During the past few years Valentyn Sylvestrov did not give interviews to journalists. But now he agreed to tell us about his vision of political events that are developing in Ukraine now. You can see Sylvestrov in Maidan, too. For example, on Sunday he stood not far from the conservatory. “Just like any other artist, I am more of an individualistic nature. But a moment comes up when not going out in the streets is impossible. When the government openly and globally drives people to outrage with its disgusting actions, you are literally losing your mind. The government must understand that young people have a strong sense of morality. The government is provoking the youth, and the youth is not going to bear with it,” says the artist. He emphasizes: “Anyone who has consciousness and is able of thinking can sense this moral hypocrisy emanated by the current government. Consciousness is our moral hearing.”
The composer says that the incumbents should read Taras Shevchenko’s Kobzar thoroughly, in case they are wondering which way the present situation will be developing. According to Sylvestrov, Shevchenko wrote everything out in detail 170 years ago: what is the current Maidan going to end like for the government, and what consequences it will have. “And there is no comfort in the forecast,” Sylvestrov says.
The master describes Maidan as a bundle of colossal energy and says that the Ukrainian nation has grown and matured in these days. And this is a victory already. “One can say a lot just by the looks of this Maidan. It is not accepting just one category of people, the whole Ukraine is gathered here, all kinds of people. There are a lot of educated people among them. Whichever way the Euromaidan ends, the people have already won.”
Check out the upcoming issues of The Day for the interview with Valentyn Sylvestrov, in which the composer tells which work by Taras Shevchenko Vladimir Putin must read and learn, which pieces of classical music would be appropriate for Maidan, and what contemporary artistic elite thinks about Euromaidan.
