Markiw Victor Radoslav. The Life and Solo Piano Works of the Ukrainian Composer Myroslav Skoryk

The Edwin Mellen Press, 2010. — 164 p.In its frequency of occurrence, the theme of the "unjustly neglected artist" approaches the status of cliché and, consequently, becomes a tried and true subject for writers and scholars from all manner of disciplinary orientation. Certainly this unflattering categorization reflects my initial reaction to hearing the name Myroslav Skoryk and the claim for him as one of the most respected and original Ukrainian composers of the latter part of the twentieth century. In the process of coming to know his music, however, the "neglected artist" patina melted away in the wake of his inspiration, technical and compositional craftsmanship, and sheer élan.As a composer, Skoryk invokes a dizzying array of styles and descriptive terms, including: Romantic lyricism; pedagogue and composer of music for children; nose-thumbing Bronx-cheering parodist; virtuoso writing; contrapuntist; pasticheur; Carpathian folk music; jazz and lounge idioms sometimes all in the same piece! Take, for example, the second movement Waltz from Partita No. 5. The outer sections could be an alternate take from Ravel's Valses nobles et sentirnentales: elegant, rich harmonies, well-proportioned phrases, characteristic rhythmic inflections, simple ternary form, etc. But the gnomish staccato trill heading into the middle section leads us down a rabbit hole to Chopinesque octave runs, jazz sequences with Lisztian overtones, a big glitzy show tune a la Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Debussy whole-tone riff, and a children's etude in repeated notes. Throughout Skoryk's piano music, the spirits of Bach (J.S. and P.D.Q.), Prokofiev, Puccini, Chick Corea, Debussy, Ravel, Count Basie, Satie, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Chopin, and a host of others collide with each other in inventive and surprising combinations. Of course, such post-modern stylistic techniques as "polystylism" and "collage" come to mind.Talented author and pianist Victor Radoslav Markiw, whose diverse background makes him ideally suited to guide readers through the most important and representative of Skoryk's works, the music for solo piano, deftly handles the composer's complex artistic idiosyncrasy and even eccentricity. A concert pianist, educator, historian, and analyst, Professor Markiw possesses a depth of knowledge and understanding of Skoryk's piano music, arguably without equal, and certainly has created a Skoryk study unsurpassed amongst writings in English. Beginning with a biographical and stylistic overview, then focusing on a number of representative works demonstrating Skoryk's compositional progression over four decades from 1960 through the 1990s, and concluding with a close reading of the Burlesque, Professor Markiw presents a lucid and detailed exposition of the music. Besides its thorough scholarship and analysis, what sets Professor Markiw's work apart is the access he had to the composer and the subsequent transcriptions compiled through hours of personal interviews.
Skoryk's thoughts on his music, when combined with Professor Marlciw's biographical information, historical and stylistic insights, and expert analytical readings that consider both performance and scholarly perspectives, provide an unusually informative and fascinating view of the composer, accessible to nonspecialists while at the same time providing valuable musical information to performers encountering this music for the first time. With the publication of this splendid study, Professor Markiw has taken an important step in securing Myroslav Skoryk's rightful place in the pantheon of contemporary composers.