Vitaliy Hubarenko

The Ukrainian composer Vitaliy Hubarenko, born in Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine in 1924, made a name for himself during the course of his long career as a stylistically versatile artist, whose compositions cover many different genres. Apart from several symphonies and chamber symphonies, a Spanish Suite and the “lyrical poem” In modo romantico, he wrote six ballets, including Don Juan (1968), Faith, Love, Hope (1987) and Liebestod (1997). Within Hubarenko’s oeuvre, his more than ten operas hold a central position, beginning with his successful first opera The Destruction of the Squadron, which was followed by Through the Flames (1975) and the lyrical comedy In the Ukrainian Steppe (1987). In his style, Hubarenko combined colourful instrumentation with strong references to socialist realism and a secure feeling for dramatic tension. He died in Kiev in 2000.