O. I. Nazarenko as a coryphaeus of the Kharkiv accordion school: formation of the authorial style

Abstract

Problem statement. The pedagogical activity of the Merited Artist of Ukraine, Professor O. I. Nazarenko is more than fifty years old. The maestro’s name will become history of the Department of Folk Instruments of Kharkiv I. P. Kotliarevskyi National University of Arts. It is impossible to disregard O. Nazarenko’s creative achievements and multifaceted activity, first, because his enormous contribution to the development of the academic accordion in Kharkiv and his authority reaches far beyond Kharkiv and Ukraine. Well-known modern accordionists and orchestral ensembles perform the composer’s works with great respect and persistence. The artist’s pedagogical activity, his talent as a teacher and mentor was found itself in students who achieved outstanding success thanks to high-quality professional training. The object of the research is O. Nazarenko’s musical activity. The aim is to determine characteristic features of O. Nazarenko’s authorial style in the context of Kharkiv Accordion School traditions. Methodology. This study is based on historical, genre and stylystic as well as interpretive method. The methodological basis is formed by the works of Yu. Diachenko (2012), M. Pliushenko (2017), I. Sniedkov (2016), A. Strilets (2018), which partly appeal to O. Nazarenko’s work and the history of Kharkiv Accordion School. Presenting the main material. One of the brightest representatives of Kharkiv Accordion School is the teacher, performer, composer and conductor O. I. Nazarenko. In the context of Kharkiv Accordion School formation and development, O. Nazarenko was remembered for his networking with famous Kharkiv composers. From 1967 to 1987 O. Nazarenko performed many authorial programs of such Kharkiv composers as V. Bibik, F.Bogdanov, O. Zhuk, V. Zolotukhin, D. Klebanov, I. Kovach, T. Kravtsov, G. Finarovsky, S. Faintukh and N. Yukhnovska. Working as a solo accordionist and accompanist, O. Nazarenko gained richer experience and recognition of stage colleagues; he accompanied the People’s Artists of the USSR such as Ye. Chervoniuk, M. Manoilo, Yu. Bogatykov and N. Surzhina, People’s and Merited Artists of Ukraine as V. Arkanova, A. Rezilova, Yu. Ivanov and others. While setting piano vocal works by Kharkiv composers, O. Nazarenko made editions for accordion and enriched the texture of his own works in every possible way. Materials of arrangements, settings, transcriptions were periodically published in such publishing houses’ collections as “Music” (Moscow), “Musical Ukraine” (Kyiv). We cannot ignore the maestro’s creative contacts with V. Podgorny, who influenced his further activity and made a contributive mark on the path of his professional development. Mastering the technique of influencing the listener through emotional and expressive accordion playing was important for O. Nazarenko. V. Podgorny who possessed a brilliant technique of working with sound, was mentioned by O. Nazarenko as “the artist of sound”. It was communication and creative contact with V.Podgorny that enriched the professional background and stimulation of the composer’s talents in young Olexandr’s soul. O. Nazarenko’s specific performing and composing style was formed under V. Podgorny’s influence also. As one of his brightest students, he collaborated with him, was interested in new creative ideas and imitated the teacher’s manner. O. Nazarenko’s work is more connected with singing and folklore; Ukrainian, Russian, Gypsy, Georgian and Latin American motives became the basis of his musical compositions. Based on folk and authorial melodies, he created largescale complex structures with vivid musical images. A typical feature of topics for adaptation, transcription and arrangement was the idea of taking unfamiliar works, which no one had previously addressed to. This attracts performers to search for their own interpretations without imitating already known performer interpretations. Many works in the maestro’s interpretation are characterized by a waltz manner. During his life, from childhood, all the memories and experiences accumulated and became the basis for many of his works. According to his words, he actively attended music evenings in a village club and school after the war, where he could listen to modern waltz-like music by Soviet composers. The first author’s melody, “Elegy Waltz”, which represents lyrics and romantic images as memories, was a dedication to his brother Volodymyr. The author comments that it was his brother who showed him waltz and taught him to dance it in his childhood. Many accordion works by O. Nazarenko are characterized by symphonic principles of development, which are also used in fantasia genre. In this genre, a dramatic and deeply psychological work interpreting Russian folk song “Thin Rowan” was written, which absorbed the emotions of the author’s inner experiences (being a dedication to his mother Alexandra Monakova). Being an excellent accordionist, he is aware of the instrument’s possibilities and implements this knowledge in working on musical works. He pays much attention to image intonation and the specifics of imitation of other instruments. His performance methods were based on the works by S. Richter, E. Hilels, L. Kohan, Ya. Heifetz and many other maestros. These ideas gave him, as a performer, an extremely subtle feeling of timbre. In the manner of his performance, he made the audience not only listen, but also hear, which is very important for perception of musical work. O. I. Nazarenko managed to raise a large number of students for many years of pedagogical activity. They represent his name not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Conclusions. O. Nazarenko’s authorial style is original and multifaceted, it consists of composition, performance and pedagogical activities. The authorial style formation was greatly influenced by Kharkiv cultural environment, creative connection with V. Podgorny and performing traditions of Kharkiv Accordion School in general. O. Nazarenko’s original compositional style is manifested in the genres of transcription, fantasia and arrangement of folk songs for accordion. O. Nazarenko’s works include a number of ones written and dedicated to people who left a great dramatic imprint in his life. Works dedicated to his mother, father, wife and brother are a musical word where dramatic images emphasize the expression and specificity of addressing close people. Due to the bright timbres, rich texture and registers, the composer’s musical compositions become symphonic, going far beyond the basic thematic material. Based on folk and authorial melodies, he created large-scale complex structures with vivid musical images. O. Nazarenko’s works require a performer’s high level of technical training, an intellectual approach to understanding all the musical text details, fastidious work on the sound. These components of performing skills are inherent in the maestro as a representative of Kharkiv Accordion School.