Concert for Polovtsian stone women: pianist Darius Mažintas performs in Izium

The well-known Lithuanian pianist Darius Mažintas has performed on Kremenets Mountain in the liberated city of Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, playing works from the music cycle "Naive Music" by the Ukrainian composer Valentyn Silvestrov. 

Kremenets Mountain was chosen for the pianist’s performance because it offers a view of the extensive damage that Russian troops have caused to the Polovtsian stone women, which date back to the 9th-13th centuries.

"On 13 December, Kremenets Mountain in Izium was shrouded in fog. However, even that could not hide the damage caused by the Russian aggression and occupation to these monuments of sacred art – the Polovtsian stone women and the whole city," the event’s organisers told Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia. 

Mr Mažintas chose dark formal clothes for the performance, together with a black bullet-proof vest with a blue and yellow patch and Canadian flags.

The pianist performed modern Ukrainian classics at a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius. He had rehearsed the Ukrainian pieces for about a month. The maestro believes Silvestrov's compositions convey the soul of Ukraine most fully.

"When the war started, I became more interested in Ukrainian culture – that's how I discovered Silvestrov for myself. All of Ukraine, its nature and people are in his music," Maestro Mažintas said.

Mažintas arrived in Izium the day before and spent the night with his team in an old cellar, which served as a shelter for more than 60 of the city’s residents during the war and occupation.

This is the second surprise classical music concert to be held in the liberated territories by the Canadian Looking at the Stars Foundation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The first concert took place on 26 April to honour those who died in the devastated city of Irpin, Kyiv Oblast.

"On behalf of the board of directors, for the second time, a symbolic gift of classical music, which is love, respect and admiration, was presented to the steadfast and heroic Ukrainian people who are tirelessly and selflessly fighting the evil Russian aggression. I am convinced that classical music, our only weapon, can be as powerful as HIMARS. This will further revive the resilient Ukrainians and destroy the psyche and morale of the aggressor," said Dmitri Kanovich, founder and CEO of the Looking at the Stars Foundation. 

Pianist Darius Mažintas shared that he is always impressed by the resilience of Ukrainians and their ability to preserve humanity and do good even in the darkest times.

More about the artist

Darius Mažintas is the Vice President and Artistic Director of the Canadian Looking at the Stars Foundation in the European Union. A graduate of the Lithuanian Academy of Music, he was Lithuania’s Deputy Minister of Culture in 2013-2014.

The list of music festivals where he has performed include the Aspen Music Festival, Westchester Piano Festival (USA), Summerakademie (Germany) and Holland Music Session (Netherlands).

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