Genesis of the Kharkiv School of Opera and Symphony Conducting
Authors: Pluzhnikov Viktor 
Published: February 2025

Statement of the problem. It has been 97 years since the class of opera and symphony conducting at the I. P. Kotlyarevsky Kharkiv National University of Arts was founded. At the present stage of development of the conducting profession in Ukraine, considerable attention is paid to the study of the history and theory of opera and symphony art. Future conductors must understand the essence of opera and symphony performance in the context of the development of world music, know its stages of historical development, and be able to analyze contemporary world trends. In this context, it is vital to study the peculiarities of the formation and development of the Kharkiv school of opera and symphony conducting. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to analyze previous scientific sources devoted to this issue; to highlight the stages of formation and development of the Kharkiv school of opera and symphony conducting against the background of historical and cultural events of the XX – first quarter of the XXI centuries; to determine the circle of conductors whose performing and pedagogical activities contributed to its formation; to offer our own recommendations for further research on the outlined problem. The historical and cultural method, visual, comparative; historical, biographical and chronological approaches are used to recreate important events in the life of individual artists. In the 21st century, fundamental research by Ukrainian scholars appeared: Yu. Loshkov (2007, 2014), H. Makarenko (2006), S. Murza (2021), V. Rozhok (2006), M. Ferendovych (2019), and others, which cover various aspects of opera and symphony conducting. Attention should also be paid to publications dedicated to individual representatives of the Kharkiv school of opera and symphony conducting. H. Abadzhian (2021) studied the creative achievements of conductor Sh. Paltadzhyan, I. Hamkalo and V. Nikolaiev (2008) highlighted the conducting and pedagogical activities of K. Doroshenko, A. Mukha (2006) analyzed the creative biography of E. Dushchenko, I. Sikorska (2015) summarized the performing and pedagogical achievements of V. Tolba, and O. Chepalov (2005) studied the main events of the life of J. Weissenberg. But so far there has been no research devoted to genesis of the Kharkiv School of Opera and Symphony Conducting that would meet the needs of the scientific community. This is the relevance and novelty of the article. Research results. Ya. Rosenstein, P. H. Adler, J. Weissenberg, K. Doroshenko, V. Tolba, E. Dushchenko, Yu. Yanko and other talented teachers created the Kharkiv School of Opera and Symphony Conducting, one of the most famous in Ukraine. The first (1927–1947) and second (1968–1973) periods of its formation and development were in accordance with Soviet standards of conducting education. In 1927–1947, under the guidance of professors Ya. Rosenstein, P. H. Adler, J. Weissenberg, and others, conductors received their professional education: P. Balenko, M. Budiansky, F. Dolhova, K. Doroshenko, D. Klebanov, B. Kozhevnikov, V. Nakhabin, V. Tolba and others. In 1968–1973, three conductors (V. Mutin, S. Paltadzhyan and M. Shpak) received their second higher education, and after Professor Dushchenko left for Kyiv, the special class in Kharkiv was closed. In the third period (2008–2020), a modern system of professional training for conductors was created, taking into account the experience of European educational institutions. During these years, experienced teachers worked (in chronological order): Yu. Yanko and V. Pluzhnikov, V. Kutsenko and S. Paltadzhian, and A. Kalabukhin. Since 2020, the fourth stage of the development of the Kharkiv School of Opera and Symphony Conducting has been underway, characterised by its international focus. In addition to Yu. Yanko and V. Pluzhnikov, the Department of Choral and Opera and Symphony Conducting is also home to Yu. Dyachenko and A. Shnyriova. In the period 2008–2024, the following specialists received their conducting education: V. Avdiievskyi, I. Verbytska, S. Horkusha, Yu. Diachenko, I. Karachevtseva, D. Koretska, H. Krupska, T. Kutsenko, V. Liashko, S. Nievierov, T. Nikohosian, Ye. Nomyrovska, Ye. Pashchenko, M. Poliakov, O. Radievska, V. Saverskyi, U. Sozanska, I. Solovei, C. Xu (China), D. Tkachov, Yu. Ura (Japan), R. Ushchapovskyi, F. Jingqiao (China), O. Chemerys, A. Shnyriova, Yu. Yakovenko. Conclusion. The Kharkiv School of Opera and Symphony Conducting was one of the first in Ukraine. It has gone through a difficult but fruitful path of development, as evidenced by the successful activity of Kharkiv opera and symphony conducting specialists at the world level. Over the 97 years of its existence, the teachers have accumulated vast experience, have creative, scientific and methodological achievements, as well as inexhaustible potential for further development.