Second Ukrainian Spring festival opens in Stockholm – photos
European Festival: Ukrainian Spring kicked off for the second time on 24 April at Sweden's premier performance venue, the Royal Concert Hall.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda. Culture, citing the event’s press service
The festival's first concert began with a reception hosted by the German Embassy in Sweden. Representatives of Sweden's government and parliament, ambassadors from other countries, cultural figures and popular celebrities all attended the opening ceremony.
The concept behind the festival is to present Ukraine as an integral part of the shared European cultural heritage.
"All of our efforts should be directed towards aiding Ukraine. Every cultural event should highlight the heinous crimes that Russia continues to commit on Ukrainian soil. Music cannot stop the invader, but arms can. It's important to remember every day that Ukraine is a natural part of Europe, not simply a voice," said pianist Natalya Pasichnyk, director of the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden.
At the opening concert, Pasichnyk was joined by Leipzig vocal ensemble Calmus to present a new vision of Bach’s world-famous Well-Tempered Clavier, performed with religious texts and a vocal arrangement.
The Calmus singers underlined the importance and effectiveness of raising awareness about Ukraine through cultural activities.
"It definitely works when we continue to bring up Ukraine at our concerts. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, we’ve been singing ‘Prayer for Ukraine’ by Mykola Lysenko at our concerts – ‘Lord, great, almighty.’ We sing it to let people know that ‘There is a war going on in Europe!’ We did this throughout the United States and wherever we’ve been performing. I’m certain that it really helps when we combine art with informing people about what is going on," said Friedrich Bracks, a member of the Calmus Ensemble.
The first day of concerts was dedicated to the memory of opera singer Vasyl Slipak. He was a soloist at the Paris National Opera who returned to defend Ukraine and was killed by a Russian sniper near Bakhmut on 29 June 2016. Each day of the festival is devoted to an artist-warrior who died on the front lines.
The festival will run until 7 May, and the grand finale will feature world-famous Latvian violinist and conductor Gidon Kremer and his orchestra, Kremerata Baltica.
The complete programme can be found on the festival website.
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