at the Zoo" is considered one of the first examples of Ukrainian animation. Though the film is now lost, the surviving score reflects the unique spirit of the 1930s and showcases the remarkable potential of the Ukrainian animated culture of that era.
ProgrammeVasyl Barvinsky (1888–1963):Piano Concerto in F minor
Pavlo Senytsia (1879–1960):Symphony No. 1 in F major (Premiere)
Kostiantyn Shypovych (1907–1942):Suite from the animated film “The Bug at the Zoo” (Premiere)
PerformersLatoshynsky Capella OrchestraAnna Khmara, pianoKateryna Nikolenko, conductor
FREE ENTRY TO THE EVENTWith a valid entry ticket to the territory of the Saint Sophia of Kyiv museum complex(UAH 400 – full price, UAH 200 – discounted).Combat veterans do not need to purchase an entry ticket.