Lysenko was a pallbearer at the 1861 funeral of Ukraine's national poet, Taras Shevchenko, whose poetry about freedom for the oppressed inspired Lysenko to set many of his poems to music.
Performer Biography
Arthur Greene, the pianist on this album, has won first prizes in the William Kapell and Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Lysenko's Ukrainian identity was a vital part of his music, distinguishing his late-Romantic style from other composers of his era.
Composer Biography
Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912) is widely considered the father of Ukrainian classical music.
Historical Context
Lysenko sacrificed a career-milestone performance of his opera, Taras Bulba, in Moscow because it would have had to be performed in Russian instead of the original Ukrainian.
Historical Context
Many of Lysenko's songs are missing their original Ukrainian texts due to the Ems Ukaz of 1876, which prohibited publications and performances in the Ukrainian language.
Composer Biography
Lysenko was the first ethnographer of Ukrainian music, and he incorporated his research into his best works.
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