The 'Ukrainian national style' of composition emerged from composers using or basing works on folk materials from rural Ukrainian villages.
Composer Biography
Mykola Lysenko, considered the 'grandfather' of Ukrainian classical music, dedicated his life to developing his homeland's musical culture despite resistance and censorship from Imperial Russian authorities.
Performer Biography
Markiyan Melnychenko, the Ukrainian-Australian violinist on this album, performed in a quartet at the US Capitol for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration in 2013.
Composer Biography
Vasyl Barvinsky, a significant Ukrainian musical talent, had all his manuscripts burned by Soviet authorities in 1948 after his arrest and imprisonment.
Performer Biography
Benjamin Martin, one of the pianists on this album, was identified by The Australian in 2000 as 'The best young talent for the new millennium' and was a child-prodigy who memorized Schumann's Carnaval in two days at age thirteen.
Historical Context
Mykola Lysenko faced censorship and imprisonment because his activities coincided with Imperial Russian repressions, such as the 1876 'Ems Ukaz', aimed at prohibiting the Ukrainian language.
Historical Context
Ukrainian music was subjected to repressive circumstances, including foreign occupation, which kept it largely unknown beyond Ukraine's borders.
