The Kiev Symphony Orchestra is among the many Ukrainians who have fled the fear of Russian invasion. Currently residing temporarily in the East German city of Gera, the orchestra is fighting on the vital cultural front lines of the war.
“Good morning, there’s a war going on. Rehearsal has been canceled.” This simple message: Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, Oleksandr Zaitsev, February 24, 2022, in the orchestra group chat.They had been rehearsing the day before for a concert with opera singers. Matthias Goerne It was supposed to happen the next week. During a particularly volatile period since the beginning of the invasion, many members fled Kiev and Ukraine, and the orchestra subsequently submitted a request to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine to go abroad as a whole. Military targets were under Russian attack, but so was Ukrainian life and culture. The war’s “cultural front” and the fight for the survival of Ukrainian culture were attracting attention across the country. Ukraine was determined to show the world the diversity and greatness of its culture and to avoid being influenced by Russian aggression.
“Our art, our music is our weapon”
The ministry responded to the band’s request and said that if the band invites them, they can travel overseas.This came to me through an artist agency KD Schmidt From Germany.In just three weeks, they voice of ukraine A concert tour that took the orchestra throughout Germany. “I started calling musicians and asking them to join me on tour,” Zaitsev recalls. “But some of them had already entered the occupied territory. Some of them were so shocked that they did not even pick up their instruments.” It was difficult to get everyone together because we didn’t want to leave our children or pets behind. A total of 130 people, including families, participated in the tour. The first joint stop outside the country was National Philharmonic Orchestra In Warsaw, Poland, the orchestra was able to practice before the tour. On April 21, the orchestra held the opening concert of the tour here before heading to Germany via the Polish city of Lodz.
Orchestra practicing accompaniment for classic movies nosferatu With conductor Vitaly Protasov © Jacob Queißner
When the tour ended in June, the group began looking for a long-term place to live and practice, as temporary accommodation was no longer available and the orchestra’s rehearsal space in Kiev was no longer available. It was discovered in the German city of Gera. German Parliament Vice-President Katrin Göring-Eckert helped facilitate this and invited the orchestra to the Bundestag to learn about the situation. As a Thuringian, she recalled the eastern Thuringian city of Gera, which had previously shown solidarity with Ukraine, and in an exchange with its mayor, Julian Vonnarb, asked if there would be a place where the entire orchestra could stay and rehearse. found. The current accommodation is tone hare It is located in the city center of Gera and is also used as a theater. Altenburg – Gera And that Gera Youth Councilamong others.
“Gera is a wonderful place to live. It has become a second home for the orchestra.”
An additional advantage of this location was the high availability of apartments in Gera. Since the end of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the city has had to struggle with the migration of many people. In this case, however, the resulting empty seats were an advantage, making it easier to accommodate the orchestra and entourage. The town of 96,000 people is well known for its international athletes, including painters Otto Dix, Olaf Ludwig, Hank Kupfernagel and Heike Drexler, and was once one of Germany’s wealthiest cities. He was one. “Gera is a beautiful and peaceful city,” Zaitsev said, adding that the orchestra likes it here despite being far from home. “It’s very comfortable for us.” Cellist Vasyl Yurchak, like everyone in the orchestra, is very grateful to Gera.
“It’s very comfortable for us.” Cellists Vasil Yurchak and Daria Ziadevich © Jacob Queißner
But not everything in Gera is so fun. Every Monday, demonstrations pass right by Tonhalle, a city where eastern uranium was mined for the Soviet Union during the East German era. It is led by far-right movements and is directed against many issues, but primarily against the government. They carry old German Empire flags, Russian flags, and sometimes wear President Putin’s shirts. “To be honest, I was annoyed when I saw it for the first time,” says cellist Daria Ziadevich, who, like the rest of the orchestra, doesn’t understand this. In general, she feels a “post-Soviet atmosphere” in Gera. “It hurts a lot,” reveals violinist Tetiana Bari. “In my opinion, democracy cannot justify support for murder, destruction of cities, rape and torture and all the horrible acts that the Russians do, because this already supports their crimes. Resistance to this movement in Gera started small. Initially, there were protests by democracy movements, but the protests subsided after the war began. Since then, only a handful of acts have been performed, including demonstrations set to circus music. In February, a video of the act went viral on social media. Zaitsev, on the other hand, ignores them. “Let’s do more good to make less room for bad,” he thinks. “Our art, our music is our weapon.”
Zaitsev found that Ukrainian music was comparable to other European music. In addition to familiar composers such as Beethoven, Mahler and Verdi, we increasingly perform works by Ukrainian composers such as Miroslav Skolik, Evhen Stankovych, Boris Lyatoshinsky and Levko Levutski. They wanted to show that Ukrainian classical music is an integral part of European culture, and many performances brought people closer to the orchestra and wanted to know more. “By playing Ukrainian music, we can tell people about Ukraine,” says Varley, summarizing the orchestra’s mission. She hasn’t been with the orchestra long, and neither has her husband, who is employed as a sound engineer. The war made them realize once again the importance of their work. Every day I receive bad news from home. “Our life as musicians here is better now, but our spiritual life will always be in Ukraine,” Barley explains. Her colleague Dziadewicz summarizes their situation as follows: “We can’t be distracted. We have to play.”
The same view from the Tonhalle window every Monday: right-wing demonstrators carrying Russian flags © Jacob Queißner
The war and the relocation of the orchestra gave the musicians a new sense of purpose. “Since the war started, I’ve been playing music in a different way,” says Barry. Principal conductor Luigi Gaggio also notices a difference. “Because today more than ever they feel the need for every note to have presence.” The Italian conductor has been leading the orchestra since 2018 and has performed at the Strasbourg Conservatoire and the Strasbourg Supérieur Music Academy. He is teaching the next generation as a cymbal professor. In 2023 alone, two conductor master class courses were held in Gera, where young musicians from Ukraine and all over the world learned to perfect their craft. At least two more of his are expected to follow in 2024.
Since leaving Ukraine, the orchestra has performed at various venues, including the NATO summit in Madrid, the Paris Philharmonic, and the Canary Islands. “We will open Ukrainian culture and music to Europe,” Zaitsev says. The Berlin Philharmonic recently called the orchestra “one of the greatest cultural ambassadors of Ukrainian culture.”
“You can’t be distracted, you have to play.”
“Gera is a wonderful place to live. It has become a second home for the orchestra,” says Olha Tsihanok, director of public relations for the orchestra. “Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether the orchestra will continue to stay in Gera, given that it is a small city with its own philharmonic.” Currently, they are located in another town in Germany. is looking for a new home for the orchestra. It is unclear how long the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra will remain in Gera, but it is clear what direction the 2023-24 season will take. They performed 10 concerts from the beginning of the season in August until Christmas, and in August they opened one of Europe’s leading classical music festivals in Grafeneck, Austria. In September, the orchestra was divided to perform at two venues: the Weimar Museum and the Prague Sounds festival, and then performed with a cellist. Ludwig Quandt at the Berlin Philharmonic in September.Returning to Gera, they provided musical accompaniment to silent film classics nosferatu and big city.
Similar diversity is promised this year, with at least one concert each month until August. After two concerts in Berlin in January, the orchestra’s next performance will be back in Poland at the Warsaw State Philharmonic Orchestra, where a concert will be held on February 8th. On March 3rd, the orchestra Isarphilharmonie I will stay in Munich and return to Berlin on April 21st.Alongside Ukrainian National Choir Capella “Dumka” The orchestra is part of a performance of Stanković’s Kaddish Requiem babi yal June 2nd at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria. “Right now we have something to do, and I really hope it helps,” Ziadewicz says.