Part of the money from purchasing tickets during the Lviv Early Music Festival was transferred to the military unit A4076. The support company of this military unit carries out repairs and fueling of military equipment on various battle fronts. In this unit, the well-known Ukrainian cultural figure, musician Taras Kompanichenko, serves, who gave a solo concert this year during the opening of the Festival.

He said, “I’m grateful to the Lviv National Philharmonic for its support. It is very important that at this time the entire Ukrainian society is consolidated in a single impulse to head all our human resources for the approach to Ukrainian victory. I am especially pleased that I had the honour and duty of opening the XIX Lviv Early Music Festival, and that all those who participated in this prestigious international festival joined in helping our brigade and the material support company to solve the current affairs.”

According to Taras Kompanichenko, “It is essential that musical art – both ancient, symphonic, and chamber music – does not simply reflect, write without response or perform somewhere, but in the right place and at the right time joins connoisseurs and those who need to listen to such music. Actually, then art fulfils its social function and diplomatic cultural mission. After all, we will not achieve the goal of manifesting Ukrainian art in the world. There are enough great popular music bands, but it is high art that is meaningful in the world.

And all this is a politics, which is necessary for the declaration that Ukrainians exist, that we are a European nation with its own cultural traditions and perspectives, a distinctly modern nation that fights to be equal among equals and free among the free”.

The musician and military serviceman also shared his feelings about the latest news at the front: “I am proud that my brothers in arms are moving in the direction of Kharkiv, I am happy that Ukrainian cities are being liberated and that I am somehow involved in this. The mood is great, we see that the strength of the spirit in combination with training, proper equipment and the ability to own technical means, and weapons allow you to do great miracles and victories at the front.”

Read about the Festival:

Festival’s preamble of the early music: resuming the first day 

XIX Lviv Early Music Festival: the second and third days

Final weekend of the XIX International Lviv Early Music Festival

‘Building future bridges’: talk round during the XIX International Lviv Early Music Festival

“Lviv’s cultural heritage is huge”, Urszula Stawicka at the Lviv Early Music Festival

Photo credit: Danylo Bedriy