Should you go to "Skoryk in Jazz"? Absolutely, if you want a lively, ironic, and very free evening where classical music jams, and jazz sounds like a folk idiom — this is the event that changes the perception of academic musical seriousness. The concert will take place on July 13, 2026, at 19:00 in the Lyudkevych Concert Hall of the Lviv National Philharmonic (7 Chaykovskoho Street), lasting about 2.5 hours (until 21:30), performed in Ukrainian and English jazz traditions, and will appeal to those looking for a light mood, irony, cinematic imagery, and freedom in music — especially if you love Skoryk but want to see him from an unexpected, "restaurant" side.
About the Event
This is a grand classical performance that combines five jazz pieces by Myroslav Skoryk for piano, a suite of extravagant dances, as well as jazz paraphrases of works by Beethoven and Chopin — performed in four hands by two pianos, in Italian, English, and Ukrainian jazz traditions, without subtitles, but the plot is easy to understand even for beginners, as each piece is a separate mood sketch. The program starts with the cycle "Five Jazz Pieces" ("Pleasant Walk", "Obsessive Motif", "Caprice", "Patterns", "In Folk Style"), followed by "Four Jazz Paraphrases of Classical Music" ("Moonlight Sonata", "Appassionata", mazurka in A minor, "For Elise"), and concludes with "Three Extravagant Dances" ("In Spanish-Moorish Style", "Sad Blues", "Can-Can as if from an Old Gramophone Record"). This is not just a concert, but a musical journey through a world where Skoryk does not imitate jazz but enters it naturally, like a folk idiom.
Plot and Mood
The story of the evening is not a linear plot but an emotional tone that shifts from light humor to cinematic irony: each piece is a separate mood sketch, and the whole cycle is a musical journey where the classical cancan transforms into a gramophone illusion, and the "Moonlight Sonata" becomes a jazz paraphrase. The emotional tone is light, ironic, cinematic, with elements of restaurant freedom and cinematic imagery. Key scenes:
- "Pleasant Walk" — a light, lyrical sketch, like a morning stroll.
- "Obsessive Motif" — an ironic, repetitive motif that "gets stuck" in your head.
- "Moonlight Sonata" — the first part of the jazz paraphrase of Beethoven, where classical music transforms into the rhythmic system of jazz.
- "Can-Can as if from an Old Gramophone Record" — a cinematic dimension where you hear not the dance itself, but its old crackling recording.
Performance
Performers — Oksana Rapita and Myroslav Dragan, two pianos working in four hands, without an orchestra, without a conductor, without a director — this is an instrumental concert where the music lives only in their hands, and the visual style is minimalist, focusing on the pianos and their interaction. This is not just a concert, but a musical journey where Skoryk does not imitate jazz but enters it naturally, like a folk idiom. The philharmonic, which has borne Skoryk's name since 2020, returns to the concert hall on his birthday that part of his legacy that always stays a bit aside from academic seriousness — but it is here that it is clearest to see how freely this composer dealt with the material, his own and others'.
How to Get There, Duration, and Intermissions
The Lyudkevych Concert Hall is located in the center of Lviv, at 7 Chaykovskoho Street, about 10 minutes from the center, 5 minutes from the "Ratushna Square" metro station, 15 minutes from the bus station. The concert duration is about 2.5 hours (until 21:30), without intermissions, as this is an instrumental concert where the music lives only in the performers' hands. If you want to go, arrive by 18:45 to not miss the start.
Prices and Who It's For
Tickets for the concert start at 220 hryvnias, and the maximum price is 450 hryvnias, which is very affordable for Lviv. It's perfect for a date, for friends, for family — it won't be boring, as the music is lively, ironic, cinematic, with elements of restaurant freedom. If you love Skoryk but want to see him from an unexpected, "restaurant" side — this is the event that changes the perception of academic musical seriousness.
Audience Tips
Come by 18:45 to not miss the start, dress code — informal, you can wear jeans, you can wear a dress, but not in an official suit. During the intermission (if there is one), you can go to the philharmonic café, but since this is an instrumental concert without intermissions, just enjoy the music. If you want to go, arrive by 18:45 to not miss the start.
Do you prefer a daytime show for a calm mood or an evening one with dinner afterward? What is closer to you — light irony or cinematic irony?
