OLEKSANDR KOZARENKO: TOUCHES TO THE PORTRAIT

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to enrich the idea of the creative personality of the outstanding Ukrainian pianist, composer and musicologist Oleksandr Kozarenko by introducing into scientific circulation previously unknown facts of his creative biography, collected through personal observations of the author in the process of communication with the musician. Methodology. During the research, the methods of observation, interview, survey, biographical description, analysis, comparison, and generalization were used. Scientific novelty. The article reveals previously unknown details of Oleksandr Kozarenko’s creative biography, related to his participation in the Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of M. Lysenko (1992, Lviv, LNMА), the production of the ballet “Don Juan from Kolomyia” (1995, Kyiv, Teacher's House), meetings of the author with Oleksandr Kozarenko in Lviv (2010, 2012, 2013) at the M. Lysenko National Academy of Music, at the Faculty of Culture and Arts of the I. Franko LNU, at the Lviv Theater of the Young Spectator, reports on O. Kozarenko’s work in within the framework of the Conference “Ukraine – Stravinsky – modern musical culture” (2012, Lutsk, College of Culture and Arts), “Antonovich’s Readings” (2018, LNMA), “Ukraine. Europe. The World” (2023, Kyiv, NMAU), during communication with the artist in the process of working on the monograph “Olexander Kozarenko – pianist, composer, musicologist” and the direct participation of O. Kozarenko, first in the work on the book, and later in the process of its several its presentations during 2018 – in Lviv (LNMA), Lutsk (VFKKM), Ivano-Frankivsk (Ira Malanyuk Philharmonic) and Kolomyia (City History Museum). The author traces, albeit very dotted, based on her own observations, the creative path of the musician, starting from his ascension to Olympus, to his premature death, focusing on creative interests, needs, character traits, peculiarities of Oleksandr Kozarenko’s behavior, perception of his personality by those around him, among including Yuriy Chekan, Hanna Karas, Violetta Dutchak, Lyubov Serganyuk, Lydia Shutko, Sofia Maidanska, Ulyana Mandrusyak, Yuriy Yasinovskyi, Orest Slipak, Bohdan Kindratyuk, Iryna Volytska, Lydia Danylyuk, Nazar Yatskiv, Taras Dubrovnyi and many others. Conclusions. On the basis of what has been said, the author comes to the conclusion that Oleksandr Kozarenko is a significant and large-scale figure in Ukrainian music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Despite the short life path allotted to him, Oleksandr Volodymyrovych managed to do much more than what an average person can hope for, but also those whom God has endowed with much greater talents and greater responsibility. As a person Oleksandr Volodymyrovych was far from ideal. However, his human imperfection was compensated a hundredfold by his exceptional authenticity. Oleksandr Kozarenko belonged to those few who are able to sacrifice everything for the sake of their favorite cause. Music was like that for him. She chose Him forever.