The Balliol College Music Society brings you a recital from the world-class Ukrainian pianist Lubomyr Melnyk, in Europe's oldest purpose-built concert hall, as he returns to England for another concert series: most notably, he filled the Barbican Theatre in London in 2023. One of the most remarkable pianists in history, Lubomyr creates music which is immersive and transporting. As he channels phenomenal energies and speeds in unbroken yet dynamic pieces, the typical audience is thunderstruck by his stamina and is swept up in the glistening sound, not understanding that for him, the playing is joyful and as easy as breathing. Often described as "transcendental", Lubomyr prefers to think of his music instead as the "operatic voice for the piano" as his great calmness allows him to maintain a multitude of songs over and under the flow of the piece, a calm which extends to an incredible feeling of freedom: the open-minded listener is able to join him in the eye of the storm. That calmness is even found notable when his students give amateur performances. What was initially an attempt to bring the burgeoning minimalist, ambient sound and the Indian classical virtuosity to the Western classical tradition soon became an entirely new genre and world of sound, when Lubomyr left the Canadian conservatoires in the early '70s to work in Paris. Lubomyr's pioneering "continuous music" is both a new physical and mental technique, orthogonal to those of the classical traditions, and a philosophy of piano music and performance. His incredible power creates a sound which is tangible, often sounding like three or four pianos at once, or not like a piano at all. His range of touches - from the impossible liquidity to the raw hurricane in "Windmills", his greatest piece - is made possible by a profound mental state, above anything physical, and he attributes the spiritual force of his playing to his Ukrainian heritage. Lubomyr always has the wind in his sails yet exercises exquisite control over his energy. The organiser and Lubomyr extends their thanks to: Balliol College and the Balliol Society for their openness, support of this music and for their funding; to the volunteers and members of the Ukrainian communities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Exeter for their fighting spirit, friendliness, and for their advertisement and support of this music; to Wadham College, the Holywell Music Room and the organisers of the Oxford Coffee Concerts for their wonderful venue, financial support, and for their help with logistics and advertising.