“Culture is just a thin apple peel over the hot chaos.” This statement of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche seems very modern today, because the attitude to culture is the main measure of the level of development of both man and community. And although the anticipation of the New Year and Christmas holidays motivates many to think about everyday things, we paid attention to the cultural events taking place in Zhytomyr – the first international multicultural festival Ars Teteriv Stage has started. The theme of the festival is the problem of borders: the boundaries of epochs and styles, pre-pandemic and modern times, the boundaries of ethics and cultural values, living and artificial in art. The festival program includes thematic blocks dedicated to classical, new and alternative music, exhibitions of contemporary artists, discussions, presentations and interdisciplinary performance projects. The organizers and participants of the Ars Teteriv Stage festival shared their thoughts on the event
Andriy Merhel, composer, laureate of the prize named after L. Revutsky, fellow of the program of the Minister of Culture of Poland Gaude Polonia, organizer of the Ars Teteriv Stage:
“In the first third of the twentieth century, Zhytomyr was the cultural capital of the Volyn province. Continuing the historical tradition, today we strive to build international ties and regular partnerships within the common cultural field, to enrich the areas of future cultural tourism. First of all, there is a desire to combine concert, performative, exhibition and discussion areas in order to establish creative ties and form international collaborations in Zhytomyr. One of the main features of the festival is its interdisciplinarity. We also strive to embody current forms of culture, to combine the experience of generations and the latest progressive artistic trends, to open the “cultural genetic code” of Zhytomyr on the other hand. Realization of plans is an impetus for the city’s integration into the world cultural context, revitalization of communal cultural institutions, and artistic decentralization. The Ars Teteriv Stage festival is important for the city, as it is an opportunity to move from the local positioning of Zhytomyr culture to the international level, development and formation of Zhytomyr citizens, positioning the city in the international context as a cultural center of Polissya. Therefore, the program of events was based primarily on foreign material in the context of Ukrainian authors and, accordingly, in the implementation of domestic artists. Thanks to the festival, we have the opportunity to present Zhytomyr not only as a tourist destination, but also to show interesting cultural and educational startups. It is also important that the festival, initiated by the public organization “Art League” is facilitated by the Department of Culture of the Zhytomyr City Council under the program “Cultural space of the city community”, Zhytomyr Music Vocational College named after V.S. Kosenko, Zhytomyr Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater named after Ivan Kocherha, Around the Cultural Space, educational and cultural “Goncharenko Center Zhytomyr”.
Lyubov Sunyak, Candidate of Art History, Head of the Full-Time Department of the Zhytomyr Music Vocational College named after V.S. Kosenko, representative of the festival partner:
“For me personally, everything that happens within Zhytomyr is important. As long as there are people who continue the work of Viktor Kosenko and those artists for whom Zhytomyr is famous, I believe in the development of the city and the whole of Ukraine. I am glad that such people gathered here on Sunday evening, in the musical epicenter of Zhytomyr; that there are enthusiasts who are ready to develop art and culture, and we really have the opportunity to touch the real thing. Unfortunately, we live in a time of counterfeiting, when the priceless is expensive, and even glorified. At the same time, truly valuable things become invisible. Art heals the soul, and for me it’s not just the right words… The musical component of the festival is presented mostly by Ukrainian performers. I am sure that over time the geography of the festival will expand, despite the quarantine realities. I hope that in the coming years musicians from Norway, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Argentina will come to us. I know many who wanted to join this year, but for various reasons could not. ”
Andriy Koshman, soloist of Nova Opera, baritone, participant of the festival:
“Zhytomyr is associated for me primarily with a powerful piano school, with the names of outstanding composers, especially Victor Kosenko and Borys Lyatoshynsky, as well as pianist Svyatoslav Richter. In my opinion, the city needs not only classical music, but also modern academic music. I am glad that the festival can present a wide range of music, from classical works by Ludwig van Beethoven or Johannes Brahms to the latest music written by today’s Ukrainian composers. Quarantine restrictions have greatly affected concert activities not only in Ukraine but also in the world – in fact, the borders have been closed for a year and a half. At the same time, during this time we managed to show much more at home – we toured in many different cities. Although the pandemic played a bad joke, it gave us the opportunity to show the country operas with which we toured mostly abroad. I think this should be continued, and in the future to involve as many people as possible in the festival. ”
The first events of the festival have already taken place this weekend. One of them is a concert of vocal and piano music, which presented lyrical works by Ludwig van Beethoven and the last vocal work of Johannes Brahms. The performers – a creative duo of Andriy Koshman and Ihor Ryabov – not only impressed the audience with brilliant performances of classical works, but also presented the pages of the lives of world-famous composers, recreated the feelings of artists who remain with us beyond time.
Festival program for connoisseurs of cultural events.
Reference. The festival is an initiative of the NGO “Art League” and is implemented with the assistance of the Department of Culture of Zhytomyr City Council within the financial support of the comprehensive target program “Cultural Space of Zhytomyr City Territorial Community”.
