Lastivochka

This piece was premiered by Alberto Mesirca at the Groningen Guitar Festival and Competition in 2025, 21 February 2025 in Doopsgezinde Kerk Groningen, Netherlands.

“Lastivochka” is an Ukrainian folk song from the Bukovina region, it means little swallow bird. In Ukrainian folklore, the swallow is a symbol of good fortune, happiness, and the arrival of spring. There’s a belief that if a swallow builds a nest on a house, it brings luck and blessings to the family living there. Harming a swallow or destroying its nest is thought to bring misfortune. For me personally, it all has a dramatic meaning now, when Ukraine’s people are going through a suffering beyond our comprehension. The music is a free-form fantasia based on the folklore theme.