This week on “The Lost Chord,” our ears will burn from the haughty and profane response of the Zaporozhy Cossacks to an ultimatum from Sultan Mehmad IV. The Sultan demanded the peaceful surrender of the Cossacks, after they had scored a glorious defeat against his Ottoman forces. To his giddy and inebriated foes, he was not exactly negotiating from a position of power.
Among Reinhold Glière’s works steeped specifically in Ukrainian lore is the symphonic poem/ballet “The Zaporozhy Cossacks,” based on the famous canvas by Ilya Repin. Glière, born in Kyiv in 1875, is best known for his ballet “The Red Poppy,” with its ubiquitous “Russian Sailor’s Dance,” and perhaps for his epic Symphony No. 3, “Ilya Muromets.”
In 1913, Glière attained an appointment to the school of music in Kyiv, which was raised to the status of conservatory shortly thereafter. Glière served as director of the conservatory from 1914 to 1920.
One of his pupils there was Boris Lyatoshynsky, who lived from 1895 to 1968. Lyatoshynsky was a student at the conservatory at the start. The first movement of his Symphony No. 1 was written as a graduation work. The other two movements followed in 1919.
The first performance of the piece took place under Glière’s direction in 1923. If you get all sweaty listening to the orchestral works of Alexander Scriabin, you certainly won’t want to miss this, an opulent work by a young man determined to impress.
I hope you’ll join me for “Steppe Lively” – classical music from Ukraine – on “The Lost Chord,” now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
——–
Clip and save the start times for all three of my recorded shows:
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – Saturday at 11:00 AM EST/8:00 AM PST
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST
Stream them, wherever you are, at the link!
https://kwax.uoregon.edu/
——–
If you aren’t too squeamish, you can read more about the Cossacks’ reply, with a rough (and I do mean rough) translation here. The translation was removed from a Wikipedia page about the painting, but preserved in a screenshot taken for the purpose of Ukrainian studies by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto.
https://tarnawsky.artsci.utoronto.ca/courses/Cossacks/Reply%20of%20the%20Zaporozhian%20Cossacks%20-%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.pdf
——–
IMAGE: Ilya Repin’s “Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks” (1880-1891)
Tag: Boris Lyatoshynsky
-
Copland’s Appalachian Spring on The Classical Network
It’s an aseasonal treat this afternoon, as WWFM concludes its binge festival of “What Makes It Great.” Rob Kapilow will deconstruct Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” followed by an uninterrupted performance of the piece, which was recorded in April at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City.
“What Makes It Great” concludes its binge run today, beginning at 12:00 EDT. Enjoy the upcoming season as a member of The Classical Network. For a donation of $75, we will send you the “What Makes It Great” mug. On one side is the name of the show, “What Makes It Great,” and on the reverse is the answer, “You!” In fact, we’d be happy to send you the mug for your commitment to become a sustaining member of The Classical Network in the amount of $5 a month – that’s a savings of $15! Put it toward the beverage of your choice.
Of course, what you’re really paying for is all the great music that comes your way each and every day on The Classical Network, including that heard on “Picture Perfect,” “The Lost Chord,” and my recently instated afternoon live air shifts. Be sure to mention how much you enjoy these in the comments section when you make your donation at wwfm.org. Your commitment now could shorten our live membership campaign, which will begin on the morrow. The sooner we reach our goal, the sooner we’ll get back to presenting uninterrupted music.
Stick around: following Rob’s informative analysis of “Appalachian Spring,” and its exemplary performance, we’ll enjoy a late romantic symphony by Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshynsky. I’ll be with you until 4:00, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.
Tag Cloud
Aaron Copland (92) Beethoven (95) Composer (114) Film Music (121) Film Score (143) Film Scores (255) Halloween (94) John Williams (185) KWAX (229) Leonard Bernstein (100) Marlboro Music Festival (125) Movie Music (136) Opera (198) Philadelphia Orchestra (88) Picture Perfect (174) Princeton Symphony Orchestra (106) Radio (87) Ralph Vaughan Williams (85) Ross Amico (244) Roy's Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner (290) The Classical Network (101) The Lost Chord (268) Vaughan Williams (103) WPRB (396) WWFM (881)