On 18 February, the Lviv Organ Hall will host the world premiere of the symphony “Victory” by contemporary Ukrainian composer Zoltan Almashi. The symphony was commissioned by the Lviv Organ Hall. The symphony will be performed by the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Luhansk Philharmonic under the baton of Ivan Ostapovych.
Zoltan Almashi is a contemporary Ukrainian composer, cellist, teacher, and soloist-instrumentalist of the National Ensemble Kyiv Camerata. He is the author of about a hundred works and one of the most frequently performed composers in Ukraine. He is a laureate of international competitions as a cellist and composer, and has received two of the most prestigious state prizes in the field of classical music – the Levko Revutsky State Prize (2003) and the Borys Liatoshynsky State Prize (2013).
Zoltan Almashi received the commission to write a symphony for the Lviv Organ Hall in 2023 from the directors of the concert hall, Ivan Ostapovych and Taras Demko.
The composer was inspired to write the symphony by his stay in Odesa when the city was attacked by Russian missiles and drones.
“Imagine: a velvety Odesa September, the most beautiful night that can be, stars in the sky, silence, fresh, already quite cool air, and suddenly – an alarm. Explosions somewhere in the distance, and now close by. Then it stopped, but not for long. Those were chess pieces, and now a rocket. Another explosion.
Somewhere before dawn, it was finally over, and I tried to get some sleep. But suddenly, at 7 am, I wake up again to the sound of someone playing scales on the cello. And instead of the annoying feeling that I didn’t manage to sleep before the concert performance, I am overwhelmed with a sense of euphoria, joy and confidence in our Victory,” Zoltan Almashi tells about the story of the composition
The phenomenal reflection of the events experienced in the music makes the symphony cinematic. In the texture of the orchestra, you can hear sounds that imitate an air raid warning, the noise of the Shahed, and explosions.
At the premiere of the symphony in Lviv, a recording of the work will be made and presented as part of the Ukrainian Live Classic project.
Also that evening, for the first time in Ukraine, the Organ Hall will host the Shattered Night Piano Concerto by Staffan Storm, a Swedish composer and great friend of Ukraine. The soloist will be pianist Andriy Makarevych.
Lviv Organ Hall invites you to this epoch-making event on 18 February at 19:00.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at kontramarka.ua or at the Organ Hall box office.