‘I couldn't take up arms - I raised my baton’: Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra performs Ukrainian-language version of Beethoven's great 9th Symphony in London
In a joint concert at St Paul's Cathedral in London, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and the Royal Opera House Choir Songs for Ukraine performed a Ukrainian-language version of Beethoven's great Ninth Symphony in the year of its 200th anniversary. The concert was conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson, Canadian-Ukrainian conductor and founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra reunited this July for a tour of major cathedrals and concert halls in Europe and the United States to continue to showcase Ukrainian art in the nation's struggle for freedom.
In the year of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the orchestra will present its acclaimed and emotionally charged version of the work with the unique feature of its choral text, Schiller's great cry for freedom, resistance and progress against the forces of oppression in the form of his poem ‘Ode to Joy’, sung by soloists and chorus in Ukrainian.
The concert, part of the orchestra's international Beethoven Ninth Freedom Tour, opened with Victoria Vita Polevá’s composition `Bucha. Lacrimosa`, a brutal response to Russia's massacre of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war in the town of Bucha in 2022.
The dome of St Paul's Cathedral became a symbol of endurance during the war in London over 80 years ago. It was therefore a fitting venue for the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and the Royal Opera House choir Songs for Ukraine to perform a Ukrainian-language version of Beethoven's great Ninth Symphony under the direction of Keri-Lynn Wilson.
‘We created a new orchestra to fight for Ukraine around the world,’ said the Canadian-Ukrainian conductor and founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.
‘When Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we knew it was an attack not only on the nation, but also on its culture. So my husband, Peter Gelb of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and I worked with the Polish National Opera in Warsaw to bring together Ukrainian musicians still at home and refugees abroad for a new kind of orchestra, one that would fight for the country's cause around the world. Although I couldn't take up arms, I could take up my baton as a weapon,’ added Keri-Lynn Wilson.
The International Beethoven Ninth Freedom Tour will run until 4 August.
CONCERT ITINERARY AND PROGRAMS
July 29: St. Paul’s Cathedral, London
Presented by the Barbican, Royal Opera House, and Askonas Holt
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 Victoria Vita Polevá: Freedom
August 1: The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City
Presented in association with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 Victoria Vita Polevá: Freedom
August 4: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 Victoria Vita Polevá: Freedom