Just in: Oksana Lyniv is laid low by the Ukraine war

Just in: Oksana Lyniv is laid low by the Ukraine war

News

norman lebrecht

April 06, 2022

The principal conductor of Teatro Comunale Bologna has been forced to withdraw from its next production due to exhaustion brought on by the Russian invasion of her country, Ukraine.

Oksana writes:
Thank you to the mayor of the city of Bologna Matteo Lepore , General Director of Teatro Comunale Bologna – Fulvio Macciardi , and the whole team for helping and supporting Ukraine in such difficult times. Thank you to the German conductor Michael Guettler for agreeing to replace me urgently due to deteriorating health and acute back pain, which (prevents) the continuation of the conduct and my performance in the upcoming scheduled concerts.

War injures everyone and every day a state of moral and physical exhaustion also breeds a feeling of powerlessness, aggression and anger. It is very important for all of us – in Ukraine and abroad – to be able to gather, consolidate all efforts to fight the enemy and communicate with the world about Ukraine as a state, in the future of a full-time member of the EU, who is fighting now for democracy and own freedom In.

I thank Міністерство культури та інформаційної політики України and Ukrainian Institute – Український інститут for the fact that two days ago new regulations were put out on the cultural activities of state institutions in Ukraine and Ukrainians during the war.
I urge the state authorities of Ukraine to communicate this in a timely manner through the Embassy and Consulate of Ukraine in different countries of the world, so that foreign ministries of culture and state institutions can take this into consideration when planning their events dedicated to Ukraine and, or with engaged Ukrainian performers.

I wish success to all participants of tomorrow’s concert, and again thank the theater management for complementing the concert program and official press releases sent to the international press information about the Ukrainian Cossack roots of Tchaikovsky and its connection with our culture.

In the background of the tragedy with mass disposition in Kyiv region, atrocities committed by the Russian army, brutal murders of children and intentional destruction of architectural monument, in particular the museum of composer in Trostyanc, such a program only emphasizes the scale of politics čnoí ,, spiritual and social disaster that is happening now in the eyes of the world.
The special thing in the concert will be that it will be held in the light of the Annunciation holiday, which will be celebrated in Ukraine according to the Julian calendar.

And exactly on this day comes the 40th day, as the Ukrainian composer, the sister of the composer Bohdana Frolyak, creator of extraordinary spiritual works – Hannah Gavrilets.

Thank you to the team of the Municipal Theater of Bologna, that agreed for a record short term, to prepare the work “Stabat Mater” to perform. What is especially pleasant is that the concert will be broadcast on Italian state radio and a true masterpiece – the extraordinary spiritual composition of Hannah Gavrilets will sound for a wide circle of Italian listeners.

In addition to this topic, I want to express my concern that more and more information about persecution and threats by compatriots to Ukrainian artists who officially work on contracts of State cultural institutions of other countries, or what on currently stay abroad and participate in events together with Russian artists who took an antiputinsʹku position, gets into the international media.

I would like to emphasize that the categorization in actions and judgments that we allow ourselves to apply on the territory of Ukraine can not always be acceptable in the territory and in the field of information of other countries, in which their own laws on rights and freedoms apply and people regulated by their Constitution. Such actions can greatly damage the international image of Ukraine – what would be unacceptable in such a situation.

I urge all of us to be responsible for our actions and speeches, because it is now very important – to bring to the world humane, spiritual, pro-European, democratic values of the Ukrainian nation, which is now under the watchful attention of the world – these are the values nostrils that are radically different from imperialist, dictatorial, violent, manipulative and anti-human actions of modern Russia.

Our sacred duty is to do everything possible to end the war as soon as possible.

I thank Italy for supporting and helping our compatriots who are now forced to leave their homes. Thank you to the residents of the city of Bologna for organized rallies and actions to support Ukraine.
Thank you to the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella for the honor of personal acquaintance and speech about the situation in Ukraine in Palazzo Quirinale in Rome.
I urge the governments of all states to do their best to stop the tragedy of the genocide of the Ukrainian people, which is currently happening in the eyes of the world.
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Comments

  • AndyHat says:

    Speaking of Ukraine, last night at Carnegie Hall the Canadian National Arts Center Orchestra and James Ehnes performed as an encore Yuriy Shevchenko’s “We Are”, announcing that unfortunately he had died a few days prior in Kyiv of pneumonia. Found this obituary: https://vechirniy.kyiv.ua/news/63618/

  • Taras Bulba says:

    Very brave and classy lady.

  • Kirill says:

    It’s hard not to notice an evident sense of entitlement in her letter. Her letter sounds more like that of a President of a country addressing its people than that of a musician.

    I find it personally offensive that she seems to think she has the right to approach the letter as if its recipients are “populi” who need to be guided by her infinite wisdom and given a lesson on how or what to think.
    “Sacred duty” – seriously? Maybe that flies in the East but in the West we know how to become informed, assess a situation and think for ourselves, thank you.

    She is, after all, the Music Director of the a regional opera house in Italy. It’s not as if she is the MD of La Scala or the Chief Conductor of a major orchestra. Like it or not, her achievements are largely based on the fact she is a female conductor. She is not a bad conductor imho, but she is certainly not a great conductor either. There are many male colleagues who have achieved that and more but none receive the attention she does. That regrettably says it all.

    • Federico Figueroa says:

      I agree with Kirill, it is tragic what is happening to Ukraine, no doubt, but it is fairly easy to write a letter from confort of a 5 star hotel in Italy, getting paid a huge salary. This letter is cocky, conceited and frankly unnecesarry, to say the least.

    • CRogers says:

      Terrific conductor. What difference does is make to you what the letter sounds like? Are you another frustrated musician/conductor who doesn’t know how to express authentic feelings?

      • Kirill says:

        If you write an open letter be ready for the consequences, which possibly include being criticised by the general public. If you don’t like it then don’t write the letter in the first place or at least be clever in how and what you write.

        Judging from the other comments by slipped disc readers, it seems Lyniv cancelled for other reasons and decided to seize the opportunity to give us all a lesson on morality and how important her opinion is to the world. Go figure.

  • Gustavo says:

    “To fight the enemy” to become a “full-time” EU-member

    vs

    Brexit.

  • Agnus Dei says:

    Exhaustion? More like pressured by fellow Ukrainians.

    Due to the news of her conducting this production brought on her a lot of angry Ukrainians who started to write against her on every platform possible.
    Many Ukrainian artists were very disappointed by her choice to conduct this and put Russian artists in this production.

    Also she has been taken out from a major Ukrainian Art foundation called “Ark” if I’m not mistaken, which is definitely a radical step that has been taken against her.

    But I guess she won’t mention this.

  • Player says:

    She is/was due to conduct at the Royal Opera’s Ukraine concert on Good Friday…?

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