About the concert
Viktor Kosenko was a composer whose creative journey unfolded during a time of intense social, political, and cultural shifts. Having completed his musical education in Warsaw and later in St. Petersburg, Kosenko moved to Zhytomyr to live and work. This decision brought him back to his family while positioning him as a key figure in the city's cultural development. He balanced composing, teaching, performing, and arts management—regularly organizing orchestral and chamber concerts. In the early 1920s, Kosenko formed a piano trio with violinist Vsevolod Skorokhod and cellist Vasyl Kolomoitsev. Within a few years, the trio gave nearly a hundred concerts, performing a broad range of the global repertoire for this ensemble while premiering Kosenko's own chamber compositions, including the two works featured in this program by the NotaBene Chamber Group.
Kosenko dedicated his Cello Sonata to Vasyl Kolomoitsev to mark the 25th anniversary of his musical career. At the end of the manuscript, alongside greetings from friends, the composer inscribed the Latin phrase: "Mathematica est regina scientiarum, musica est regina artium" ("Mathematics is the queen of sciences, music is the queen of arts"), pointing to the harmony between mathematical education and cello performance in his colleague's life.
Kosenko began writing the Classical Trio at the suggestion of his friend Oleksandr Tuhenkhold, an art critic who introduced him to significant works of world visual art. Tuhenkhold passed away suddenly before he could hear the work dedicated to him. In response, Kosenko replaced the third movement with a funeral march and dedicated the Classical Trio to the memory of his friend.
Concert Program
- Viktor Kosenko – Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 10
- Viktor Kosenko – Classical Trio, Op. 17
Performers:
NotaBene Chamber Group:
Andrii Pavlov /violin/
Artem Poludenskyi /cello/
Roman Lopatynskyi /piano/
