Miroslav Skorik is a notorious musicologist and composer native to Ukraine. Skorik made a huge contribution to the development of both domestic and world art. For his achievements, he was awarded a lot of prestigious prizes. Want to learn more about the work and life of this composer? Welcome to this article!
Miroslav Skorik. Biography
The future composer was born in Lviv on July 13, 1938. Miroslav comes from an intelligent family. His parents were educated at the University of Vienna, and Skorik himself is the grand-nephew of the legendary Ukrainian singer Solomiya Krushelnytska. Myroslav's elder brother was a member of the Galicia division during World War II. At the end of the war, he managed to emigrate to Australia.
Miroslav began to get involved in music from childhood. Parents supported the initiative of the child, and in 1945 the boy began his music studies at a local school with a musical bias. Even then, Miroslav began to create piano compositions, which included both Ukrainian and Russian musicians in their repertoire. Achievements in terms of music were highly appreciated by the famous composer Dmitry Shostakovich. Miroslav Skorik keeps his letter in his personal archive to this day.
Link to Siberia
Nevertheless, Miroslav studied at a music school for only two years. Indeed, in 1947, the Skorik family, like most of the Ukrainian intelligentsia at that time, was repressed. They spent the next eight years in Siberia.
Homecoming
The Skorikov family was able to return to their homeland only during the Khrushchev thaw. Two years after the death of Joseph Stalin, Miroslav and his parents moved to Lviv. There, the young composer entered the Lviv State Conservatory (now the Lviv National Music Academy named after Nikolai Vitalyevich Lysenko). Miroslav studied during the 1955-1960s under the leadership of Stanislav Lyudkevich (the legendary Ukrainian musicologist and composer). After graduating from the Lviv Conservatory in 1960, Miroslav moved to Moscow. There, a brilliant composer continues his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. Skorik for four years studying under the wing of Dmitry Kabalevsky (a famous musical figure). In 1964, Miroslav successfully defended his thesis on "Features of the music of Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev." Thanks to this work, he received the degree of candidate of art history.
Further activities
During the 1966-1980s, Skorik Miroslav Mikhailovich taught composition at the prestigious Kiev Conservatory. Then the talented composer left the country: for a long time he worked in the United States of America, and in 1996 Skorik moved to Austria. In the late 90s, Miroslav returned to his homeland. In 1999, Skorik received the post of head of department at the Petr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (NMAU). Since 2002, Miroslav Skorik has become famous as the artistic director of the KievMusicFest music festival (organized by the Union of Composers). In 2005, the composer was invited to the popular Ukrainian music competition Chervona Ruta as a member of the jury. During 2006-2010, Skorik was one of the leaders of the NSKU (National Union of Composers of Ukraine). And in April 2011, the composer received the post of artistic director of the Kiev Opera.
Music of Miroslav Skorik
The influence of Miroslav Skorik on the development of music in Ukraine is difficult to overestimate. The fame of the composer dates back to the 60s of the last century. Then it was Skorik who first introduced the rhythms of jazz and rock into Ukrainian music. In addition to serious music, cantatas and major concerts, which are now being studied in all music schools of the country, Miroslav wrote soundtracks for domestic films. The composer's most famous work is music for a cult film called "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", which is based on the story of the famous Ukrainian writer Mikhail Kotsyubinsky. In addition, Skorik is known as the author of the soundtrack for the film adaptations of “The Stone Cross” by Vasily Stefanik and “Princess” by Lesya Ukrainka. As Miroslav himself admitted, he still writes songs to this day.
Also, thanks to this composer, operas such as “Kupalo” by A. Vakhnyanin, “Roksolyan” by Denis Sichinsky, “Youth Symphony” by Nikolai Lisenok and so on saw the light of the stage. That is, Skorik Miroslav Mikhailovich had a huge impact not only on music, but also on art in Ukraine as a whole. The latest achievement of the legendary composer at the moment is an opera based on the poem by Ivan Franko "Moses". The new brainchild of Skorik has become one of the most significant events in the cultural life of Ukraine over the past few years. Both the critics and ordinary viewers were delighted with this opera.