The famous patient Sergei Pankeev in Andrii Malinich's chamber opera "Wolf Man". The libretto is based on Freud's scientific research
In performance Wolf Man performer in a white outfit with a veil and white gloves, her face painted with black and white makeup. In the background, another figure in a similar costume is visible, holding a bell. The stage is lit with cold blue-violet light, creating a mystical and theatrical atmosphere.
A moment from Malinić's performance "Wolf Man": a woman with her face completely painted in black sits at a piano in dark clothing. She plays the instrument in a deep voice, leaning over the keys.
Five white wolves lead their song and dance in the Wolf Man performance
A scene from Malinich's performance "Wolf Man": a musician with a blackened face plays the cello in a semi-dark space flooded with blue-violet light. He is focused on playing, holding the instrument. Framed paintings and music notes on a music stand are visible in the background, and on the right is the part of another musician's double bass.

Andrii Malinich
Wolf Man

Odesa
Music theatre
2023
Creation year:
2023
Presentation place:
Odesa
Duration:
20 minutes
Video documentation:
Project team:

Soprano Antonina Levenchynska, Daria Husak, Anastasia Buinytska, Lyubov Bondarenko

Tenor Yevhen Silnytskyi 

Violin Khrystyna Shevchenko, Anton Tkachenko, Anna Subbota 

Viola Sofia Tyshchenko, Dmytro Kukovyakin

Cello Mykhailo Bezchastnov

Double bass Viktor Glushenko, Kyryl Kukhar 

Piano Irma Hotkova 

About the project

“Wolf Man” by Andrii Malinich

Andrii Malinich presents a chamber opera about the history of the Pankeev family. They conducted cultural and educational activities in the south of Ukraine, were engaged in publishing, and had a good reputation among artists who visited their estate.

Sergei Pankeev is a famous patient of Sigmund Freud, nicknamed “The Wolf Man,” who suffered from a certain neurosis from childhood, because of which he dreamed of five white wolves. Throughout his long life, Sergei experienced the tragic deaths of loved ones, revolution and wars, and appears as a “person who survived and lived.”

The libretto is based on Freud’s scientific research, local studies by local historians, memoirs of Sergei Pankeev, the poetry of Anna Pankeeva, Sergei’s sister, and the author’s text. The opera “The Wolf Man” is considered a dilogy. The first part is about how Sergei, a young man from a wealthy, educated family, develops a unique mental disorder. The second part is about his period of life in Vienna, Sigmund Freud, and Sergei’s future love. Most of the opera’s scenes are painful visions or memories “through the eyes” of Sergei, altered or distorted in his reality.

About the author
portrait Andrii Malinich is a composer and vocalist
Photo by Olexandra Afanasyeva

Andrii Malinich is a composer and vocalist. He is a soloist, accompanist, and arranger in the Renaissance Ensemble of Soloists of the D. Oistrakh Odessa Regional Philharmonic, and a soloist and orchestrator of the O. Salik Odessa Municipal Theater. He is a laureate of international competitions: “Free Style Wettbewerb” (Bern, Switzerland), “Ludowo na nowo” (Limanova, Poland), the Revutsky Composers’ Competition (Chernihiv, Ukraine), and the I. Karabits Composers’ Competition (Ukraine). He is the author of the opera “Piero and Beauty” based on the poetry of C. Baudelaire and P. Verlaine, the symphonic fantasy “Fantasia fresca,” the “Symphony of Prayers” for symphony orchestra and choir, and chamber works.

Presentations
  • The presentation took place on January 10, 2024, at the Odessa Art Museum.
Videodocumentation
Credits

Production proto produkciia
Lead producer Olga Diatel
Executive producer Volodymyr Burkovets
Associate Producers Yuliia Parysh, Alona Odarenko, Iryna Onishchuk
Assistant Nata Zelenska
Communication Olga Diatel, Yuliia Parysh
Media coordination Kateryna Lukiashko
Copywriting Stanislav Vrublevskyi
Design of posters Yaroslava Kovalchuk
Photo Ivan Strakhov
Financial management Volodymyr Burkovets, Anna Kyryliuk

Supported by

The work was implemented by Proto Produkciia Foundation within the framework of the program Cultural Bridges: support of cultural figures from Southern regions of Ukraine, implemented by Insha Osvita with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI).

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