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International Opera Project Takes Center Stage in Dnipropetrovsk Like many post-Soviet Ukrainian cities, Dnipropetrovsk is a city struggling to rise from the ashes of a sometimes brutal and callous political and cultural morass. Among those who are engaged in this process are Dniprotpetrovsk’s musicians and singers, particularly those associated with the city's Theater of Opera and Ballet. Financially strapped and working under less than ideal conditions, these artists have long been constrained by a traditional mindset and worldview imposed by decades of isolationism, dearth of artistic freedom, and other barriers to creativity and experimentation. Soon, however, they will have the opportunity to benefit from a cultural exchange of new ideas, methods, and techniques and participate in an international venture that promises to open interesting doors and additional windows of opportunity. The venture in question is a project envisioned by conductor Adrian Bryttan. An American of Ukrainian descent, Maestro Bryttan is an experienced conductor of opera, ballet, chamber music, and sym phony, who has wielded his baton in the United States, Europe, and Asia. A concert violinist, he has taught at several universities and worked with numerous youth symphonies. He also speaks several languages. As a Fulbright International Scholar, Bryttan spent part of 2006 in Ukraine, conducting numerous concerts of contemporary music and donating varied, esoteric, and difficult to find musical compositions to Ukrainian libraries for the use of professional musicians and students. While in Ukraine, he began planning a singular project related to a field of music he is admittedly passionate about: opera. From these initial musings, emerged an international collaboration—a harmonious blend of people donating their time, services, and funds to help the Ukrainian Opera Theatre in Dnipropetrovsk achieve something that at first glance seems unremarkable: to produce and perform several operas by Puccini and Mozart in the Ukrainian language. Recently, Mr. Bryttan and I discussed various aspects of the project via email in a loosely structured interview format. During this exchange, I received an email from Mr. Bryttan, which included an excerpt from an article published on an Internet website. Posted on February 15, 2007, the article is about "Kultumi pryhody ukrajincja u Washingtoni" (cultural adventures of a Ukrainian in Washington) and included a part icularly insightful commentary about an English-language performance of Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera: “Not understanding the original essentially destroys the intended effect for the listener. It’s a pity that this simple truth has been forgotten in Ukraine, where the concept of Ukrainian-language opera has become moribund during the decade of independence. ” Coincidence? Perhaps. But the timing was great and the comment makes for a nice transition from introduction to interview. —Tamara Stadnychenko How did the idea for this project arise? germi nate? blossom? evolve? Who were the primary movers and shakers? The idea was mine. My passion has always been opera, even from student days when I played concertmaster in the pit for many productions at my alma mater, the Manhattan School of Music. Language and how words change from country to country has also been a big interest. I conducted La Boheme in Dnipropetrovsk last year and spoke with the director about a possible joint project. I am also convinced of the need for operas in a language the general public can understand. Supertitles are inadequate—all that looking back and forth and trying to read the translations makes people miss what is actually happening on stage. Opera was never intended to be read and watched simultane ously. Why Dnipropetrovsk? The young ensemble in Dnipropetrovsk had many eager and musical soloists, and I was interested in seeing if we could continue the tradition of Ukrainian translations, which Maksym Rylsky used to compose in the vernacular. I was also enthralled by the rich historical significance of the Dnipro petrovsk area as the birthplace of the Zaporozhki Kozaky. Another thing that drew me here is that Dnipropetrovsk is in an area where the Ukrainian language needs all the support it can get. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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