On 2 July, the Seventh Open International Music Marathon in Memory of Wassyl Slipak W LIVE ended at the Lviv Philharmonic. Four events were held under the slogan “In the Light of a Meteor”: they say, celestial bodies burn up when they fall, having gained enormous speed. And the star shines brightest in its last hour, lighting the way for all those who are destined to follow it. Dedicated to Wassyl Slipak, the marathon was aimed at giving us all inspiration for further struggle, because the figure of the outstanding opera singer and warrior is an example of the desire for free life and unbridled energy of our time. With gratitude to our defenders and military medics, the Marathon events were free to attend.

29 June. About grief, greatness and laughter – the large-scale Fourth Symphony was performed by the wonderful soprano Inna Fedorii and the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Polish conductor Vincent Kozlowsky. After another creative crisis, the outstanding composer Gustav Mahler created a masterpiece “the colour of the sky blue”, which embodies an incredible depth of reflection on the universe.

30 June. Prayer to Wassyl – The Phoenix String Quartet performed works by Oleksandr Kozarenko, Hanna Havrylets and Giya Kancheli at the Church. The losses of the war did not leave the music community of Ukraine. They were especially painful with the untimely deaths of two artists of incredible talent, Hanna Havrylets and Oleksandr Kozarenko. Their compositions showcased melodic and rhythmic richness, a vivid folklore system and a modern musical language.

1 July. Songs for Wassyl – famous chamber musicians from Lviv presented solo songs by the most important composers of the twentieth century and contemporary instrumental music that has already become a symbol of Ukraine in the world: an incredibly poignant paraphrase of our national anthem by Yuriy Shevchenko and the brilliant “Hutsul Dance” by Myroslav Skoryk. In addition, there were arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs that have been imprinted in the memory of our society and preserved through an artistic perspective on them.

2 July. Spirito d’amore. Mozart – the audience had the opportunity to enjoy the depth of sensual musical colours in a kaleidoscope of vocal and instrumental works by Mozart. Although the brutal war does not stop, life must go on. In this concert, the performers presented a musical allegory of human relationship, of the stages of human love that follow one another. To achieve this, the musicians collaborated with director Anton Litvinov, who created a special theatrical concept for the event. According to the author of the project idea, singer Roman Strakhov, this programme has become “a manifesto of kindness and love, which we especially need now”.