Kharkiv City Theatre of Folk Music “Oberehy” and its concept of reproducing the traditional culture of Ukraine

Statement of the problem. Against the background of the complex current political situation in the country, which has resulted in an aggravation of the problem of cultural and national self-identification of Ukrainians, it seems appropriate to turn to the creative and educational activities of the leading nationally oriented team of the Kharkiv region and Ukraine – the City Theatre of Folk Music “Oberehy”. “Oberehy” repeatedly came into the field of view of musicologists (V. Osypenko, L. Shapovalova, O. Verba, O. Shyshkina), but their appeal to the theatre’s activities always had a fragmentary, aspectual approach, determined by the sphere of their scientific interests and professional activities. The object of analysis was the folklore direction of the team’s activities and the compositional legacy of its leader Yurii Alzhniev, mainly choral compositions, not related to the theatre’s repertoire. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to analyse the role of the creative activity of Kharkiv City Folk Music Theatre “Oberehy” (1992–2019) as a mission focussed on the stage reconstruction of the forms of traditional folk song and instrumental culture. For the first time, the creative activity of Kharkiv City Folk Music Theatre “Oberehy” has been comprehensively analysed and evaluated in the context of the musical culture of Ukraine. The study uses historical, systemic and activity, as well as phenomenological research methods. Research results. In the 70s and 80s of the 20th century, the folk-dance ensemble “Burevisnyk” of the Palace of Culture of Kharkiv Tractor Plant became a platform, where the prerequisites for the creation of the Folk Music Theatre “Oberehy” were formed. The Ukrainian folk music orchestra was founded, which had no analogues in terms of instrumental composition in the Slobozhanshchyna region, and Yu. Alzhniev’s professional development as a creative director of the highest level took place. The folk music theatre “Oberehy” was founded in October 1992 with the aim of reviving the traditional culture of Ukraine and promoting the song and musical legacy of our people. The composer Yu. Alzhniev was appointed as the director. The artistic composition of the team included musicians-orchestra members, soloists-vocalists and folklorists, who created the multidimensional structure of “Oberehy”. The theatre’s repertoire included samples of authentic song tradition, arrangements and processing of folk songs, songs based on poetry by Ukrainian authors, large-scale musical and theatrical scenes, instrumental compositions for the orchestra created on Ukrainian themes and those based on the melodies of other ethnic communities of Ukraine. All performances of the team, without exception, were free of charge, and the content of the work was related to the presentation and spreading of the national song and musical legacy. Conclusion. The strategy of the creative activity of the theatre “Oberehy” is the preservation, reproduction and promotion of the traditional song and music culture of the Ukrainian people. The multi-component structure of the team provides for intermediate interaction various types and forms of stage reconstruction of traditional culture. The main direction of the folk music theatre’s work for the period 1992–2019 was education. A significant role in the process of general recognition of the City Folk Music Theatre was played by the unique repertoire, created single-handedly by composer Yurii Alzhniev in various performance genres. The system-activity approach implemented by Yu. Alzhniev together with his artistic team implemented the concept of the activity of the Theatre of Folk Music “Oberehy” at the level of a state mission to preserve and reconstruct the national legacy.