Young musicians from Germany and Ukraine wowed audiences in Lviv and Kyiv, with more intercultural dialogue and musical fireworks still to come.
By Rick Fulker for Deutsche Welle, Aug 29, 2017 For the first joint appearance of the German National Youth Orchestra and a newly-founded Ukrainian youth orchestra, the Lviv Opera - one of Europe's most beautiful houses - was sold out down to the last seat. The Kyiv Philharmonic Hall was also bursting at the seams. The performances by musicians from the two countries may seem like a diplomat's dream come true, but it was more than that. "People here see this kind of event as a gesture of cooperation extended from their friends in western Europe," explained Irina Vakulina, a Ukrainian musician and project coordinator of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. "For those of us living in a country beset by war in the East, it's more important than ever before." The war with Russian separatists may have seemed remote from inside the Kyiv Philharmonic Hall on August 24, but not far away, bystanders were watching a military parade on Ukrainian Independence Day. Soldiers on leave from the service at the front but still wearing their uniforms are a permanent fixture in the city. […] http://p.dw.com/p/2j2Be
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