Composer, Pianist, Innovator, and my favourite, ‘the Prophet of the Piano’ are all esteemed descriptions attributed to Ukrainian born, Lubomyr Melnyk. During the 1970’s Lubomyr Melnyk revolutionised the pianistic world by inventing a musical language entitled, ‘continuous music’. From this incredible feat he set two world records; the fastest pianist in the world and the most number of notes in one hour. Not exactly a household name, Lubomyr’s devotion to the piano is one of utter purity and without monetary or celebrity desire. Those lucky enough to have watched him perform live speak of only awe at his mastery and the sublime, transcendent music he produces.
Greg Hummel, the engineer in charge of Backlight Sessions invited Lubomyr Melnyk to Resisdent Studios in London to perform a 21-minute rendition of ‘Butterfly’ from his album ‘Evertina’. Lubomyr’s performance could be described as nothing less than a work of art. Through unwavering talent, the pianist weaves a musical tapestry that explores the darkest depths and the highest peaks of human existence. The performance begins with a feeling of melancholic hope; the harmonies created have this reflectiveness of youth, of days long gone, memories cherished and sore.
As an incredible display of Lubomyr’s speed and dexterity, there is a six-minute segment of rapid pace and intensity which builds and builds and finally crashes into a calm of chime-sounding chords. For the last part of the performance the tempo is raised again for an awesome five minutes of which the magnitude of his skill is truly exposed. The hairs on my arm remain risen from having the pleasure to watch this masterpiece unfold, a true cathartic experience made possible for everyone by the Backlight Sessions.
Of his own request, Lubomyr Melnyk wishes that anyone who seeks to support his work give a donation to help civilians caught in the invasion of Ukraine here: https://mirco.com.ua/en/index.html
-About The Author-
Jennifer Burke is a London based script writer who creates satirical and real life dramas perfectly suited for television and the stage. She has honed her writing over the years forging features for Whytt Magazine and concentrating on her own written projects. Jennifer and Kevin met at a writing workshop spearheaded by poet Nathaniel Joseph Mcauley at The Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith in February 2022. Jennifer is now in charge of The Sound Sniffer’s submissions inbox and creates a weekly round-up of her favourite finds + more.
– About ‘The Sound Sniffer’ –
The Sound Sniffer is a music blog that’s still only a baby – Founded in early 2019 by Kevin Coakley, a music writer and ghostwriter. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists found in the blog’s submission inbox.
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