- Mark Savage
- BBC Music Reviewer
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image copyrightCanadian Opera Company
“Ukrainian Orchestra of Freedom” will be led by conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson of Canadian-Ukrainian origin
This year, the Ukrainian Refugee Orchestra will take center stage at the BBC Proms classical music festival, alongside concerts by Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Cynthia Erivo.
The newly created “Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra” includes musicians who left Ukraine because of the war, as well as Ukrainian musicians from European orchestras.
Ukraine grants an exemption from military service to male musicians of military age, allowing them to leave the country and perform.
The orchestra will perform at the Proms on July 31, two weeks after the festival starts.
Musicians support Ukrainians. Video
Due to the pandemic, this popular annual festival has been held on a smaller scale for the previous two years. This year, the Proms is getting back into shape with 84 shows over eight weeks featuring over 3,000 musicians.
With the relaxation of anticovid rules and the lifting of restrictions on choral performances, for the first time since 2019, a large-scale repertoire will be possible, including performances of Verdi’s Requiem on the first night, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Cineke Orchestra and Mahler’s Second Symphony by the London Symphony Orchestra.
International orchestras will also return to the Royal Albert Hall, including the Berlin Philharmonic and the Australian World Orchestra.
Festival director David Pickard said that the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra was added to the program at the last moment.
“I think if you belong to the world of culture, in such big moments as the war you are overtaken by a sense of powerlessness. The concert is a wonderful way to support the country and show the power of music to overcome differences,” he said.
image copyrightUkrainian Fredom Orchestra
“Ukrainian Orchestra of Freedom” will hold its first rehearsal just 13 days before the debut at the festival
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is the brainchild of conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, who previously directed the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
“I wanted to bring together the best Ukrainian musicians from within and outside the country to demonstrate artistic unity,” she said in an announcement of the orchestra’s first tour. “I look forward to taking these gifted musicians around Europe and the United States. This tour is an expression of love for our homeland and honoring the dead and the injured.”
The orchestra will perform the Seventh Symphony by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova, and Leonora’s aria “Oh, the fierce beast!” from Beethoven’s Fidelio, a call for humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.
Dalia Stasevska will conduct the Last Night of the Proms concert on September 10
The 2022 season coincides with the BBC’s 100th anniversary. In this regard, several special concerts are planned to reflect the influence of the corporation on the development of the musical culture of Great Britain.
The Proms will take place across the UK this summer with concerts scheduled in Belfast, Truro, Birmingham, Liverpool and Gateshead.
As always, the season will culminate with the world famous “Last Night”, which this year will be led by Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska on 10 September.
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