Kuzan Marian Stepanovych – talented French and Ukrainian composer, conductor. Foreign member of the National Union of Ukrainian composers, whose works were successfully performed in France, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Japan, Canada, Ukraine, and the USA.
Marian Kuzan was born in the Isaiah village, L’viv region, but lived abroad almost his entire life. The family moved to Paris when Marian was just a toddler. Life in Paris formed the European mentality of the composer, he was fond of sophistication and modernity in art. Despite this, his love for Ukrainian culture (particularly for classical poetry) became the light of his compositional development. It is quite obvious that genetic memory guided the artist on a subconscious level.
Marian was delighted to study violin art with Olivier Messiaen. Moreover, а boy mastered the piano, guitar, wind instrument, as well as vocal. After a while, he becomes interested in conducting and composition. During World War II, he was a member of the Resistance Movement. In 1947, Kuzan graduated from the Paris Conservatory in the composition class of Georges Dandelion (a student of M. Ravel and G. Faure). In that time Kuzan organizes an instrumental ensemble, where he conducts and makes a repertoire. In 1966, he arranged and became a conductor of the Alpha – Omega orchestra by A. Lemke, then the orchestra of the Luxembourg television company.
Kuzan was also invited to Canada and the US with tours and lectures, where he actively collaborated and communicated with representatives of the diaspora. An interesting fact is that Kuzan was an active member of several Masonic lodges and contributed to the revival of Freemasonry of Ukraine in the 90s. Marian's work is diverse in genres (from operas and ballets to instrumental ensembles and solos), themes (from biblical plots to urbanism). The composer made a huge amount of music for movies, radio, and TV. In his last years of life, he paid the most attention to the work of the cantata and oratorio genre, primarily spiritual content. In 1983, by order of the French government, he wrote the cantata “For the love of human”, 1985 works on texts in Ukrainian (“Neophytes”, David’s Psalms, “The message” on T. Shevchenko words). His last composition was “Chornobyl Requiem” (1933, V. Barki’s words). Kuzan also orchestrated the opera “Roksoliana” by D. Sichinsky, which was performed only once in Canada at concert performance thanks to conductor Volodymyr Kolesnyk.
For a while, the “Canadian” musical score was considered lost. But even after its return to the world by art critic Oleksandra Turianska, the opera was never performed in the composer’s homeland. At the end of the XX century, international ties between Ukrainian artists and emigrants-composers noticeably grew stronger.
So, to an invitation of I. Karabytsia in 1990, Kuzan came to Ukraine for the first music festival “Kyiv Music Fest”. It is known about his cooperation with M. Skorik and V. Grabovsky. Recording to the memoirs of Orest Slipak, brother Vasyl Slipak once received an invitation to the prestigious music festival in Clermont – Ferrand thankfully to the protection of Marian Stepanovych.
Undoubtedly, the work of Maryan Kuzan with its versatility confirmed that the context of Ukrainian music is open to the most modern styles and compositional techniques, advanced ideas, and actualization of the majestic centuries-old culture.
Marian Kuzan was born in the Isaiah village, L’viv region, but lived abroad almost his entire life. The family moved to Paris when Marian was just a toddler. Life in Paris formed the European mentality of the composer, he was fond of sophistication and modernity in art. Despite this, his love for Ukrainian culture (particularly for classical poetry) became the light of his compositional development. It is quite obvious that genetic memory guided the artist on a subconscious level.
Marian was delighted to study violin art with Olivier Messiaen. Moreover, а boy mastered the piano, guitar, wind instrument, as well as vocal. After a while, he becomes interested in conducting and composition. During World War II, he was a member of the Resistance Movement. In 1947, Kuzan graduated from the Paris Conservatory in the composition class of Georges Dandelion (a student of M. Ravel and G. Faure). In that time Kuzan organizes an instrumental ensemble, where he conducts and makes a repertoire. In 1966, he arranged and became a conductor of the Alpha – Omega orchestra by A. Lemke, then the orchestra of the Luxembourg television company.
Kuzan was also invited to Canada and the US with tours and lectures, where he actively collaborated and communicated with representatives of the diaspora. An interesting fact is that Kuzan was an active member of several Masonic lodges and contributed to the revival of Freemasonry of Ukraine in the 90s. Marian's work is diverse in genres (from operas and ballets to instrumental ensembles and solos), themes (from biblical plots to urbanism). The composer made a huge amount of music for movies, radio, and TV. In his last years of life, he paid the most attention to the work of the cantata and oratorio genre, primarily spiritual content. In 1983, by order of the French government, he wrote the cantata “For the love of human”, 1985 works on texts in Ukrainian (“Neophytes”, David’s Psalms, “The message” on T. Shevchenko words). His last composition was “Chornobyl Requiem” (1933, V. Barki’s words). Kuzan also orchestrated the opera “Roksoliana” by D. Sichinsky, which was performed only once in Canada at concert performance thanks to conductor Volodymyr Kolesnyk.
For a while, the “Canadian” musical score was considered lost. But even after its return to the world by art critic Oleksandra Turianska, the opera was never performed in the composer’s homeland. At the end of the XX century, international ties between Ukrainian artists and emigrants-composers noticeably grew stronger.
So, to an invitation of I. Karabytsia in 1990, Kuzan came to Ukraine for the first music festival “Kyiv Music Fest”. It is known about his cooperation with M. Skorik and V. Grabovsky. Recording to the memoirs of Orest Slipak, brother Vasyl Slipak once received an invitation to the prestigious music festival in Clermont – Ferrand thankfully to the protection of Marian Stepanovych.
Undoubtedly, the work of Maryan Kuzan with its versatility confirmed that the context of Ukrainian music is open to the most modern styles and compositional techniques, advanced ideas, and actualization of the majestic centuries-old culture.
Text by Viktoria Antoshevska
Translated by Viktoria Kutylyak
Curator Olesya Tatarovska, Lviv National University
Translated by Viktoria Kutylyak
Curator Olesya Tatarovska, Lviv National University
Кузан Мар'ян. Біографія
Кузан Мар'ян Степанович (1925-2005) — талановитий французький та український композитор і диригент. Зарубіжний член Національної спілки композиторів України, чиї твори з успіхом були виконані у Франції, Іспанії, Люксембурзі, Німеччині, Японії, Канаді, Україні та США.
Народився Мар’ян Кузан у селі Ісаї на Львівщині, але фактично все своє життя прожив за кордоном. Сім'я виїхала до Парижа, коли Мар’янові було всього 2 рочки. Життя у Франції сформувало європейську ментальність композитора, йому імпонувала вишуканість і модерність у мистецтві. Попри це, любов до української культури (зокрема до класичної поезії) стала світочем його композиторського становлення. Абсолютно очевидно, що генетична пам’ять керувала митцем на підсвідомому рівні.
Мар'янові пощастило навчатися скрипкового мистецтва в Олів'є Мессіана. Крім цього, хлопець опановував гру на фортепіано, гітарі, духових інструментах, а також вокал. Трохи з годом його зацікавило диригування та композиція. Під час Другої світової війни він був учасником Руху Опору. У 1947 році Кузан закінчив Паризьку консерваторію в класі композиції Жоржа Дандельйо (учня М. Равеля і Г. Форе). У цей час Кузан організовує інструментальні ансамблі, якими диригує і для яких створює репертуар. 1966 року організував і став диригентом оркестру «Альфа-Омега» А. Лемке, потім — оркестру Люксембурзької компанії телебачення. Із гастролями та лекціями-зустрічами Мар’ян Кузан також був запрошений до Канади та США, де активно співпрацював і комунікував із представниками діаспори. Цікаво, що Кузан був активним членом кількох масонських лож та сприяв відродженню масонства на теренах України у 90-х роках.
Bezborodko Oleg. Biography
Stefania Turkevych (1898-1977) was born in L’viv, one of the cultural epicenters of Galicia. During her lifetime, Galicia was part of the Austrian Empire, then Poland, then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. This region bore the marks of Austrian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish influence and would soon witness the rise of the Soviet state. Turkevych’s father and grandfather were priests, and her mother was a pianist. Turkevych herself played piano, harp, and harmonium.1 Her prodigious talent led her to study in Vienna (1914-16; 1921-25), at the L’viv Conservatory (1918-19), and at the Prague Conservatory and the Ukrainian Free University in Prague (1930-34). Her early education was remarkably cosmopolitan.
Turkevych’s compositional language is unique.
Although one can hear the technical influence of Schoenberg and can detect certain expressionist tendencies, her music is generally quite lyrical, with occasional folk influence. This is typical of Turkevych’s style: she walks the line between tonality and expressionism—especially in her art songs—occasionally incorporating elements of pointillism and impressionism.
Turkevych displayed an early proclivity for composition. During her time at the L’viv Conservatory, she composed a series of liturgical works for the choir at St. George’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.6 Shortly after marrying the rising Ukrainian-German expressionist painter Robert Lisowski in 1925,7 Turkevych moved to Berlin and studied composition privately with Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) and Franz Shreker (1878-1934). Turkevych earned a PhD in Musicology from the Ukrainian Free University in Prague in 1934, becoming the first woman from Galicia to receive a doctorate. Her boldly nationalistic dissertation was entitled “Ukrainian Folklore in Russian Operas.” She is now considered Ukraine’s first female composer.8 Immediately after receiving her PhD, Turkevych returned to L’viv, where she taught at the L’viv National Music Academy (sometimes called the L’viv Conservatory). She maintained this position until 1939, when she began working as a coach and accompanist at the L’viv National Opera alongside her sister, Irina Martynec (an opera singer). It was here that the two sisters met prima ballerina Daria NyzankiwskaSnihurowycz, who would become an important co-collaborator both in Ukraine and on Canadian soil more than 30 years later (for the premiere of Turkevych’s 1969 operaballet, Серце Оксани).
Творчість Мар’яна Кузана різноманітна за жанрами (від опер та балетів до інструментальних ансамблів та солоспів) і тематикою (від біблійних сюжетів до урбаністики). Композитор створив чимало музики для кінофільмів, радіо і телебачення. В останні роки життя найбільше уваги приділяв творам кантатно-ораторіального жанру, насамперед, духовного змісту. 1983 на замовлення французького уряду написав кантату «Для любові до людини», 1985 – твори на тексти українською мовою («Неофіти», «Давидові псалми», «Посланіє» на сл. Т. Шевченка). Останній його твір – «Чорнобиль-реквієм» (1993, сл. В. Барки). Кузан також здійснив оркестрування опери «Роксоляна» Д. Січинського, яка лише одного разу прозвучала в Канаді у концертному виконанні завдяки диригентові Володимиру Колеснику. Певний час «канадська» партитура вважалася втраченою. Але навіть опісля її повернення світові мистецтвознавицею Олександрою Турянською опера жодного разу не виконувалась на батьківщині композитора.
Turkevych displayed an early proclivity for composition. During her time at the L’viv Conservatory, she composed a series of liturgical works for the choir at St. George’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.6 Shortly after marrying the rising Ukrainian-German expressionist painter Robert Lisowski in 1925,7 Turkevych moved to Berlin and studied composition privately with Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) and Franz Shreker (1878-1934). Turkevych earned a PhD in Musicology from the Ukrainian Free University in Prague in 1934, becoming the first woman from Galicia to receive a doctorate. Her boldly nationalistic dissertation was entitled “Ukrainian Folklore in Russian Operas.” She is now considered Ukraine’s first female composer.8 Immediately after receiving her PhD, Turkevych returned to L’viv, where she taught at the L’viv National Music Academy (sometimes called the L’viv Conservatory). She maintained this position until 1939, when she began working as a coach and accompanist at the L’viv National Opera alongside her sister, Irina Martynec (an opera singer). It was here that the two sisters met prima ballerina Daria NyzankiwskaSnihurowycz, who would become an important co-collaborator both in Ukraine and on Canadian soil more than 30 years later (for the premiere of Turkevych’s 1969 operaballet, Серце Оксани).
Наприкінці XX століття помітно міцнішають міжнародні зв’язки між українськими митцями та композиторами-емігрантами. Так на запрошення І. Карабиця у 1990 Кузан приїздить в Україну на перший “Київ Музик Фест”. Відомо про його співпрацю з М.Скориком та В.Грабовським. А за спогадами Ореста Сліпака, його брат Василь Сліпак свого часу отримав запрошення на престижний музичний фестиваль у Клермон-Феррані саме завдяки протекції Мар’яна Степановича.
Безумовно, творчість Мар’яна Кузана своєю багатогранністю підтвердила, що контекст української музики відкритий для найсучасніших стилів і композиторських технік, передових ідей та актуалізації величної багатовікової культури.
Текст: Вікторія Антошевська
Безумовно, творчість Мар’яна Кузана своєю багатогранністю підтвердила, що контекст української музики відкритий для найсучасніших стилів і композиторських технік, передових ідей та актуалізації величної багатовікової культури.
Текст: Вікторія Антошевська