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Following the attack against Ukraine by the Russian government on Feb. 23, 2022, several Russian and Ukrainian artists are voicing their support for Ukraine and asking for peace, reported OperaWire.
Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko took to social media and posted a picture against war and said, “God, how can I stop this?” Russian Tenor Maxim Mironov also took to his social media and posted a picture stating “Stop War.”
Meanwhile, conductor Vladimir Jurowski, music director of Bavarian State Opera and chief conductor of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin said, ‘“I did not believe that the start of military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine was possible. I am deeply indignant about this action but also extremely sad because I am connected to both countries through my family history. I hope that peace will be restored as soon as possible. With the program change for our weekend concerts, we want to send a signal of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
The conductor will perform the Ukrainian National anthem instead of Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave. Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv issued a statement noting:
“To all friends, supporters, international artists, festivals, organisations –How can you support us now? Please, share your statements and your thoughts publicly!!! Also share your experiences related to Ukraine and cooperation with Ukrainian artists, share your experiences about international projects, involving Ukrainians, share memories about the moments we have shared together on one stage or in the same projects. We need your active support right now!”
The conductor also shared an image with her parents who are stuck in Ukraine. Russian conductor Semyon Bychov also condemned the attack noting “Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the lies that are being spread about it must be stopped before the rest of the world finds itself in the middle of another war. We must not remain silent and watch as history repeats itself as in 1956, 1968, and beyond. The bearers of death and destruction must be held accountable and rejected.”
Other international artists who have shown solidarity with Ukraine included Sonya Yoncheva, Elsa van den Heever, Asmik Girgorian, Arturo Chacon-Cruz, Anita Rachvelishvili, Michael Fabiano, Ermonela Jaho, Eleonora Buratto, Brian Jagde, Nadine Sierra, Anita Hartig, Lise Davidsen and Isabel Leonard among many others. Russia’s Department of Culture has issue a decree stating that “speaking out against the invasion will be considered an act of treason.”
As Russia invades Ukraine, musicians around the world play and sing for peace..., stated Classic FM. Ukrainian musician, Sofia Yatsyuk, 26, spoke to Classic FM about her concern for her family and friends in the country. “My whole family are musicians,” she said. “And they’re all obviously panicking and afraid. Until today, this still all seemed somewhat hypothetical. I think people were just going about their normal lives and still hoping that war could be prevented. But obviously, today, it’s all changed. “Now, I don’t think people are thinking about their career, or things like concert cancellations, it’s all just about survival at this point.”
Yatsyuk, who is currently studying for her Doctorate in Violin performance at McGill University in Canada, expressed guilt for being so far away from her family at this time. “One of my friends this morning said he had to flee at 5am because they were under attack from shelling in Kharkiv,” Yatsyuk adds, “I think for someone that is not currently living in Ukraine, you just have this enormous sense of guilt. “I’m going to a protest in Montreal at 3pm and it’s just like the least that you can do; I’m speaking to my family as much as possible, but you do feel very guilty and powerless.”
Protests are taking place across the world, and in the UK, protests are currently ongoing outside 10 Downing Street. Joining in the protest, was Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, who most recently appeared in Tosca at the Royal Opera House, London. The 35-year-old international opera singer was filmed by Classic FM singing his country’s national anthem amidst the protest. Yurchuk told Classic FM that he “sang for peace. And in support and solidarity for all Ukrainians”.
Elsewhere in the world of music, the Eurovision Song Contest made a statement after Russia invaded Ukraine, stating that both countries were still due to compete in the singing competition scheduled to take place in May 2022. The statement read:
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event which unites nations and celebrates diversity through music." The EBU’s public broadcaster members in both Russia and Ukraine have committed to participating in this year’s event in Turin and we are currently planning to welcome artists from both countries to perform in May. “We of course will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Pop musicians from both Ukraine and Russia are also publicly condemning President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine across their personal social media channels. Musician Nadezhda (Nadya) Tolokonnikova, member of the Russian protest band Pussy Riot, posted on Instagram on the morning of 24 February 2022, that “Putin has just started a war with Ukraine”, and called the President a “clown-psychopath” in her Stories. Ivan Dorn, one of Ukraine’s best-known singers, has put out a call on Instagram to his Russian fans saying: “Please... convey the message, that Ukraine is an independent, sovereign state. Please, let’s stop this disaster”. The well-known musician was a coach on The Voice Ukraine and a judge for X Factor Ukraine. Ukrainian folk group DakhaBrakha also shared online that it would be cancelling its upcoming concerts and “hoping to play them in the near future”.
Music in Ukraine has helped the country assert its own cultural identity, an identity that faces danger from Putin. On Monday 21 February, Putin stated that, “Modern Ukraine was completely created by Russia,” in a speech television on state television. Some Ukrainian artists have made a cultural boycott of Russia, in order to prove this isn’t the case. More and more artists are choosing to sing in Ukrainian over Russian, and embrace their own musical styles. Speaking to Classic FM, Yatsyuk added:
“The culture, the passion of the people, the language, all of it is at stake right now. Obviously, people’s lives most importantly, first and foremost, but there’s everything else that that comes with that.”