French composer and conductor of Ukrainian origin. He is more impressed by the sophisticated, modern world. However, an important place in the artistic outlook is occupied by Ukrainian classical poetry, in particular the poems of Taras Shevchenko. Kusan's development as a composer was influenced by Ukrainian folk music and such masters as Edgar Varez, Arnold Schoenberg and Bela Bartok. Creativity is diverse in genres. The author's compositions, written mostly in the modern idiom, include orchestral, incidental and other instrumental music, vocal and film scores. Foreign member of the NSKU. The works were performed in France, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Japan, Canada, Ukraine and the USA.
Biography
Born in the village Isai in the Lviv region, but actually lived abroad all his life. When he was two years old, the family left for France and settled in Paris. Maryan studied violin with Olivier Messiaen (with whom he also maintained friendly relations), piano, guitar, wind instruments, and vocals. Then he moved on to conducting and composition. In France, in 1928, the younger sister Stephanie (Fanny) was born, who married Yakov Hnizdovskyi, an artist, graphic artist, ceramist, art critic, on February 16, 1957, in the Roman Catholic church of the city of Orne, where her parents lived at that time.
In 1947, he graduated from the Paris Conservatoire in the composition class of Georges Dandelieu (student of Maurice Ravel and Gabriel Fauré).
Organized instrumental ensembles, which he conducted and created repertoire for. 1966 - organized and became the conductor of the "Alpha-Omega" orchestra by A. Lemke, then - the orchestra of the Luxembourg Television Company.
He married the daughter of K. Debussy.
On June 22, 1950, Marian Kuzan was initiated into the Paris "Gamayun" lodge. It was raised to the second article on November 2, 1951, to the third on November 7, 1952. Expelled from the Lodge on December 31, 1957. In 1966, the Ukrainian Masonic lodge "Vox Ukrainae" was created in Paris, which included well-known representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, including Maryan Kuzan. In 1993, French Freemasons in Paris opened the "Three Columns No. 758" lodge for the organization of Freemasonry in Ukraine. Joined the process of reviving Freemasonry, which began in the mid-90s of the 20th century, and the "Voice of Ukraine" lodge (Doctor of Medicine I. Ya. Musyanovych, composer M. Kuzan, artist T. Wirst, etc.) played a role in this the main role in the process.
Art
In France, Kuzan is considered a French composer, but he really wanted to be a Ukrainian composer. He is the only composer of ours who is recognized by another state. Considers him his own. His position there is very high. On the order of the French government, he wrote very different works. Wrote operas, works for various sets of instruments. Cusan's works are not easy to perform.
Wrote many great works. Two lines in his work: 1) Ukrainian (choirs on the Psalms of David — re-singings by Taras Shevchenko), 2) modern French music.
The first favorable reviews of the composer's works appeared in Paris after a symphony concert on March 18, 1951, during which he conducted his opus - "Prelude and Invocation of Asklepios" for voice and one-act ballet "Sunday".
Maryan Kuzan was one of the first to write a piece for a large group of string and wind instruments. He owns the Symphony for Percussion with Harp and Trumpet (Symphonie Percutante) (1964). In this early symphony, a characteristic feature of the composer's handwriting is already clearly expressed: the differentiation of the orchestra with a kaleidoscopic change of individualized timbres, where, next to the 43 percussion instruments, the solo lead of the trumpet and the contrasting harp stand out. Responding to the new ideas of the time, M. Kuzan also created the Brass Symphony in the same period, written a year later - in 1965.
In February 1972, in the hall of the Paris theater "Clichy", the instrumental ensemble "Musika Viva" conducted by Michel Marie performed for the first time a new piece by Marian Cuzan called "Chronicles 1. 2. Z and 4 for stringed instruments". The concert took place again on March 12, 1972 at the Michel Robinson Dance Theater (Paris, France). In this work, written in 1966-67, "the composer tried to enter into a close connection with the universe, to identify with the cosmos. It must be admitted that he succeeded in this, in particular in...chronicles Z and 4".
Marjan Kuzan is the author of the quintet for brass instruments "Corvus Saturni" ("Crow of Saturn") (1977).
In October 1979, together with his wife Mr. Yuget, Yakov Hnizdovskyi and his wife Stefania, he visited the premises of the Main Office of the Ukrainian People's Union and the Svoboda publishing house. He said that "the dynamic rhythms of the production work of Yakov Hnizdovsky's woodcuts and drawings caused a dynamic play of sounds in my soul, and on that basis I created an octet for clarinet, flute, soprano 1 string quartet - "The Strange World of Yakov Hnizdovsky." The premiere of this work took place on June 15, 1979 in Strasbourg, as part of an international music festival on a special order of the board of this festival.
Two concerts of Maryan Kuzan took place in Canada. The first was on September 22, 1979 in Montreal at McGill University, which was prepared by Ukrainianand the Student Club of the same university in cooperation with the Association of Ukrainian Professionals and Entrepreneurs. This evening's program included an interview with the artist - "Who are you, Mr. Kuzan?", which was conducted by Maria Anna Dezhsne. It was interwoven with recordings of the composer's musical works. Maryan Kuzan also spoke separately about himself in French. At the end yesterday, a graduate student of McGill University, pianist Lyuba Zhuk, performed M. Kuzan's composition "Constructor". In the hall on the walls was a group of woodcarvers by Yakov Hnizdovsky, because the compositions "The Wonderful World of Yakov Hnizdovsky" and "Constructor" were written under the impression of the works of this artist. On September 30, 1979, his second meeting with the public was held in Toronto, which was organized by Ukrainian Professionals and Entrepreneurs of Canada. The program conducted by Yuriy Klyufas was similar to the previous one, only the interview and the words of the composer were in Ukrainian, and M. Kuzan's poems were translated from French to English.
From the series of concerts of the composer and poet, on October 12, 1979 at the Ukrainian Institute of America, his next performance took place, in which professional modern music sounded. The program was hosted by Iryna Stetsura. The composer's works were performed using magnetic tape. Pianist Yuliyana Osinchuk performed "Constructor". M. Kuzan's poem "Cold Waters", translated into Ukrainian by the poet Bohdan Boychuk, was also read. The author explained that based on this poem, he composed an opera in 5 acts, which combines metaphysics, psychology and esoteric experiences.
In 1983, commissioned by the French government, he wrote the cantata "For the Love of Man" in his own words, which was performed in 1984 in Chartres Cathedral (France).
In 1990, the premiere of the ballet "The Great Exile" took place on the stage of the Opera Bastille theater.
In March 1991, in the church of Blessed Augustine (Saint-Augustin), Paris, at a concert to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of the French composer, pianist and organist Marcel Dupré, a new work by M. Cousin with the Latin title "Nunc dimittis" was performed for the first time.
In 1992, the world premiere of the opera "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" took place in the opera theater of the city of Tours, which is one of the composer's greatest achievements.
Maryan Kuzan arranged for the premiere of the opera in Ukraine, at the Kyiv Opera House. I was looking for a countertenor for the main role. When he was introduced to Vasyl Slipak, the author was fascinated not only by his unique voice, but also by his tall slender figure and innate acting talent. Unfortunately, it did not work out.
On December 7, 1992, the overture "Freedom", dedicated to free Ukraine, was performed by the French symphony orchestra in the Pleyel Hall in Paris. According to the composer, the idea of freedom is understood as inner spiritual liberation. The overture is monumental, that is, the whole musical development grows from one theme — a short motif of four notes from the Ukrainian folk tune "Dudaryk". The lyrical and full of life musical overture perfectly illustrates a similar feature of the Ukrainian nation.
On the occasion of Maryan Kuzan's 70th birthday, a concert was held at the Lviv Regional Philharmonic on October 13, 1995, in which the composer's works were performed.
Marian Kuzan's compositions were performed by: Kristina Petrovska, Lyuba Zhuk, Jean-Pierre Dupuy).
The composer's works confirmed with their multifaceted creativity that the context of Ukrainian musical culture is open to the latest, modern styles and compositional techniques.
Interpretation of Taras Shevchenko's poetry
The vocal-instrumental genre occupies a leading place in the artist's work. The composer interprets the poetry of Taras Shevchenko in a special way. The understanding of Shevchenko in the context of postmodernism determines the focus of attention on the philosophy and literary studies of this period and actualizes the research. Maryan Kuzan turned to Shevchenko's poetry in the late period of his work and wrote two oratorios: "Neophytes" (1985) and the monumental "The Message" (1989), the a cappella choral cycle "Psalms of David" (1988).
"Neophytes"
This is one of the most interesting works of the composer. Written in 1985 for soloists, mixed choir and orchestra to the text of Taras Shevchenko's philosophical poem "Neophytes". It consists of an Overture, a Prologue and 14 parts, in which the plot unfolds sequentially. The musical language is simple, which is associated with the traditions of church music and Ukrainian folklore. It was commissioned by Bishop M. Grinchyshyn and the Mazepa Foundation on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of the baptism of Russia-Ukraine and triumphantly performed at the Lincoln Center in New York (USA) in 1988. The 1,000th anniversary of the baptism of Russia-Ukraine was celebrated on February 14, 1988. with a festive musical evening in the Avery Fisher Hall. It was an evening of Ukrainian music performed by Ukrainian performers. Five composers were presented: M. Lysenko, A. Vedel, D. Bortnyanskyi, Hulak-Artemovskyi, Maryan Kuzan. In particular, "Neophytes" was performed. Soloists: mezzo-soprano Marta Senn, soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo, tenor Vyacheslav Polozov, bass Pavlo Plishka, bass-baritone Andriy Dobryansky, a large mixed choir from Georgia — the Atlanta Choral Guild, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
June 12, 1988 Edmonton Ukrainian CatholicDiocese (EUCE) under the leadership of the Committee headed by Fr. Bohdan Snigurovych celebrated the Millennium of Baptism of Russia in 1988. The work was performed by the choir "Dnipro" (Edmonton, Canada) conducted by Maria Dytyniak, narrator Nestor Petriv, Lileya Volyanska (soprano), Hanna Kolesnyk (mezzo-soprano), Larry Benson (tenor), Yarem Tsisaruk (bass-baritone).
In 2013, the Ivano-Frankivsk regional state television and radio company "Karpaty" launched the radio series "Musical Shevchenkiana of the Ukrainian Diaspora" dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Kobzar's birth. In the first broadcast of the radio cycle, musicologist, member of the musicological commission of the Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society, Hanna Karas and journalist Olga Kotyuk discussed the oratorio "Neophytes".
In the summer of 2000, "Neophytes" was performed in Lviv at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The work was performed by the "Trembita" choir under the direction of Mykola Kulik.
"Psalms of David"
A cappella choral cycle "Psalms of David" (1988). In Kobzar's legacy, the composer was also attracted by the re-singings of David's Psalms, for which he wrote a cantata for choir, orchestra and tenor soloist. Thus, in "David's Psalms", T. Shevchenko's free poetic recitation of biblical texts left unlimited space for the author's imagination. The biblical text became for him only a canvas, which he "modernized" according to his preferences and ideas about "eternal" symbols and categories.
The work combines religious symbolism with philosophical concepts. The composer chose 10 psalms by T. Shevchenko and created choral miniatures for various types of choir. Where national religious images are interpreted on the basis of epic and folklore sources. In 1987, Maryan Kuzan performed a version of five Psalms of David for an a cappella choir for a solo tenor, a mixed choir and a large symphony orchestra. The first performance of the work took place in 1988 in Winnipeg (Canada), the second - in Kyiv (1989).
"will send"
The oratorio was written in 1992 for a mixed choir, soloists (mezzo-soprano, bass-baritone) and double symphony orchestra. The duration is one and a half hours. In the work, the composer relies on a wide layer of Ukrainian melodic music. The idea of writing arose in April 1987, when Petro Savaryn, as the president of the Ukrainian Ukrainian Community, visited the Ukrainian community in Paris. The piece was commissioned by the Alberta Society for the Preservation of Ukrainian Culture (Edmonton, Canada). Ordering the oratorio "The Message" from Kusan, AT3UK hoped to stage it in 1991-92 p. in Edmonton on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the settlement of Ukrainians in Canada, the famous conductor Grzegorz Novak planned this performance in March 2001, on the 130th anniversary of the death of Taras Shevchenko, but it did not work out for various reasons.
The world premiere took place in Edmonton (Canada) on June 8, 2002 with the participation of the author. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002. He ended the jubilee season on June 8 with the premiere of Maryan Kuzan's oratorio "The Message" by Shevchenko and A. Mahler's symphony. The concert took place in the Winspear Theater, and the symphony orchestra was conducted by the famous Grzegorz Novak. The oratorio was performed by: the Dnipro choir conducted by Maria Dytyniak, the men's choir of Edmonton conducted by Orest Soltykevich, and individual singers and soloists.
Denis Sichinsky's opera "Roksolyan"
A great event in the musical life of Ukrainians in Canada was the production of Denis Sichinsky's opera "Roksolyan" (1991). On October 20, 1991, the Ukrainian Opera Society of Canada staged the opera "Roksolyana" by Denys Sichynskyi. The performance was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the settlement of Ukrainians in Canada, and it took place in the prestigious Roy Thomson Hall. It took place thanks to the Ukrainian émigré conductor Volodymyr Kolesnyk. The new edition and orchestration of the opera was commissioned by the Ukrainian Opera Society in Canada by Maryan Kuzan. The piece was performed in concert.
The choir named after M. Lysenko, children's choir "Polyphony", soloists from Ukraine, the USA and Canada. Musical accompaniment was provided by a symphony orchestra. Volodymyr Kolesnyk conducted. The main parts were performed by Svitlana Sekh (Roksolana), Hanna Kolesnyk (Fedora), Serhiy Gomon (Suleiman II), Yarema Tsisaruk (Ibrahim), Leonid Skirko (Jester), Oleksandr Savchenko (Abdul-Baku), Bohdan Chiplinskyi (Danilo), Andriy Soroka (Alhai-Khan), Lyuba Kozak (in the prologue). The premiere was a world triumph of Ukrainian art in Canada.
Traces of the "Canadian" score were lost, because conductor Volodymyr Kolesnyk died in Toronto in 1995, and ten years later, Maryan Kuzan passed away. But after many years of searching, the art critic Oleksandra Turyanska still managed to find it in the USA. Having brought this priceless score from there, she has been trying to lobby for the production of the opera "Roksolyan" by Denys Sichynskyi in Ukraine for a long time, so far - to no avail.
Maryan Kuzan and Ukraine
The growth of political activity in society, the weakening of political and ideological censorship, the development of national self-awareness in 1990 in Ukraine was the beginning of a new stage of democratization. Maryan Kuzan comes to Ukraine and creates "Elegy-thought" for a professional military brass band.
In Kyiv compositor met his nephew Oleh Kuzan, who was a participant in the Student Revolution on Granite.
"Kyiv Music Fest"
International Ukrainian music festival "Kyiv Music Fest" opened a new page in the history of modern musical culture of Ukraine. Maryan Kuzan was among the foreign guests invited to the First Ukrainian International Music Festival held in October 1990 by music director Ivan Karabyts. At a symphonic concert in the Great Hall of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Kyiv Conservatory on October 10, 1990, "Psalms to David" for tenor, choir and symphony orchestra performed by the choir named after P. Maiborody, conductor Victor Skoromny, and soloists: Volodymyr Omelchenko (tenor), Igor Shapovalov, Vyacheslav Vasiliev-Lenetsky, Pavlo Galaganov, Naum Glushakov (violin).
In 1992, the composer was among the guests of the Third Festival.
The "Freedom" overture, performed for the first time in Ukraine, was performed at a symphonic concert in the Great Hall of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Kyiv Conservatory on October 8, 1993, performed by the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, artistic director and chief conductor Rashit Nigamatullin.
In 1995, on October 3, 1995, the composition "Constructor" was performed by the symphony orchestra, artistic director and conductor Viktor Zdorenko, conductor Viktor Ploskina and soloists: Yevgenia Basalayeva, in the I section of the symphony concert in the Great Hall of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Kyiv Conservatory on October 3, 1995. Olga Kovalova (piano).
"Music of Ukrainian Abroad"
In 1990, the 1st International Music Festival "Music of Ukrainian Abroad", organized by M. Skoryk, took place in Lviv. A monumental modern expressive poem for tenor and symphony orchestra "The Ways of Return" by M. Kuzan made a strong impression. The solo part was passionately and inspiredly performed for the first time by the wonderful Ukrainian singer from Drohobych Kornelii Syatetskyi. It was he who said that the freckle used in the poem "Come out, come out, sunshine" is a memory of the composer's childhood in Ukraine.
The 2nd International Festival "Music of Ukrainian Abroad", which took place on April 18-26, 1991 in Lviv, was dedicated to the centenary of the beginning of Ukrainian emigration to Canada. The festival presents modern spiritual music of Ukrainian "abroad" as a departure from tradition and a kind of fresh stream. Psalms of David were sung.
Komopzytor was present at the third festival in 1992, which was co-organized by Volodymyr Grabovskyi.
Maryan Kuzan and Vasyl Slipak
In 1994, Orest Slipak (Vasyl Slipak's older brother), a postgraduate student at the medical institute, while attending a congress of cardiologists in France, met Fr. Pavel Kogut, who directed him to the editorial office of "Ukrainian Word" in Paris, where he met the director of the weekly Yaroslav Musyanovych, doctor of medicine. The professor, receiving Orest in his own home, talked about culture and Parisian life, introduced him to the composer of Ukrainian origin Maryan Kuzan, strongly recommended to leave the cassette with Vasyl's recording to the composer. Within a month, Vasyl Slipak received an invitation from the organizing committee of one of the largest music festivals in Clermont-Ferrand (France).
"Contrasts"
At the 1st International Festival of Contemporary Music "Contrasts", which has been held in Lviv annually since 1995, the composer's works were performed in the Stanislav Lyudkevich Concert Hall of the Lviv Regional Philharmonic, namely: "Diachronia" performed by Oksana Rapita (piano) and Miroslav Dragan ( piano), "Nyaya" performed by Oksana Rapita (piano) and Oksana Andreyko (violin).
In the fall of 2000, the festival performed the work "Diachronia" performed by Oksana Rapita (piano) and Miroslav Dragan (piano), "Nyaya" performed by Oksana Rapita (piano) and Oksana Andreyko (violin).
On October 8, 2015, the evening of the Mykola Lysenko Lviv National Academy of Music "Ukrainian music for wind and percussion instruments" was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments of the M. Lysenko National Academy of Music, at which the students of the department performed the piece Mar for the first time in Ukraine Yana Kuzan "Nature will renew itself with fire" sextet for 6 trombones (1979).
Writings
Operas:
"Sweet Madness" (chamber, 1970, libretto by G. Villan)
"Temptation of St. Antonia" (1990, libretto by F. Tristan)
Ballets:
"Sunday" (1950, for 1 act)
"The Truth" (1990), "The Great Exile" (1990) for Susan Bourget
"Flower on Venus"
Vocal and symphonic works:
2 symphony (1964 – for percussion; 1965 – for brass)
for different cameras. ensembles - "Gethsemania" (1967)
cantata "For the love of a person" (own works, 1983, commissioned by the French government)
The value is 4.85
oratorio "Neophytes" (by T. Shevchenko, 1985, to the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Russia-Ukraine)
"Psalms of David" (1986)
"Sends" (based on the poem by T. Shevchenko, 1992)
"Ways of return", "Chernobyl-requiem" (edited by V. Barky, 1993)
Vocal and instrumental ensembles:
"Step by step"
"Search"
"To my roots" (for choir with supr.)
"Metal" (using magnetic film)
For the orchestra:
overture "Freedom" (1992), in Ukraine for the first time - October 8, 1993
"Figa suite" for chamber orchestra
Chamber instrumental works:
"Nyaya 1" for wind quartet
"Nyaya 2" for violin with fp. (1975)
sextet "Seven Doors of the Unknown" (1976)
octet "The Wonderful World of Yakov Hnizdovskyi" (1979)
quartet for electronic instruments "Road to Aurora" (1981)
Divertisment (for flute, organ, harpsichord, cello, 1965)
For piano:
5 sonatas (1969—1980)
"Aphorisms" for piano, quartet for electronic instruments (1978)
"Tubal", "Constructor"
sonata for 2 F-no (1970-1972)
Solos:
"Songs of Love" (own, 1980)
"Hello, Ukraine, to you!"
Music for theatrical performances
"On the ruins" by Lesya Ukrainka
Music for movies
"History of tools". Series Documentary Short (Soundtrack) (1964)
"Fernand Léger and his Museum of Biotes" (1966)
" Plain of Vivivouioui." Drama. (1970)
"Dry time". Short film. (1970)
"Sheep in the forest". Feature film. (1971).
"Decalcification". Short film. (1973)
"Allegory". Feature film. (1975).
Roles in movies
Mr. Chufleuri in Offenbach's Folly. TV series. (1977)
