Top: Volodymyr Sirenko;
Bottom Left: Natalia Khoma; Bottom Right: Volodymyr Vynnytsky

“We experienced the music as never before, with immaculate playing all 'round that revealed the score's many inner beauties. The audience rewarded the artists with hearty, protracted applause at the end of the first movement …it was one gorgeous performance.” – John W. Lambert, CVNC (Elon, NC)

On February 29th, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine brought its US Tour to a resounding close. Lead by Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Volodymyr Sirenko, the NSOU performed 18 concerts in 3 weeks, covering venues along the East Coast to the Midwest.

“The first movement, from its downbeat, was rhythmically crisp, richly blended and played with a strong sense of dynamic and dramatic shape. Climaxes were raw, the final peroration visceral and urgent. At the same time, the music’s lyrical episodes offered warm, soulful contrasts.”
– Jonathan Blumhofer, Worcester Telegram

The tour program included the symphonic masterworks Dvorak, Schumann, Brahms, and Schubert as well as celebrated the works of Ukrainian composers Maxim Berezovsky, Yevhen Stankovych, Dmytro Bortniansky, and Victoria Polevá.

Ukrainian-born cellist Natalia Khoma delighted audiences with her renditions of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 and Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme.”

“There was a fleetness to Khoma’s execution of these sections that sparkled – and her intonation in the “Variations’” several flights into the stratosphere was flawless.”
– Jonathan Blumhofer, Worcester Telegram

Also joining the tour was the lauded Ukrainian pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky, who performed Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

“The Tchaikovsky concerto, featuring pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky, was paced slowly in the first two movements, giving the already prominent piano an even more commanding role. Vynnytsky played quite percussively, accentuating heavy chords and making Tchaikovsky’s glittering piano filagree into the sound equivalent of ice crystals.”
– Clark Bustard, Letter V (Richmond, VA)

The NSOU’s final performance takes place this weekend in Columbus, MO at the University of Missouri’s Jesse Auditorium.

“Brahms' Symphony No. 3 brought the evening to a formal close. This, too, was a very special reading, graced by lyricism and poetry and considerable introspection. Thanks to the astounding winds and brass…I think the slow movement was among the most beautiful performances I have ever heard. The audience clearly sensed the magnificence of the playing and the interpretation, and the response at the end was heart-felt.”
– John W. Lambert, CVNC (Elon, NC)