KMP – 2026: Kyiv Camerata

Today’s program pairs landmark pages of 20th-century Ukrainian music with two Ukrainian premieres, opening a space for the constant renewal and reimagining of sound.

The concert opens with Dmytro Klebanov’s Suite No. 2 for chamber orchestra, noted for its clarity of form and neoclassical poise. Its contrasting movements build a cohesive sonic architecture, blending transparent textures with lyrical intonations and rhythmic precision.

A centerpiece of the evening is the first premiere: "The Magic Tylynka" by Victoria Poleva for flutes, tylynka, recorder, and strings. It is a musical parable of transformation: the stern and mournful strings, upon hearing the magical voice of the tylynka (a traditional Ukrainian flute), gradually transform—as if turning into birds—and take flight together. The title alludes to Mozart’s "Die Zauberflöte"; much like Mozart’s magic flute, the Ukrainian tylynka becomes a symbol of transition from darkness and sorrow to light and spiritual freedom.

A different dimension of musical association is explored in Levko Kolodub’s "Turiv Songs" for chamber orchestra. Here, folkloric intonations serve not as direct quotes but as a distant, almost luminous echo of time. Restrained lyricism and gentle dance rhythms create an image of the Polissya region, reimagined through a contemporary orchestral lens.

The program concludes with the second premiere of the evening—Nico Muhly’s Violin Concerto "Shrink." The work focuses on the idea of the compression and expansion of time, where music unfolds as a continuous process of shifts in density, timbre, tension, and the inner breathing of form.

Each work tonight uniquely explores the movement of musical thought. Together, they form a unified artistic perspective in which time, memory, and sound emerge as living, interconnected dimensions of contemporary music.

"Kyiv Music Premieres" is a festival of contemporary classical music held in Kyiv since 1989. Its mission is to perform new works by Ukrainian and international composers. The festival is organized annually by the Kyiv branch of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine.