Ihor Kovach’s concert works for the four-string domra in the modern performance practice
Authors: Kostenko Nataliia 
Published: November 2023

Statement of the problem. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. Taking into account the problem of the original repertoire existing in the performance practice of domra players, the genre and stylistic analysis of I. Kovach’s two compositions is proposed: “Concertino” for the domra with orchestra and “Mazurka” from the opera “Blue Islands” for duet of domras and piano. These works became iconic for the formation of the basic repertoire for the four-string domra. However, the general assessment of the compositions remains an “open” issue of musicology. Hence, turning to the pieces by the famous Ukrainian composer in order to determine their historical role in the domra performance is an urgent research task. The purpose of the research is to determine the role of I. Kovach’s creative heritage in contemporary domra performance in terms of traditions and innovations. The historical and typological, genre and style, and performanceinterpretative methods are used in the study. The study is based on the materials dedicated to I. Kovach’s creativity (Tyshko, 1980; Roschenko-Averianova, 2007; Hrytsun, 2015; Kostenko, 2009), the genre of the domra concerto (Slipchenko, 2021), the creative connections between a composer and a performer (MaidenbergTodorova, 2020), the specificity of the instrumental genres (Nikolaievska et al., 2020), which allow to reveal the modern potential of little-studied examples of creativity in the history of the domra. This aspect is not presented in any of the named sources. The research results. I. Kovach’s music for the domra is bright and positive, filled with light, joy, and goodness. The “Concertino” (1960) is melodious and easy to remember. The composer presented the domra as an academic solo instrument, preserving the principle of competition between the soloist and the orchestra (soli–tutti). A rather complex domra part still forces the performers to “strain” even today, despite the fact that the overall level of performing skills of the domra players at the beginning of the 21st century has grown “many times”. Dmytro Klebanov (1951) wrote the first composition in the genre of a concerto for the domra accompanied by a symphonic orchestra. I. Kovach creates an original composition for the domra, which cemented the tendency to conceptualize the instrument as a virtuoso one. The first performance of the “Concertino” with an orchestra of folk instruments took place in the hall of the Kharkiv Conservatory (the soloist – B. Mikhieiev, the conductor – Ye. Bortnyk). Against the background of the dominance of ideologically engaged “pseudo-folk” compositions, the sound of the domra was unusually modern. Today, this piece is considered a classic of the 20th century domra repertoire. All the themes of the “Concertino” are original, which was innovative at that time. The composition is built on the principle of contrast. The main dance-scherzo theme and the cantilena secondary theme together create a dynamic combination of active and lyrical images. The nature of the domra is revealed in such distinctive qualities as the elasticity of the string sound, the bright silver timbre, the expressiveness of the tremolo, and virtuosity, which successfully represent the “image of the world” of the composition, the spirit of youth, confidence, and joy. The “Concertino” is competitive and is included in the concert repertoire of performers of a high professional level. The performing interpretation of the piece is briefly described on the example of the recording of Anastasia Platonova. The printed score of the “Concertino” does not contain performance instructions (fingering, strokes, playing techniques, timbre colouring). The performer has to find them on his/her own. The same can be said about the “Mazurka”, because it exists in the form of the manuscript. It has been noted that the optimal performance edition of both I. Kovach’s compositions was developed in the domra class of the Department of Folk Instruments of Ukraine at the Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts. Conclusion. I. Kovach’s domra compositions form the newest principles of creativity for this instrument: original themes instead of folk ones, solo cadences for the domra, the highest level of virtuosity of the solo part. This line is followed by I. Kovach’s students M. Stetsiun and V. Ivanov, who will also write “Concertino” for the domra. Therefore, I. Kovach enriched the ensemble repertoire of the domra players. The semantics embedded in his works contributed to the idea of the domra as a “sound image of the world”, the artistic and technical capabilities of the instrument. Popularization of these pieces are definitely relevant. There is an urgent need for the newest performance edition of the compositions, taking into account the level of skill of modern domra players.