A Unique Event in the World of Opera: The First Studio Recording of Bortniansky’s Creonte Released
On August 17, 2026, the first studio recording of Dmytro Bortniansky’s opera Creonte was presented during an open rehearsal.
The recording was made by the independent British classical music label Toccata Classics, while worldwide distribution is handled by Naxos Records, a global leader in classical music distribution.
The album is already available for purchase and streaming on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and others.
“For the first time, a Ukrainian opera has been released as a studio recording on disc”, says Herman Makarenko, author of the project “Returning to the World of Dmytro Bortniansky’s First Opera «Creonte»”. “The work is now accessible to music lovers in countries around the world, which is important for establishing and promoting Ukraine’s cultural heritage internationally”.
The recording was produced under extremely challenging conditions, amid power and heating outages, the wailing of air-raid sirens, and the sounds of explosions. As a result, some passages had to be recorded several times. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian artists successfully completed the project and received high praise from international partners for the quality of the recording.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the team of the L. I. Medved Scientific Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, headed by Professor Mykola Prodanchuk; the entire creative team, including the National Presidential Orchestra of Ukraine and the National Honored Academic Chapel of Ukraine "Dumka"; the talented soloists Olha Fomichova, Serhiy Bortnyk, Danylo Kotok, Stanislav Pashchuk, Margharyta Bilokiz, and Olha Shadrina-Lychak; and the opera’s stage director and conductor, Herman Makarenko, author of the project “Returning to the World of Dmytro Bortniansky’s First Opera «Creonte»”, which is being carried out under the patronage of UNESCO.