Composer Oleksandr Shchetynskyi is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Ukrainian academic music. His style is marked by intellectual depth, openness to experimentation, and a tendency to combine structural logic with emotional richness. Shchetynskyi often focuses on philosophical, social, or cultural-archetypal themes, embodied in a complex but sensually expressive musical language.
"Lullaby and Fugue" for organ by Ukrainian composer Oleksandr Shchetynskyi is a work commissioned by the Lviv Organ Hall in 2023 specifically for the 90th anniversary of the installation of the Lviv organ. “Organ Birthday” in the first days of June (this is what the Lviv Organ Hall team calls this event), annually unites performers, composers and the public around the instrument that is the heart of the concert hall. The invitation to write new works within the framework of this initiative became an opportunity for the composer to turn to the organ sound as a deeply metaphysical resource.
Lullaby and Fugue for organ is a cycle that combines two different emotional and structural poles. The first part — Lullaby — sounds like a memory or an intimate prayer, where the soft registers of the organ create a feeling of breath and warmth. The second part — Fugue — is built with virtuoso polyphonic skill, as a dramatic and spiritually elevated movement towards the light.
The recording of "Lullaby and Fugue" performed by the Organ Hall soloist Svitlana Pozdnysheva has replenished the Ukrainian Live Classic digital library and has become popular with listeners of the same name YouTube-channel of the platform, which presents Ukrainian music to a wide audience. The premiere of this work is not only a gift for the instrument's birthday, but also a gesture of deep attention to the organ culture of Ukraine.
"Lullaby and Fugue" for organ by Ukrainian composer Oleksandr Shchetynskyi is a work commissioned by the Lviv Organ Hall in 2023 specifically for the 90th anniversary of the installation of the Lviv organ. “Organ Birthday” in the first days of June (this is what the Lviv Organ Hall team calls this event), annually unites performers, composers and the public around the instrument that is the heart of the concert hall. The invitation to write new works within the framework of this initiative became an opportunity for the composer to turn to the organ sound as a deeply metaphysical resource.
Lullaby and Fugue for organ is a cycle that combines two different emotional and structural poles. The first part — Lullaby — sounds like a memory or an intimate prayer, where the soft registers of the organ create a feeling of breath and warmth. The second part — Fugue — is built with virtuoso polyphonic skill, as a dramatic and spiritually elevated movement towards the light.
The recording of "Lullaby and Fugue" performed by the Organ Hall soloist Svitlana Pozdnysheva has replenished the Ukrainian Live Classic digital library and has become popular with listeners of the same name YouTube-channel of the platform, which presents Ukrainian music to a wide audience. The premiere of this work is not only a gift for the instrument's birthday, but also a gesture of deep attention to the organ culture of Ukraine.
Text and translation by Victoriia Antoshevska
