Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Leonard Bernstein visited the once-divided German city and conducted a performance of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” replacing the word “Freude” with “Freiheit” – freedom.
In a reminiscent tribute to that historic concert, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, a touring ensemble formed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, presented Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the suburbs of Berlin on Thursday. For the famous choral finale of “Ode to Joy,” the text was translated to Ukrainian, with the key word being “slava” - glory, as in “Slava Ukrainii”: Glory to Ukraine.
“I am motivated by my passion for Ukraine,” stated the orchestra’s conductor, Keri-Lynn Wilson, on Thursday afternoon before the concert at the garden of Schönhausen Palace. “And my desire to challenge Putin and his regime through culture.”
Surrounding her was a flurry of activity: ushers placing pillows on chairs, sound technicians consulting in a booth, and pink umbrellas being positioned to shield the orchestra from the sun. Comprised of 74 Ukrainian musicians – some still residing in Ukraine, others having fled – the orchestra was about to perform as part of its second summer tour of Europe.
“Russia claims there is no Ukrainian culture, music, or language,” said Anna Bura, a violinist in the orchestra. “They want to erase Ukrainian culture. We want to show people that we exist.”
The program included the second violin concerto by contemporary Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych, concluding with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. While on vacation three weeks ago, Wilson conceived the idea of singing the ”Ode to Joy” in Ukrainian. She collaborated with Mykola Lukas and vocal coach Ivgeniia Iermachkova to create a new singing translation of Friedrich Schiller’s text.
The orchestra’s visit to Berlin coincided with Ukrainian Independence Day. Kyrylo Markiv, a violinist in the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, assisted in rehearsing the Ukrainian Freedom Chorus, which was assembled for the occasion from the Diplomatic Choir of Berlin and other singers. Markiv serves as a first-desk violinist in the Odesa Philharmonic and is also the choirmaster at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, a building that was constructed in the early 19th century, reconstructed between 1999 and 2003, and recently damaged by Russian airstrikes.
On the night the cathedral was bombed, Markiv had left his violin there in preparation for a concert the following day. “My colleagues informed me in a work chat that the building was on fire,” he recalled. “I quickly got dressed and went with my brother, who is a deacon there. We witnessed destroyed cars and fire. Inside the building, I searched for my violin. Everything was destroyed, but my violin was about 80 percent intact.”
Currently, his violin is being repaired by a luthier in Lviv. The attack only strengthened his determination for the tour. “I am proud that we came to showcase our art,” he declared. “These are challenging times for us. We’re…
2023-08-25 10:49:49
Source from www.nytimes.com
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