Voices from the East: Ukraine

In the last of today’s three concerts bringing the orchestra’s acclaimed series Voices from the East to London, the Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits celebrates music by his compatriot composers that displays a wealth of colour, narrative and emotional power.

To open, there’s music by Thomas de Hartmann, a prolific composer of works sacred, secular and cinematic, and a disciple of the spiritual teacher Gurdjieff.

His ballet La Fleurette Rouge was first performed for Tsar Nicholas, starring the dancers Nijinsky, Pavlova and Fokine.

Next comes Tericone by Anna Korsun. Born in Donetsk and educated in Kyiv, she’s a fast-rising star of the younger generation.

Boris Lyatoshinsky was one of Ukrainian music’s most important 20th-century figures and his five symphonies are a cornerstone of its orchestral repertoire.

Though ostracised in the USSR, Lyatoshinsky continued to write music that pushed far beyond the narrow boundaries of ‘soviet realism’.

Much of his work went unperformed for years. This is a rare chance to hear his opulent, fantastical Symphony No.4.