The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is on tour
It is part of a broader campaign to raise support for the Ukrainian cause
On August 20th the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra—composed of 75 musicians based in their homeland or abroad, some of them refugees—began their second international tour with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Warsaw. In collaboration with the New York Metropolitan Opera and Polish National Opera, the tour will hold eight performances in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Britain. Keri-Lynn Wilson (pictured), a Canadian conductor of Ukrainian descent, has translated into Ukrainian the words of “Ode to Joy”, which has been used as a protest song before, including by students in Tiananmen Square. “I have never conducted before as I have with this orchestra,” she says, praising the group’s “extraordinary intensity and intimacy”.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “A different tour of duty”
Culture August 26th 2023
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- The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is on tour
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From the August 26th 2023 edition
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