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Valeriy Antonyuk

Composer, arranger, pianist, multi-instrumentalist, rock-pop singer and song poet

Ukraine

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About

Valeriy Antonyuk was born in 1979 in Ukraine. He is composer, arranger, pianist, and song poet. He works in all the existing musical genres and playing Ukrainian flutes, Moldova cimbalom (dulcimers), classical guitar, electric guitar, drums, bass guitar. Valeriy began to be engaged in music at age 5 as a pianist. At age 12 he felt the desire to compose music and during two years he composed his first cycle of 5 piano preludes named “Imitating Prokofiev”, a sonata for flute solo “Dedication to Debussy”, 3 arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs for mixed choir a cappella and “Nocturne” for string quartet in memory of Gustav Mahler.

Valeriy got first lessons of composition in 1993-1997 from coryphaeus of Ukrainian classical music composer Vitaliy Kireyko, the author of cult national opera “Forest song” and ballet “Shadows of forgotten ancestors”. In 1998 he passed the exams excellently and joined Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, Chair of Composition and Orchestration. In 2003 he graduated under the supervision of Gennadiy Lyashenko from whom Valeriy attended the complete course of composition bases about different composers techniques of the 20th century, the courses of polyphony and orchestration.

His piano teacher was Yuriy Gluschenko. The work presented to his degree named “The sounding is present” was the result of his 5 years training. This 20 minutes piece for full symphony orchestra was brilliantly performed in the Grand Hall of National Broadcasting Company of Ukraine by its orchestra under the direction of conductor Vyacheslav Blinov. This work was recognized by the head of the composition department Yevhen Stankovych as a mature distinctive music in which original orchestration and bold unique form are felt. In 2004 – 2008 he attended a post-graduate course in the same Academy under Gennadiy Lyashenko.

He composed soundtracks for three feature tv films: “Red Lotus”, “Bread Day”, “Snake Is Creeping”, all produced by Star Media/Freshproduction.ua, a soundtrack for the documentary “Black Sea Navy 1941-1944″ produced by center Insitemedia.ua, and for a short feature films “Who Is Tanya, She Called him Idiot”. Valeriy participates constantly in the world renowned Ukrainian international festivals of modern music such as “Kyiv Music Fest”, “Musical Premiers Of The Season”, “Contrasts”.

His symphony pieces have been recorded to the library of Ukrainian National Broadcasting Company by Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Among these pieces are well known to Ukrainian listeners: Cantata in five parts on the lyrics by F.G. Lorca for soprano and symphony orchestra (recorded in 2005), Piano concert (recorded in 2007), Four Songs on the lyrics by V. Stus for soprano and symphony orchestra (recorded in 2008). These three works were recorded under the direction of Victoria Zhad’ko, conductor at Meritorious Arts Worker of Ukraine Furthermore, Cantata in four parts on lyrics by A.S. Pushkin for soprano and symphony orchestra and Symphony no. 2 “Fanfare” were recorded in 2011 and 2012 correspondingly under the direction of Meritorious Arts Worker of Ukraine, Chief conductor and Art director of Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Sheiko. Valeriy Anronyuk collaborates also with National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (conductors Vladimir Sirenko, Natalia Ponomarchuk), Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine (conductor Myroslav Skoryk), State Academic Variety-symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (conductor Mykola Lysenko), Bulgarian Film Orchesra (conductor Gregor Narholz), Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor – Nikoloz Rachveli), String Quartet «Archi», String quartet «Collegium», Chamber Choir “Credo” (conductor Bogdan Plish), Academic Chamber Choir “Kreschatic” (conductor Pavlo Struts’), Italian bass clarinetist virtuoso Fabrizio Bardelli. Valentina Antonyuk, famous Ukrainian singer (lyric-dramatic soprano), professor of Tchaikovsky NMAU, is the first performer and bright propagandist of her son Valeriy Antonyuk music. Valeriy Antonyuk’s works include symphonic, choral, chamber (vocal and instrumental) pieces for soloists and instrumental ensembles, orchestral miniatures. Altogether about 600 pieces.

Besides, 30 songs on his own Ukrainian and Russian lyrics and arrangements in different modern styles such as rock, pop-rock, brit-pop, etc. He is a member of National Composer Union of Ukraine (2004), member of performing rights societies BMI (2008), MCPS (2009).

He won the International Prokofiev Composer Competition, Ukraine (2000) with “Theme & Six Transformation For Piano Quintet”. Valeriy won also the Grand Prize at the 2nd competition “Solospiv” (music in cinema) of the 8th Kyiv International Festival of documentary films “Kinolitopys 2009”. Among many awards he received for his music works, particularly important are outstanding Ukrainian composers Levko Revutsky award in 2010 for achievements in composer creative work and Boris Lyatoshinsky award in 2018 for his Symphony no. 7 “Masquerade Of Not Seen Dreams”, dedicated to innocent victims of wars and terror.

https://soundcloud.com/valeriy-antonyuk

Sheets

Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

Meaning of life.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

Sometimes it's a fantasy, sometimes a reflection of the different realities of our life.

If you were not a professional musician, would you have been?

Rock singer.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?

The future or the past in life do not matter. Thoughts about it take a lot of time. I prefer to live only by the present time.

What do you envision the role of classical music to be in the 21 century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

For a real transformation of this role, contemporary composers need to write beautiful melodic classical music with fresh melodies, unique harmonies and forms that will be understood by a wide range of listeners. The world is tired of the "super-complex" atonal music of one and same type, which in my opinion has long been out dated and it is in demand only in very narrow circles.

When I say that classical music is searching for new ways or that the classical music is getting a new face, what would come to your mind?

The natural beauty of a new meaning and type that is reflected not only in timbre paints and effective orchestration techniques but also primarily in the structure of the original melodic harmonic language and the use of new rhythmics.

Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

A truly progressive composer in our time should be able to compose not only classical music. This skill opens up new prospects not only for earning money but also for improving the composer's own classical style. In my youth, I seriously studied rock music of all modern trends, jazz, electronic, popular music and so on. Moreover, I had my rock band where I sang songs on my own lyrics in the pop-rock style. I work in all existing musical styles / genres in my studio and compose a lot of Production Music. It goes without saying, now it is possible to create music of any type on the computer using the wide spector of samples of music libraries.

Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?

Yes, of course. It is thanks to you (musicians) is go the nature way of conducting music of composers to the listeners and it was at all of times. You can do a lot to attract more attention of the young generation into the classical music. For this, it is necessary that classical music be constantly advertised, often broadcast on television and radio. Also for this, in the world, we need to have several good and really affordable TV alternatives to the Mezzo TV channel that would broadcast the music of living modern composers in your performance.

Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favorite piece (written by you) How did you start working on it?

One of my favorite major symphonic works is Symphony No. 2 "Fanfare" that was written at 2012 only for February period. However, I believe that my best work will be created in the future. In the beginning, I completely come up with the whole musical construction (from beginning to end) of a certain work in my head and only then I write down the score. I never compose music with piano and do not use drafts and I write the score in Sibelius notator at once.

We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?

I think that you have very good taste and feeling of style! Personally, I always see new cinematic images of different types and created "fresh montage" in the forms when I write my music. The combination of music and cinematography is most like for me.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

Do not be afraid to feel and let classical music enter your soul and it will help you in different moments of your life. You will be enriched spiritually and intellectually.

Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do you see it?

Everything should happen naturally and without any artificial forced steps. However, in order that in our time people were able to discover a name of new talented classical composer (especially the symphonic composer), one must make strong advertising companies on various platforms. Also it is sometimes help to familiarize with the works of the new composer using personal direct contacts with musicians and conductors.

Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?

I hope that my audience of listeners will become wider after the publication of this interview in Moving Classics TV.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

In Jule 2018 the company Da Vinci Edition located in Japan (Osaka city) published exclusively the dual CD with professional audio recordings of my 4 Symphonies, Piano Concerto and 2 Cantatas for soprano and orchestra. The company also publish exclusively my scores such as 9 Symphonies, "Violin Concerto", "Viola Concerto", "Cello Concerto", "Clarinet Concerto", "Piano Concerto", many other chamber, choral works and pieces for the organ solo. The publisher print and distribute them in through a wide network that involves music stores and libraries around the world. Also I'm looking for a conductor with a full-size symphony orchestra for the staging of my new unperformed yet works which have been composed over the past 3 years and are especially dear to me called: Symphony № 8 "Theatre Of Reverberation", Symphony № 9 "Solar Mysteries", "Violin Concerto", "Viola Concerto", "Cello Concerto", "Clarinet Concerto", "Dances Of Passing Time" for symphony orchestra. I believe that all of my symphonic works can be a fresh new repertoire for symphony orchestras and can successfully sound in their concert programs around the world.