Recordings

Available for purchase at https://bowsforstrings.com/products/ postcards-from-ukraine-vol-1-cd-violin-miniatures

"This is indeed a lyrical and terpsichorean disc, presented with authentic-sounding vitality, as well as nuance, by the Ukrainian-Australian Melnychenko" - Jonathan Woolf, Music Web International (England)

"...Impeccable recording ... (Melnychenko) interprets the 17 movements with great creative power, a will for expressivity, and the technical precision and ability to execute them. He imbues each piece with a distinctive charm, so that the range of compositional approaches becomes effortlessly clear." Uwe Krusch, Pizzicato (Luxembourg)

"Superbly performed and recorded" - Steve Moffatt, Limelight Magazine (Australia)

"Melnychenko is an ideal protagonist for these heartfelt works from his homeland, combining his extraordinary bravura technique with elegance, alternately sparkling and soulful." - Mary Nemet, Stringendo Magazine (Australia)

Ukrainian classical music is not even two centuries old, and for most of that time has had to contend with active attempts at suppression by a hostile neighbour. But Ukrainian composers have stood their ground, not least by taking inspiration from the folk-music that has long thrived in Ukraine's mountains and fields. In this first of a series of Postcards from Ukraine the Ukrainian-Australian violinist Markiyan Melnychenko presents a programme of largely unknown miniatures for violin and piano, all based on, or inspired by, that folk-culture. Alternately sparkling and soulful, these violin showpieces make the case for a more thorough examination of the riches still to be discovered in Ukraine's musical heritage.

Coming soon! Release date – October 3rd, 2025 https://toccataclassics.com/product/postcards-from-ukraine-volume-two-chamber-music/

The first album of Postcards from Ukraine gave a potted history of Ukrainian music in the form of a series of miniatures for piano and violin. In this second instalment four representative chamber works demonstrate how quickly music in Ukraine developed its own identity – although all four composers here had to contend with repression by the authoritarian regime to the north. One of them, Vasyl Barvinsky, even spent ten years in the Gulag, with his manuscripts destroyed by the Soviet authorities. Upon his release, unbowed, he set about reconstructing those lost scores, though he died before he could complete the task. His glorious A minor Piano Trio gives an indication of what was nearly lost – and how much remains to be discovered.

Available for purchase at https://naxos.lnk.to/8574028Na!product_page

"Gorgeously played" - Stephanie Boyd, American Record Guide (USA)

"Magnificent playing" Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine (USA)

"The performances could not be bettered" Phillip Scott, Limelight Magazine (Australia)

Douglas Weiland has long been acclaimed as one of contemporary music’s most outstanding composers for the string quartet medium, and his evolving cycle has won much admiration. Composed between 2011 and 2012 the Fourth and Fifth Quartets show him at the height of his artistic powers, where he seeks connections across time, and shows a Classical commitment to form, invention and melodic beauty. His conceptions can be Schubertian in scale and scope, while also displaying the influence of Haydn and Bartók.

Available for purchase at https://my.mco.org.au/456/poemscd

“Ebullient ... (Melnychenko's) bravura comes into play” – Greg Keane, Limelight Magazine (Australia)

MCO’s first ever CD release, Poems & Romances, features music by Beethoven, Chausson & Shostakovich, in string orchestra arrangements by Keith Crellin. Ukrainian-Australian violinist Markiyan Melnychenko and former MCO Artistic Director William Hennessy showcase their flair as soloists.

Available for purchase at https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8782126--bushfire-dreams-australian-string-quartets

"This album showcases ... the superlative abilities of the players ... an impressive calling card" - Vincent Plush, Weekend Australian (Australia)

If you doubted that the string quartet is alive and well in Australia, this CD should reassure you. Four marvellous works by Melbourne composers are presented here in superb performances by the Ormond Quartet, resident at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music between 2016 and 2018. Lotte Betts-Dean joins the quartet for the performance of Katy Abbott’s work. Listening to this fascinating music you’ll be wondering why it is not more often heard, and not more often recorded.