Moses Pleads With The People
To Follow God-Act I

Costume designer working on Moses costume during dress
rehearsal. Moses is portrayed by Oleksander Hromysh, a bass.

an Egyptian guard, as the shepherd to whom Yehova reveals Himself, and ultimately, as the liberator who leads the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt to the edge of Canaan, after wandering in the desert for 40 years.

Franko chose only the final tragic hours in Moses' life to depict the aging patriarch vainly attempting to lead his nation into the Promised Land which is so near. The 20 "Songs" (episodes) probe the spiritual struggles of "the meekest man on the fact of the earth." Symbols and parables portray his conflicts, self-doubts and overpowering love for his people. In contrast to the Bible, which shows Moses performing miracles and signs, Franko offers instead a perceptive inner portrait of the prophet.

There were no antecedents to Franko's poem, and it was quickly translated into many foreign languages. It is a pity that a work with such deep sincerity and philosophical content is not known more widely.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the poem is that the characters of Yehova, Azazel the demon, Datan, Aviron (Aron) and others may be perceived as the internal voices of one man, Moses. Dialogues either with the divinity or the tempter are essentially conversations within one's own soul. These themes are developed by Franko as "extended moments" of psychological insight. One such powerful moment occurs after Moses once again warns his people

Moses is touching up in the dressing room between the two Acts.

Franko also provides colorful and evocative settings. In the first scene, the wandering Israelites have been sleeping in the same ravine for days on end, as if in suspended animation under the hot desert sun. The stillness in the air is reflected in the spiritual lethargy of the tribes. When Moses is banished from the camp there is a beautiful depiction of the starry night sky. He later climbs up the craggy mountain while "jackals howl and snakes slither." Soon afterwards a terrifying storm fills the heavens.

Clearly, Franko's poem contains many elements to inspire a dramatic musical treatment and it was fascinating to imagine how it could be developed into a stage work. In Lviv and Kharkiv I had conducted several standard operas in

Azazel, the Evil Spirit, performing for the camera behind stage. Azazel is Portrayed by Tenor Oleksiy Danylchuk

Maestro Skoryk told me he had long wished to set Franko's "Moisei" as an oratorio or opera. My first question was: How could a contemporary composer treat an archaic story? Mr. Skoryk replied that he tried to create a "feeling of antiquity." Interestingly, he also colored certain sections of the score with Ukrainian intonations. (This is not so surprising as Franko's poem is itself a synthesis of old Hebraic themes and contemporary expressions.)

Several other composers had also written operas on this subject. Rossini's "Mose in Egitto" (1819) was essentially a traditional Italian opera with some "religious" overtones.Schoenberg's "Moses

The Evil Spirit Azazel Refreshing His Makeup During Intermission. Azazel is depicted by Oleksiy Danylchuk, a tenor.

Lea is relaxing in the dressing room between Acts

But I wondered how Mr. Skoryk approached Franko's verse which although flexible and elastic, still has a consistency in rhyme and metric patterns. This brought to mind one of the great partnerships in opera: Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo de Ponte. Cherubino's aria "Voi che sapete" from "le nozze di Figaro" is a good example. Looking solely at the balanced verses of the Italian text, one could never guess the free-flowing music. How does a composer remain true to the original poetry and yet not get locked into a symmetrical structure?

Maestro Skoryk explained that the text presented some challenges. With his co-librettist, poet Bohdan Stelmach, the composer carefully chose and arranged all the poetry used in the opera. Just as the relatively brief Biblical references served as an inspiration and a point of departure for Franko, so also the poetry was a starting point for the musical

Because of the intimate and static nature of the theme, Maestro Skoryk added a scene with the dance before the golden calf to end the first act. The instrumentation is for standard-sized orchestra, but every effort has been made to have the words clearly understandable. Librettos will be printed, and it is the composer's hope that his opera will inspire wider interest and appreciation for the original poem.

Mr. Skoryk feels a special affinity towards Franko and has set some of his other works to music, including the cantata "Spring" and the ballet "Kameniari" (Stonecutters).

Some of the members of the Moses Opera troupe are ready for Act II

Born in 1938, Maestro Skoryk is one of today's most distinguished musicians and educators. Currently on the faculties of both the Lviv and Kyiv conservatories, he helped nurture an entire generation of composers in Ukraine. Mr. Skoryk himself studied in Lviv with Stanyslav Liudkevych and also in Moscow with Dmitri Kabelevsky.

Some of his notable compositions include the "Carpathian" Concerto for Orchestra, music for the film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors," concertos for piano, violin, and cello, plus numerous vocal and chamber pieces. An indication of his wide interests is the jazz influence in his Second Violin Sonata and other recent works. He has also undertaken revisions of two operas: Anatol Vakhnianyhn's "Kupalo" and Denys Sichynskyi's "Roksoliana".

Musician, educator and composer Myroslav Skoryk