Kyiv Symphony Orchestra / Luigi Gaggero

In an important signal for preserving Ukrainian culture, the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra is coming to the Elbphilharmonie. Like many cultural institutions in Ukraine, the orchestra with a 40-year history is under severe threat as a result of the war. Their performance in the Elbphilharmonie is part of the Hamburg International Music Festival, which features many of the world’s great orchestras each year. The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra’s inclusion in the festival is an expression of solidarity with Ukrainian musicians, and a way of highlighting the importance of Ukrainian music for international cultural life. Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko is the soloist. Private patrons are providing the fees for the orchestra, so all revenues are going to »Bündnis Ukrainehilfe Hamburg«.

The programme mainly features works by Ukrainian composers. A cultural battle broke out over the First Symphony of the Ukrainian-born composer Maxim Berezovsky after it was rediscovered in 2002 – with Russia and Ukraine both claiming the work as the earliest symphony in their nation’s musical history. And Boris Lyatoshinsky’s Third Symphony came under scrutiny from the Soviet censors due to its original subtitle »Peace will defeat war« and the less than optimistic keynote of the finale.