A large-scale arts project, “Great Birthday. Grand Concert”, dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Franko, took place in the Botanical Garden of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The event was organised with the participation of the Franko House – Franko House.
On stage were the symphony orchestra INSO-Lviv, the Lviv National Academic Male Choral Chapel “Dudaryk”, the bands “Pikkardijska Tertsia”, “Odin v Kanoe”, “Pyrih i Batyh”, NAZVA, “Try Kroky v Nich”, as well as performers Solomiia Chubai, Hordii Starukh, Sofiia Leshyshak, Andrii Kapral and Yurii Yosyfovych.
Most of the musical pieces were prepared specially for this project: well-known texts by Ivan Franko were performed in new arrangements and contemporary musical interpretations. The culmination of the evening was the premiere of a major symphonic work set to Franko’s words, written especially for “Great Birthday” by composer Ivan Nebesnyi.
The project’s music producer was Solomiia Chubai, the chair of the board of the INSO-Lviv orchestra is Iolanta Pryshliak, and the concert was conducted by Nikoloz Rachveli. The orchestral arrangements were created by Volodymyr Kotliarov. The “Dudaryk” chapel is led by its director, artistic director and principal conductor Dmytro Katsal.
“We have an incredible cultural heritage. We have talented people who know how to speak about it in a contemporary language. And we must preserve this heritage and support those who give it a new sound. I thank the team of our regional municipal institution – the Franko House – for the organisation. I thank the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation for its support. I thank all the musicians and partners of ‘Great Birthday’. I thank each and every one of you who shared this warm evening with us” — Maksym Kozytskyi
According to the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, such events demonstrate how Ivan Franko’s classical legacy acquires a new sound thanks to contemporary artists and cultural institutions.