It is always a pleasure for the discerning music lover to experience the artistry of world class musicians for the first time. This week, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s audience was treated to not one, but two sensational TSO debuts of Ukrainian artists, conductor Oksana Lyniv and pianist Illia Ovcharenko.
In 2021, Lyniv became the first woman to conduct at the Bayreuth Festival, that venerable Richard Wagner shrine, where she led Der fliegende Holländer. She is also the music director at the Teatro Communale di Bologna, making her the first woman appointed to such a role in an Italian opera house.
Ovcharenko lept to fame as winner of the 2022 edition of the Honens Competition, which hew won at the young age of 21. I had the pleasure of hearing him live last July, in the opening night of the Toronto Summer Music Festival, where he played works by Mozart and Ukrainian composer Levko Revutsky. He made a huge impression with an outstanding display of bravura technique and uncommon sensitivity and lyricism.
Before the start of the main program, the early birds among us were treated to a pre-concert opener on the mainstage. The Ukrainian Art Song Project presented a short but lovely program of nine beautiful Ukrainian songs, evocatively sung by Canadians singers Andrea Ludwig (mezzo soprano) and Benjamin Butterfield (tenor). They were ably supported by collaborative pianist Steven Philcox. This enjoyable presentation certainly put everyone in the mood for more.
The concert that followed was memorable. Maestra Lyniv led the TSO in the Canadian premiere of Maria’s City, by Ukrainian composer Zoltan Almashi. It is an ode to – and likely a lament for – the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, left in ruins by the Russian invasion. Evocatively scored for string orchestra, it lasts less than ten minutes, and combines ethereal quietude with a certain edgy steeliness that underscores a spirit of resilience and defiance. Heartfelt and emotional, it’s a piece that I would like to hear again.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Photo by Jag Gundu)
This was followed by the Liszt Piano Concerto no. 1, performed by Illia Ovcharenko. I was impressed by the proverbial “big technique,” which the young Ukrainian pianist has in spades, but the quality of his playing extends far beyond technique. His style consists of a felicitous mix of pianistic bravura and remarkable maturity and emotional depth, rare in someone so young. The audience gave Ovcharenko huge applause, and he rewarded the enthusiastic crowd with a lovely rendition of Schubert’s Litanei. All in all, a performance to savour and treasure.
After intermission came Dvorak Symphony No. 8, a piece inspired by Bohemian folk tunes, marked by a heart-warming melding of exuberance and quiet charm. To my ears, the brass seemed more prominent than I remembered. Maestra Lyniv’s take was decidedly extroverted, offering a surfeit of energy, matched by her extravagant gestures, drawing amazing sounds from the TSO. In my 65 years of attending symphonic concerts, she’s the only conductor I’ve ever seen sprint from the wing to the podium!
After such a spectacular show, the house leapt to its feet for several well-deserved rounds of ovation. There’s nothing quite like a wonderful evening at the concert hall. Let’s hope that the Toronto Symphony will bring back Oksana Lyniv and Illia Ovcharenko as soon as possible.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Almashi: Maria’s City; Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1; Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Oksana Lyniv, conductor; Illia Ovcharenko, piano. Roy Thomson Hall, Nov. 16, 2023.
tso.ca
