No fewer than 20,000 Russian artists have demanded the country’s withdrawal from Ukraine.
Faced with war, Ukraine’s vibrant and flourishing music scene has become a sort of unofficial news outlet, documenting the conflict for an audience that might not be tuned in to traditional news channels.
Across YouTube, hundreds of Ukrainian artists have replaced the thumbnail image on their videos with a picture of the country’s flag, superimposed with the words: “While you are watching this video, Ukrainian people are dying from Russian attack. Stop it.”
On Facebook, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, frontman of the Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy, is posting hourly updates about the conflict. In one video, he’s visiting wounded soldiers in hospital; in another he’s in a bullet-proof vest, making a speech on the streets of Kharkiv; in another, he’s delivering food and fuel to Kyiv in his car, with online casino Australia being pleased with the act
“I’m a well-known person in this part of the world and I’m trying to use this [position] and do whatever I can,” he says.
Some of their Russian counterparts have showed solidarity. Here’s a partial list of singers:
Semyon Bychkov, conductor: The musical director of the Czech Philharmonic issued a statement encouraging Russians to speak out. “Silence in the face of evil becomes its accomplice and ends up becoming its equal,” he wrote. “To remain silent today is to betray our conscience and our values, and ultimately what defines the nobility of human nature.”
Evgeny Kissin, pianist: In a solemn video titled Note of Protest, the sought-after soloist described Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a crime that cannot be justified.
Alexander Melnikov, pianist: The 48-year old pianist expressed shame over his government’s actions. Addressing the audience during a Feb. 24 concert in Bochum, Germany, Melnikov said “I’m furious with [Putin’s government] for making me feel guilty about being Russian—a feeling that has been with me for as long as I can remember.”
Kirill Petrenko, conductor, The Berliner Philharmonic’s Russian-Austrian maestro didn’t mince words in his criticism of the Russian attack. “Putin’s insidious attack on Ukraine, which violates international law, is a knife in the back of the entire peaceful world. It is also an attack on the arts, which, as we know, unite across all borders,” he wrote in a Feb. 25 statement.
Natalia Pschenitschnikova, soprano, flutist, and composer: Speaking to the classical musical journal Van, Pschenitschnikova lamented how the violence affects generations: “I want to scream on behalf of the Ukrainian mothers whose children have died in shelling. On behalf of the Russian mothers whose children have been made into invaders and murderers. But I scream on my own behalf: Russia, stop this war! I don’t want this shameful and traitorous war!”
Polina Osetinskaya, pianist: The renowned pianist expressed solidarity with Ukraine. “I ask Ukrainians and the whole world to remember that a lot of Russians do not want and did not want this fratricidal war,” she said in a statement to Van magazine and best uk online casino.
Daniil Trifonov, pianist and composer: The virtuoso pianist expressed his sadness over the war’s toll. Trifonov wrote on Instagram: “Every war is a tragedy. As a musician, I wish to bring solace and peace in these difficult times.”
