by Matthew Lonenzon,
March 11, 2022
From bunkers to hotel lobbies and train stations, musicians in Ukraine are spreading hope and solace. Meanwhile, musicians outside Ukraine have struck up in solidarity.
Vera Lytochenko has been dubbed the "cellar violinist" after playing for displaced residents in a basement in the city of Kharkiv. The ten neighbours who shelter with Lytochenko and her father are treated to Lytochenko's calming recitals that have been shared widely on social media.
 |
| Vera Lytochenko plays violin in a bomb shelter in Ukraine. (Youtube: Vera Lytochenko) |
Residents fleeing through the western Ukrainian city of Lviv could hear the bittersweet melody of "What a Wonderful World" performed by a pianist outside the city's main train station.
Journalist Whitney Leaming found a boy playing "Walk to School" by Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan in a Kharkiv hotel lobby. Glass responded to the video, saying that he "never thought of this music as a political piece, but it has become one." Pianists around the world responded by playing the piece in solidarity.
Violinists across the world are performing a Ukrainian folk song together.
British violinist Kerenza Peacock arranged for violinists around the world to play together in a video with violinists sheltering in Ukraine. The video begins with Illia Bondarenko, who had to record himself in between bombardments. The video then zooms out to include eight other violinists from Ukraine before including musicians from around the world including from the London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, and Oslo Philharmonic.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma opened a concert at the Kennedy Center with a rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem. He was later spotted performing outside the Russian embassy in Washington DC. He was largely ignored by passers-by, but a cyclist stopped to chat. Yo-Yo Ma is reported to have told the cyclist that "everyone has to do something".
Article first published at ABC News Website March 11, 2022
No comments:
Post a Comment