![]() Netrebko,’ and they said, ‘Don’t worry, she’s bringing her own conductor.’ So it was fine. “I said, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t perform with Ms. Thus, when she was engaged to conduct a run of Puccini’s “Tosca” later this fall in Buenos Aires, she noted that Russian soprano Anna Netrebko - who has been barred from the Met and other houses for refusing to distance herself from Putin - was listed to sing two of the performances. Where she draws the line, however, is working with artists who support the current regime. “There has never been any doubt in my mind that we can’t hold literature or Russian culture hostage,” she said. But Wilson strongly opposes any suggestion that Russian composers are somehow tainted by Putin’s aggression. The tour hit 10 European cities plus New York and Washington, gathering glowing reviews with programs that included, in addition to the Dvořák, a symphony by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, works by Brahms and Chopin, and two operatic arias sung by Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska.īecause of the orchestra’s unique political mission, no Russian music was included in those concerts. ![]() And by the fourth day, the Dvořák just rocked.” With only 10 days to rehearse together in Warsaw before launching the tour, Wilson recalled, “The first day was quite rough, and we just played Dvořák’s ‘New World Symphony.’ The second day, after seven hours I was astonished. They were maybe relocating, desperately trying to find homes, jobs in other countries. “And a lot of them hadn’t been playing for months. “It was a select group, but really quite raw,” she said. Quickly, Wilson assembled a group of 75 Ukrainian musicians, some of them recent refugees, some members of European orchestras, and others still living in their embattled country. He contacted the head of the Polish National Opera, and together they arranged funding and tour dates for the new orchestra. Peter is Peter Gelb, Wilson’s husband and the Met’s general manager. “And I was just constantly crying and saying we have to do something, and that’s when the tour was born.” Three weeks later, “I was supposed to go to Odessa to conduct, and instead I met Peter in London,” she said. Wilson, who traces her own Ukrainian ancestry to great-grandparents on her mother’s side, recalled being in Europe when the assault began in February. Hers were the guiding hands that molded the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, an ensemble founded as a musical statement of defiance against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. ![]() NEW YORK (AP) - It’s been quite a year for conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, forming an orchestra from scratch, leading it on a 12-city tour, and then as soon as it disbanded going straight to the Metropolitan Opera to prepare for an opening-week debut.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |