Ukraine’s cultural heritage and contributions to world artwork are being rediscovered and celebrated regardless of every day air raid sirens, bombardments, and the continuing struggle.
One particular occasion will join audiences with a forgotten masterpiece and spotlight the nation’s contributions when Leo Ornstein’s Piano Concerto premieres on 26 January on the Lviv Organ Corridor. Carried out by pianist Roman Repka and the Luhansk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra underneath the course of Ivan Ostapovych, this avant-garde work blends modernist harmonies with deep emotional expression.
Leo Ornstein was a Ukrainian-born, Jewish-American composer and pianist, whose life and work replicate Ukraine’s enduring ties to the humanities.
The Composer
Born in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, in 1893, Ornstein displayed expertise from a younger age. Inspired by his father, a Jewish cantor, and his violinist uncle, Ornstein first skilled at Kyiv’s Imperial College of Music. In these days, with a view to progress, Ukrainian artists had little alternative however to check in Russia. In 1904, the nine-year-old Ornstein, subsequently, took up residence on the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Amidst the turmoil of the 1905 Russian Revolution, Ornstein’s household emigrated to New York, the place he gained a scholarship to the Institute of Musical Artwork, the precursor to Juilliard. Ornstein finally gained renown as a “Futurist” pianist, surprising audiences along with his daring compositions that mixed emotional expressiveness with avant-garde innovation.
On 27 March 1914, in London, Leo Ornstein gave his first public efficiency of what had been then termed “Futurist” works, now acknowledged as Modernist. This system included an association of three Bach chorale preludes, a number of items by Arnold Schoenberg, and a number of Ornstein’s personal avant-garde compositions.
The live performance provoked a robust and polarized response. Some critics had been scathing of their assessments, with one newspaper condemning Ornstein’s compositions as “the sum of Schoenberg and Scriabin squared.” One other described the efficiency with disdain: “We have now by no means suffered from such unbearable hideousness, expressed by way of so-called music.”
Regardless of the controversy, the live performance marked Ornstein as a big determine within the evolving world of Modernist music, difficult conventional norms and redefining the boundaries of composition and efficiency.

A visionary of his time, Ornstein and his works, although as soon as celebrated in Europe and the US between 1915 and the early Nineteen Twenties, light into obscurity till latest years.
Ornstein’s Piano Concerto is a compelling piece, weaving dramatic surges with lyrical tenderness. This efficiency requires each virtuosic ability and interpretive depth. Alongside the Luhansk Philharmonic, underneath Ostapovych’s course, pianist Roman Repka will convey Ornstein’s advanced, expressive language to life.
The live performance, hosted in Lviv, represents a big homecoming for Ornstein, a composer who influenced the evolution of musical modernism and impressed generations.
The Pianist
Roman Repka is a famend Ukrainian pianist, educator, and advocate for rediscovering forgotten music. A graduate of the Nationwide Music Academy of Ukraine, underneath Professor Valerii Kozlov, he balances a performing profession with educating at establishments such because the Mykola Lysenko Kyiv Specialised Music College, the Glinka Dnipro Music Academy, Hannan Pedagogical College in China, and the Revutskyi Kids’s Music College No. 5, in Kyiv.

Repka has led cultural tasks equivalent to Music as a Language and The Discovery of Carl Czerny, highlighting lesser-known works and historic contexts. As a soloist and repertoire director for the New Period Orchestra, he collaborates with ensembles whereas specializing in uncommon masterpieces.
In 2011, he revived Levko Revutskyi’s misplaced Piano Concerto, returning it to Ukrainian audiences after many years. His repertoire consists of works by Carl Czerny, Joaquín Rodrigo, and Michael Nyman, showcasing his dedication to preserving and selling Ukraine’s and Europe’s musical heritage.
The Conductor
Ivan Ostapovych, conductor, composer, and director of the Lviv Organ Corridor, is a key determine in Ukrainian classical music. He co-founded the Ukrainian Competition Orchestra and leads the Educational Symphony Orchestra of the Luhansk Philharmonic.

As co-founder of Collegium Administration and inventive director of Ukrainian Stay, a undertaking selling Ukrainian music acknowledged by the European Festivals Affiliation, he has spearheaded initiatives just like the LiudkevychFest competition and the Ukrainian Stay Basic cell app.
Ostapovych has performed famend ensembles such because the Malmo Educational Symphony Orchestra and Lviv Nationwide Philharmonic, amongst others. He has premiered works by Ukrainian composers, together with Stefaniia Turkevych, Mykhailo Verbytskyi, and Bohdana Froliak, bringing these items to worldwide audiences. His management has formed Ukraine’s music scene by revolutionary festivals, residencies, and world collaborations, spotlighting Ukraine’s cultural heritage on the world stage.
The Orchestra
The Educational Symphony Orchestra of the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic is a crucial drive in Ukrainian tradition and a guardian of the inventive heritage of its quickly occupied area.
Based in Luhansk, it staged operas equivalent to La Traviata and The Barber of Seville in its early years and has lengthy championed Ukrainian composers like Andrii Shtoharenko and Myroslav Skoryk.
After the outbreak of struggle in japanese Ukraine in 2014, the orchestra relocated to Sievierodonetsk underneath the management of director Ihor Shapovalov, swiftly resuming collaborations with Ukrainian and European artists. In 2022, with Russia’s full-scale invasion, administrators Ivan Ostapovych and Taras Demko of the Lviv Organ Corridor facilitated the orchestra’s evacuation to Lviv, the place it continues its mission.

Now primarily based on the Lviv Organ Corridor, the orchestra presents new applications, premieres works by Ukrainian composers, and collaborates with choirs and soloists. Performances are shared through the Ukrainian Stay Basic YouTube channel, increasing its attain. The Luhansk Orchestra stays a cultural pillar, preserving the id and heritage of its quickly occupied area whereas contributing to Ukraine’s broader cultural panorama.
Lviv Organ Corridor
These cultural initiatives act as a type of smooth energy, enhancing Ukraine’s world presence and portraying it as a nation of creativity and innovation, even in instances of struggle. This fosters assist and recognition from the worldwide neighborhood whereas securing Ukraine’s cultural legacy for future generations.
The Ukrainian Stay undertaking, launched in 2019 by the enthusiastic staff at Lviv Organ Corridor, performs a key position in reviving and presenting Ukraine’s musical legacy.

Its mission is to rediscover forgotten artists, restore misplaced classics, and convey missed cultural figures again into the highlight. By means of revolutionary programming that integrates music, historical past, and visible artwork, the Lviv Organ Corridor creates a contemporary cultural hub for native and worldwide audiences.
Cultural Reclamation
The Lviv Organ Corridor staff firmly believes that selling Ukrainian tradition through the struggle serves a number of functions. It strengthens nationwide id and unity, providing resilience in opposition to exterior aggression, says conductor Ivan Ostapovych. Highlighting Ukraine’s inventive and cultural heritage additionally counters disinformation and challenges narratives that undermine the nation’s sovereignty and historic significance.
Taras Demko, vice-director of the Lviv Organ Corridor, underlines that “reclaiming and selling Ukrainian tradition builds worldwide solidarity and raises consciousness of Ukraine’s contributions to artwork, music, literature, and historical past.” By guaranteeing that Ukraine’s cultural legacy is preserved, the Lviv Organ Corridor staff prevents the struggle from overshadowing or erasing its historic and artistic achievements.
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