The Silence Broken: Masterpieces of Borys Liatoshynsky

Six musicians who cherish his work present a rehabilitation of Borys Liatoshynsky (1895–1968), known as “the father of modern Ukrainian music”. He wrote a magnificent oeuvre that deserves a much wider audience. His music was overshadowed by Soviet censorship, which dismissed Liatoshynsky as “formalistic” and “decadent”.

Liatoshynsky remained artistically independent. His music sparkles with imagination and weaves the melodic richness of traditional Ukrainian music with the timbres and harmonies of twentieth-century modernism. He looked beyond borders and, as a beloved teacher, shaped a new generation of composers (including Valentin Silvestrov).

The musicians showcase Liatoshynsky’s versatility and play works from different periods. You will hear his early, symbolist song cycle Moon Shadows, as well as sky-storming pieces from the roaring twenties, when Ukrainian artists threw off the Russian yoke. The programme also includes magnificent arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs and masterpieces that Liatoshynsky wrote in exile in Saratov during the Second World War: the five Piano preludes, a poignant war diary, and his grandiose Second Piano Trio and monumental Piano Quintet. Two milestones in Ukrainian music. Musicologist Igor Sukhorukov provides context for the life and work of Borys Liatoshynsky in an online introduction.