91Èȱ¬

Live at the 91Èȱ¬ Proms: the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson with pianist Anna Fedorova and soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska.

Presented by Georgia Mann, live at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony No. 7
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
Beethoven: ‘Abscheulicher! … Komm, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern’
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor

Anna Fedorova (piano)
Liudmyla Monastyrska (soprano)
Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra
Keri-Lynn Wilson (conductor)

The newly formed Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, made up of Ukrainian musicians – some from Ukraine’s major cities, some now displaced as refugees, and others who play in European orchestras – is a special late addition to this year’s Proms. Under Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson the orchestra is a symbol of the remarkable resolve and determination shown by the people of Ukraine during the dark months of conflict – but also a beacon of hope for peace. They celebrate Ukraine’s leading living composer, Valentin Silvestrov, who escaped Kyiv with his daughter and granddaughter in March. ‘It is now clear how little we appreciate the times when peace reigns,’ he has since said, ‘and how fragile civilisation is.’ His deeply reflective Symphony No. 7 from 2003 complements Chopin’s ravishing Piano Concerto No. 2. And, after music from Beethoven’s great ‘rescue’ opera, Fidelio, with its themes of false imprisonment and hard-won freedom, Brahms’s final symphony offers tragic turbulence soothed by moments of defiant joy.