Larissa Kovalchuk, soprano and bandura
Anna Dove, piano
Wesley Music Centre Forrest May 31
Reviewed by Len Power
Ukrainian musicians, Larissa Kovalchuk, a virtuoso bandura player and soprano, and Anna Dove, pianist, presented a program of Ukrainian classical and traditional pieces as well as works by Puccini, Gershwin and others.
Kovalchuk studied voice, bandura and conducting at Ukraine’s leading Kyiv Conservatorium of Music. In 1993 she was awarded the national laureate in performing arts of Ukraine and soon became one of the nation’s leading performers with international concert performances in France, Germany, Latvia and Estonia.
Since moving to Australia, she has performed widely at festivals, recorded with SBS and the ABC, and has played in concerts with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. She is currently teaching voice and musicianship at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
The informal tone of the concert was set immediately with Kovalchuk’s warm and charming style, humour and interaction with audience members. At one point in the concert, while about to play the bandura (Ukrainian harp) she asked audience members to decide if they wanted to hear a happy or sad piece of Ukrainian music. The vote was for happy and Kovalchuk obliged with a piece of great beauty.
Anna Dove (piano) and Larissa Kovalchuk (bandura)
Anna Dove played a number of solo piano works, both Ukrainian and works by other composers. Her playing of these works was excellent.
This was a delightful concert with many haunting, beautiful pieces of music. Unfortunately, there was no program, and it was not possible to catch the names of the Ukrainian pieces and composers as they were announced from the stage.
Photos by Dalice Trost
This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 1 June 2025.
Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.
