This tour of the famed band “I, CULTURE Orchestra,” conducted by Kyrylo Karabyts (Kirill Karabits), will be a special one. The youth orchestra comprising talented performers under 28 years old, coming from seven Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine), is performing on the stage of Ukraine’s National Opera in the afternoon of August 24, and in the evening their classical symphonic program will sound on Maidan, the Independence Square in Ukraine’s capital.
At the National Opera the orchestra will perform Sergey Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.1 (solo by the renowned German violinist of Georgian origin, Lisa Batiashvili), the overture to Mykola Lysenko’s opera Taras Bulba, and the eponymous rhapsody for orchestra by Czech composer Leos Janacek.
The orchestra’s concert on Maidan will start with Lysenko’s overture. Under the guidance of conductor Karabyts, “I, CULTURE Orchestra” will also play the symphonic episode Factory. The Music of Machines by Kyiv-born Oleksandr Mosolov (this work, written in 1928, is considered as one of the few examples of constructivism in music), Mazurka from Stanislaw Moniuszko’s classical Polish opera Halka, Waltz from Gara Garayev’s ballet Seven Beauties, and the Coda from Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (this “Anthem of Europe” will be performed also with the participation of the National Academic Choir “Dumka”). Among the solo miniatures for the violin, Batiashvili will perform Requiem for Ukraine by the Ukrainian composer Ihor Loboda. This piece, written in June 2014, has been already performed by Batiashvili multiple times at various podiums across the world as a protest against Russia’s aggression in the east of Ukraine.
The performance of “I, CULTURE Orchestra” on Maidan will be broadcast live by international TV stations to nearly 150 countries. Yevhen Nyshchuk will be presenting the concert, while Yurii Makarov will be commenting the broadcasting.
“A WINDOW ON THE WEST”
The Day asked the organizers to tell more about the upcoming event.
Ewa BOGUSZ-MOORE, project director, manager at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland:
“We are proud of this opportunity to take part in the celebration of the anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. We see this project as a window on the West.
“Young artists from seven countries of the Eastern Partnership get an opportunity to establish personal contacts. This project has even produced several married couples, one of them already with a child.
“The working languages of the project are English, Russian, and Polish.
“We are showing other countries and other opportunities to the musicians. At the same time, we hope that their ties with their homeland will continue. In this respect maestro Karabyts is the best example.
“During rehearsals I can see the differences among musicians from different countries. Many of them have no experience of international cooperation and performance in a band of this level. They do not know what they should do further with the training they have got. In Poland the situation is better: we have more possibilities to travel abroad and learn to organize our own career in a proper way.
“A lot of projects at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute are aimed at the promotion of Polish music abroad. We have the possibility to support the world’s best orchestras performing Polish music.”
Serhii PROSKURNIA, chief organizer of the celebration of Independence Day:
“‘I, CULTURE Orchestra’ has a tradition to perform in the capitals of the countries whose representative play in the band, and this is one of the principles of its work. We are very grateful to the Polish government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and the Polish Institute, which volunteered to bear the financial brunt. Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture will be involved in the presentation of the orchestra at the National Opera of Ukraine.
“The concert on Maidan was suggested by the Administration of the President of Ukraine and several civil organizations. We already succeeded in holding the anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity and the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation (May 8). The event will be held in the key of classical art, which is now becoming more and more popular among various strata of Ukrainian society, and particularly among the youth.
“The high standard of the concert program is an evidence of remembrance, commemoration of the fallen and of the events in the east of Ukraine. We must give people an opportunity of a cathartic experience. Nothing is capable of that but the sublime spirit of classical art. Only it gives a sense of future.”
