Yevhen Stankovych’s “The Vikings” Suite
Notes by TŌN violist Casey Lebkicker
Yevhen Stankovych is a Ukrainian composer born in 1942. He attended the Kyiv Conservatory from 1965 to 1970, where he studied composition under Borys Liatoshynsky, whose third symphony TŌN performed at Carnegie Hall this past October. Stankovych wrote 12 symphonies, five ballets, a folk opera, instrumental concertos, film scores, and chamber music.
Stankovych’s ballet The Vikings (1999) begins on the North Sea in Norway, where people are celebrating the arrival of spring by singing and dancing. While I first thought this was another Disney Princess setting (Frozen with Anna and Elsa), it deviates away from an evil prince trying to come and steal the beautiful princess away. Instead, the courageous Viking yearns to conquer new lands and territories. Because all good stories have memorable songs, the Vikings set off on their journey and break into song: “We are the Vikings!” They arrive in Kyiv and are not greeted with friendly citizens, but rather Ruthenian warriors pressuring the Vikings into battle. A daughter of Grand Duke Yaroslav, Elisabeth, comes to separate the parties, and the Viking Harald becomes instantly entranced by her. The Vikings are then welcomed as honorable guests. Harald asks for Elisabeth’s hand in marriage, but her parents say she is too young for marriage and send Harald to conquer the kingdom in order to earn the right to marry their daughter. As Harald embarks on another journey, Elisabeth waits for him, but grows uncertain of his return to Kyiv. After her 22nd birthday, many foreign kings and princes compete for her hand in marriage, but she still remains loyal to Harald. After Harald’s return from Byzantine, they receive a blessing for their marriage and start their life together in Oslo.
The orchestral suite consists of five parts: Spring Dance; Monastery; Attack; Elisabeth, the groom, Harald; and a Finale. Stankovych stated that his ballet was not just about war, but also about love. Whether it is dancing, the midst of a heroic battle, or the love story between the prince and princess, the suite takes the audience through the many different emotions and scenes from the ballet, as each instrument evokes a specific character.