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A humble composer’s tribute to Stalin
For me, one of the most fascinating subjects in music history is the life and work of composers in the Soviet Union. It is close to my family history and always forces me to imagine my life had I been born 60 years earlier. When I was in Ukraine last fall, my grandfather showed me…
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Thin Edge on the Bridal Train
I would like to invite all those who live in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto or Montreal to attend one of the concerts given by the Thin Edge New Music Collective in the next couple of weeks. Thin Edge is touring with a very unique combination of instruments – flute, violin, accordion and piano – and will…
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Rediscovering hope at the Banff Centre
I just returned to Vancouver from a three-week creative residency at the Banff Centre. The 15-hour bus ride through Beautiful British Columbia gave me some time to take stock of the last 18 months of my life. Since August 2011, I have moved between Canada’s coasts three times, officially held three addresses plus four transient…
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On the Eve of Ivan Kupalo
I am very happy to announce that my chamber opera, which has been gestating on and off for almost three and a half years, is finally complete! The score is almost two inches thick. And even more exciting is the fact that it will be premiered in concert form at Calgary’s Happening Festival on January…
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Ukrainian Polesia: Zalav’ja
After spending three nights in Perebrody, we were off to our second destination, Zalav’ja. Upon arrival, our instructions were to find a particular store and ask for Galja. This Galja would take care of everything. And she did. Galja turned out to be a somewhat hung-over, but incredibly energetic businesswoman who runs a successful store/bar…
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Ukrainian Polesia: first dip in Perebrody
Dear Lord, what can I say about Northwestern Ukraine…if vodka doesn’t kill you, diabetes will. In Polesia, the swampy land that was under Polish control until 1939, vodka flows freely from dawn to dusk, and tea is so sweet it should really be classified as syrup. Our first trip to this hauntingly beautiful region of…
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Two concerts
I’ve got two concerts coming up in the next couple of weeks. If you happen to be in Halifax tomorrow, November 8th, come out to Musikon’s “Spider’s Logic” happening at Saint Mary’s Gallery, where Jeff Reilly will perform Evelyn’s Watcher for bass clarinet, video and interactive electronics. This will be the very first time that…
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Travel back in time
In the last days of September, Maria and I visited two villages in the Bobrovyts’kyi district of Chernihivs’ka region to collect songs, stories and memories. A bus ride shaky enough to break teeth or induce labour took us to Kozats’ke (Козацьке), where a welcoming party of babushka-clad old ladies was awaiting us by the village…
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Art Music in Kiev
Upon arriving in Kiev, Maria and I discovered to our great joy that one can see an opera here for as little as $1.25 or as much as $25. Without losing any time, we booked superb tickets to see several Ukrainian works, which are very hard to find in Canada. The highlight of our three-day…
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Sounds of Kiev: Main train station
This recording was taken in the main hall of the beautiful passenger train station in Kiev, Ukraine.
