A reflection ahead of the concert: why the music of Myroslav Skoryk — above all his “Melody” — remains a living part of Ukrainian cultural memory.
Memorial evenings exist not only to look back. They remind us that certain music keeps speaking to listeners years after it was written. Such is the legacy of Myroslav Skoryk (1938–2020).
His “Melody in A minor,” first heard in the film “High Pass” (1982), long ago outgrew its cinematic context. Performed in many arrangements, accompanying significant moments of public life and recognisable from its opening bars, its simplicity and sincerity explain why the work grew close to millions.
Alongside the “Melody” stand other pages of the composer’s output — from the Carpathian images of the “Hutsul Triptych” to a lifetime of substantial work. Together they trace a voice deeply rooted in the Ukrainian tradition.
The tribute evening is a chance not only to honour the artist but also to listen, consciously, to music that has become part of a shared cultural memory.
