August 16, 5 p.m.Stage
Concert "At the Turning Points of Time: Beethoven and Lyatoshynsky" Ludwig van Beethoven completed his First Symphony at the age of 30. By that time, he was already recognized as a brilliant pianist and was gradually establishing himself as a composer, creating dazzling pieces for his own performances and for the piano in general. Though he had studied for a time with the “father” of the symphony, Joseph Haydn, Beethoven hesitated for years before composing his first work in the genre. Whether this delay was due to the shadow of his famed teacher or the careful building of his personal voice, it’s hard to say.
A First Symphony is always a statement — a composer’s declaration of professionalism and artistic identity. Mozart, either unaware of this or bold with youthful audacity, wrote his first symphony at age eight. Haydn composed his at 29, laying the groundwork for what would become the classical symphonic tradition. Beethoven, even in his First — which seems more restrained than his later revolutionary symphonies — already acted as a reformer, injecting the genre with drama and power.
His desire to reshape the rules was bolstered by the historical context — a time of revolutions and wars that swept across Europe at the close of the 18th century. As the old world crumbled and a new one emerged, centered around liberty and the individual, the symphony could no longer remain mere entertainment — it had to sound like a manifesto. Even in his First Symphony, Beethoven evokes the tension of the times: the breakthrough from tradition, the force pulsing beneath the classical form. His music is born into a world echoing with cannon fire — and we hear that from the very first chord: a disorienting gesture, a challenge rather than a welcome.
This understanding of the symphony as a space for deep ideas, inner tension, and a response to historical change also resonated with Borys Lyatoshynsky. He wrote his First Symphony in 1919, at the collapse of empires, in the whirlwind of revolutions and civil war. He was just 23, younger than Beethoven, but already possessed solid academic training and masterful command of form and orchestration. Like Beethoven, Lyatoshynsky didn’t merely explore the genre — he used it to reflect on his place in a chaotic world.
His First Symphony is filled with drama, restrained passion, inner anxiety, and latent power. One can already sense the psychological depth that would later define his mature musical language: a heroism and emotional tension that avoid spectacle and instead arise from genuine experience and internal conflict. For Lyatoshynsky, as for Beethoven, the symphony marks the beginning of a profound, personal dialogue with the present — one that ultimately becomes part of history.
ProgrammeLudwig van Beethoven (1770–1827):Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Borys Lyatoshynsky (1894–1968):Symphony No. 1 in A major, Op. 2
Performers:National Philharmonic Orchestra of UkraineVincent Kozlovski, conductor
FREE ENTRY TO THE EVENTwith a valid ticket to the grounds 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.