musica Dei donum
Concert reviews
"A Ukrainian Christmas"
Partes Ensemble/Nataliia Khmilevska
concert: Dec 17, 2025, Almere, Goede Rede
anon (18th C):
Pryblyzhaietsia dushe konets (The end of my soul is near);
Pryidite, liudiie (Come here, people);
Side Adam priamo Raya (Adam sat before the gates of Eden);
Maksym BEREZOVSKYI (1745-1777):
Da voskresnet Boh (Let God arise);
Ne otverzhy mene vo vremia starosty (Do not cast me off in the time of old age);
Slava vo vyshnih Bohu (Glory to God in the highest);
Mykola DYLETSKY (fl 1675-c1681):
Raduisia, prechystaia Divo Maty (Rejoice, most pure Virgin Mary);
Tilo Khrystovo prymite (Receive the Body of Christ);
Tsariu nebesny (The Lord of Heaven);
Andriy RACHYNSKY (1728-c1800):
Ne otverzhy mene vo vremia starosty (Do not cast me off in the time of old age)
Olesia Liuba, Hanna Pavlushenko, Anna Dvorytska, soprano;
Anna Gadetska, Oleksandra Stetsiuk, Olena Tsygankova, contralto;
Taras Kushnir, alto;
Sergii Vida, Denys Sahirov, tenor;
Andrii Latai, baritone;
Kostiantyn Lenchyk, Ivan Yarema, bass
If about thirty years ago people from European countries had been asked, whether Ukraine was part of Europe, many probably would have said "no", or would not have been able to give a straight answer. Ironically, it is partly Russia's war against Ukraine which has convinced many that Ukraine is indeed part of Europe, and its culture is part of European culture. Although Ukrainian musicians are active in researching and performing music of their own musical heritage, the results have largely escaped the attention of music lovers from Europe at large. For most of the audiences who attended a series of four concerts in the Netherlands by the Partes Ensemble, the repertoire and its style may have been entirely unknown, and that includes me.
The name of the ensemble is derived from the term used to describe the style. Partesny singing refers to a style that is based on the Western system of harmony and counterpoint which arose in the late 16th century in Ukraine. This was allowed by the patriarch of Constantinople, but only under the condition that no instruments would be used.
A leading theorist and composer of the 17th century, Mykola Diletsky, who also figured in the concert, distinguished two types of polyphony in partesny singing: 'natural' (prostoyestestvennoye), in which all the voices sing continuously and pronounce the words simultaneously, and 'concerted' (boritel'noye or kontsertovoye), in which different groups of voices or different choirs sing in alternation and the imitative treatment of motives causes the text to be pronounced at different times. Examples of these two styles were demonstrated in this concert.
The texts of the pieces in the programme may not have been associated with Christmas by the audience. According to the programme notes of the ensemble, "in Ukrainian tradition, this feast is more than just a celebration of Christ's birth: it is a symbol of light, hope and renewal." This was reflected in the variety of subjects, and also the variation in the way the texts were set.
The programme started with a polychoral work: Pryidite, liudiie by an anonymous composer. It is an incitement to worship the Trinity. Musical motifs moved from one side to the other as a kind of wave, with contrasts between soli and tutti and between high and low voices.
The above-mentioned Diletsky was represented with three works. Tsariu nebesny is based on consonants, which is clearly inspired by the text: a prayer to the Holy Spirit, which also lauds his virtues. It is a typical example of 'natural' polyphony. Raduisia, prechystaia Divo Maty, sung by solo voices, attests to the veneration of Mary in the churches of the East, not unlike that in the Catholic Church of the West. It has traits of the excitement she causes among the faithful; hence the frequent repetitions. This piece is mostly homorhythmic and partly homophonic. Tilo Khrystovo prymite is about the Eucharist: "Receive the body of Christ, and taste the spring of eternal life". It closes with a repeated Alleluja, alternating between the two choirs, which join at the end.
Especially interesting was the comparison between two settings of the same text, from Psalm 71: "Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, 'God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him'. O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life". The first was from the pen of Andriy Rachynsky; from 1753 he was a court chapel master of Hetman Kyrylo Razumovsky, where he introduced the Italian style. His setting of these verses from Psalm 71 attests to that: it is for solo voices which sing partly in alternation. The parts include quite some coloratura. It ends abruptly.
The other setting is by Maksym Berezovsky, who in his youth sang in operas, and was a pupil of Baldassare Galuppi, who at the time was in St Petersburg. He was sent to Italy to further his education and was the first Slav composer who wrote an Italian opera. After his return to St Petersburg he did not get a prominent position, apparently partly due to Catherine the Great's antipathy towards Ukrainian-born musicians ("little Russian" - what's new?). Listening to his setting of the text the operatic traits are clear: they come to the fore in the contrasts between the voice groups (low vs high), declamatory episodes and dynamic outbursts, especially in the latter part of the text. The work closes with a fugue. Very different is Slava vo vyshnih Bohu (Glory to God in the highest), the most direct reference to Christ's birth. The excitement about that event is expressed through repetitions. The text is given maximum attention in that this setting is largely homorhythmic.
The anonymous Pryblyzhaietsia dushe konets was performed by solo voices, which lended it a strong amount of intimacy, which fitted the text, opening with the words: "The end of my soul is near". Repetitions were used to emphasize parts of the text. The disturbing elements in the text were illustrated by short exclamations. Side Adam priamo Raya is about Adam, lamenting the effects of the Fall, opening - as one may expect - with the low voices. In the course of the piece low and high voices consistently alternate.
The concert ended with another piece by Berezovsky: Da voskresnet Boh - Let God arise. It is a setting of verses from Psalm 68, which praises God's power and his care for his people. It is a mostly jubilant piece, and ends gloriously with a fugue.
The Partes Ensemble has performed at the Festival Early Music Utrecht in 2023, but I did not attend that concert. For me this was the first acquaintance with the repertoire and the ensemble, and it was a most impressive one. The music that was performed certainly made a strong impression. It mixes Eastern Orthodox tradition and Western, especially Italian, influences, which makes it quite unique. It is a very valuable, but still little-known part of European culture. It is to be hoped that it will become better-known, and the performances by the Partes Ensemble are the perfect way to achieve that. It is an excellent ensemble with fine voices, singing with great commitment, under the engaging direction of Nataliia Khmilevska. There was a good balance between the various voice groups, and in the pieces for solo voices, one could admire the individual qualities of the singers. The acoustic was not that favourable; a more spatial environment would have been better. Even so, this was a memorable event, and I hope to see and hear the Partes Ensemble again in the years to come.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)