Kontakt TV: "Culture in Conversation," December 13th, 2018 (Show #2716: Rozmovy--Karabits)

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recently one of Ukraine's most permanent

conductors maestro carol krabit led the

Toronto Symphony Orchestra or TSO in two

concerts at Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall

for the first time since Ukraine's

independence a Ukrainian conductor was

invited to guest conduct the TSO in its

regular concert season these concerts

included a musical selection by

brilliant ukrainian composer valentin

sylvester oath and a special guest

appearance by violin prodigy nikola

benedetti kara bits was born and

educated in Ko and he consolidated his

remarkable music career in western

europe since 2008 he has been the

principal conductor of the Bournemouth

Symphony Orchestra in the United Kingdom

in this capacity he has been named

conductor of the year in the UK and

under him the orchestra has received

wide acclaim

since 2016 Kravitz has also been the

general music director and principal

conductor of the German National Theatre

and orchestra in vine merger minee apart

from that Kravitz is the artistic

director of the unique eye culture Youth

Orchestra which includes young musicians

from several Eastern European countries

the orchestra plays in Europe and often

performs in Ukraine the eye culture

concert at Maidan Nezalezhnosti or

Independence Square and K U and the

concert of the all-ukrainian Youth

Orchestra called Born Free both led by

corabeth's

were attended by tens of thousands of

music lovers I had the privilege of

conversing with maestro corroborates

before his first concert in Toronto in

September

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Carroll today on Facebook

Tonia earmark from the Korean consulate

in danske Poland said about you and I'm

translating carol krabit

is the pride of ukraine not only

talented but charming and active eonni

we are so excited that you are here in

Toronto your professional

accomplishments your exquisite musical

pedigree how did it happen that you

ended up here guest conducting for

Toronto Symphony I've been in this

business now for almost 20 years you

know I started when I was 19 I did my

first public performance in nineteen it

was in cave and then it slowly started

and then now I live in hotel rooms in

airplanes like most conductors I mean we

have been talking with Toronto Symphony

for several years now about possibility

of coming and it's you know sometimes

it's just a question of dates

availability and so they've just came up

with with the period and said would you

like to come of course I said yes and

did you choose to bring Celeste roof yes

I know that there are so many Ukrainians

living in Canada so it was my my

personal present to to all Ukrainians of

Canada and how did you choose the piece

that you brought well I wanted to have

something which is something gentle I

didn't want to impose anything because

you know Ukrainian music I think we have

to be careful how we sort of promote it

and I didn't want to make you know the

main reason of coming here to bring

Ukrainian music it doesn't doesn't

really work that way

it would work for me of course but but

for the orchestra it's the first time

you know they don't know me so I thought

it's it's it's probably better to take

something short and had they heard of

silvestro they have they have done it

was my great surprise they have done his

Symphony number five with Yuka Pettis

arasta here 20 years ago and he was

chief conductor this Symphony could be

brought here because it's so somehow

universal and yes but they they

musicians came to me so now we know

Sylvester sorry that's great but it's

it's you know they I think they enjoy it

and it's it's also it gives to the

program special flavour and and and

special identity I don't know if you

know a year ago in Ottawa the Ottawa

Symphony brought Sylvester of the

messenger and it was played together

with Mozart's Requiem and very sort of a

prominent opera star upper soprano here

Karina Govan

she was singing and the conductor was

John Stehr skirt I don't know if you

know him so it's it's unbelievable to me

at that time when I heard that Sylvester

is coming to Canada I was like what is

this what's happening and and I'm

wondering whether this is part of that

or just an independent oh no it's just

independent I mean I have I I know

Sylvester personally really well so I

mean for me conducting his music is I

mean I do that all the time but what I

would like to of course is to do some

other Ukrainian composers because there

are so many great but it's booth

Sylvester it's easier in a way because

his name is better known abroad so as a

first gesture

I thought let's start with Sylvester and

then if there will be another invitation

sometime later than well to do something

maybe bigger maybe let the schinske

or something like that which latosha

schinsky my favorite is number three

Symphony number three yes I mean I'm

starting now kind of little campaign for

that same from number three we have

recorded it now in Bournemouth in

England just a couple of months ago for

for a good label so the recording is

coming out shortly and I hope this will

help me to be able to perform it more

with symphony orchestras all over the

world what about Berezovsky because you

say you have recorded this well there is

with Berezovsky it's Baroque music so I

think it needs to be an orchestra who is

familiar with that sort of Baroque

playing but it's there I mean I've I

have I mean I've done the first

performance of it in the Ukraine so it's

it's in my it's in my diary

now you performed in Ukraine the huge

concerts Beethoven's Symphony number

nine with all stars or choirs explain

how that felt

oh that was great that I mean it was one

of the most memorable performances of my

life I think

how many musicians all told were

performing well we had the Symphony

Orchestra of maybe hundred people but

the audience that was I think nearly a

hundred thousand people in the Ukraine I

was I was really proud people are

actually enjoying classical music and

since then they they have each time on

the Independence Day they want to have

an orchestra we are very thrilled to

have you here and especially for the

fact that it integrates Ukrainian music

with mainstream more mainstream music

connected with Ukraine for coffee ever

come on you know but also the virtuoso

violinist Nikola benedetti

that's a major cool to have that kind of

concert that caliber I congratulate you

I

and wait to see your concert and hope to

see you again here many more times yes

thank you very much

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