An Ox on the Roof

Episode fifty of “An Ox on the Roof” by Thea Derks, inspired by her book “An Ox on the Roof: Modern Music After 1900 in a Nutshell”.

Disturbing reports about the war between Russia and Ukraine continue to flood in. Secret information about the moral and material of the Ukrainian army has been leaked, we will not be supplying F16s, and the besieged country is receiving just enough ammunition to avoid a humiliating defeat but not enough to win the war. It is enough to make one feel hopeless.

Therefore, today we will feature music from Ukraine again, as a tribute to the steadfastness with which the army and the remaining inhabitants defend their – and our – freedom.

We begin with Oleksandr Shchetynskyi’s Lacrimosa [photo], who still lives and works in Kyiv. He composed this piece for the special combination of violin, oboe, horn, two trombones, and organ in the first weeks of Russian aggression when the city was constantly bombarded by Russian artillery.

Shchetynskyi wrote his lament at the request of the Organ Hall in Lviv, where the piece premiered on April 17, 2022, performed by musicians from the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic Orchestra. After the annexation of Luhansk, they took refuge in Lviv, which is much further west.

In the previous episode, you heard music from Evhen Stankovych, who, like Shchetynsky, lives in Kyiv. He is currently working on a large oratorio about the war. He does not speak English, so we communicate with his daughter Radmila. “Can you imagine trying to lead a normal life while every day could be our last?” she asks rhetorically. Today we will hear a recording of his Second Violin Concerto.

In that same episode, we also heard the fanfare “Glory to Ukraine” composed by Iryna Aleksiytsjoek on the first “anniversary” of the war. The recording was made while the musicians were under Russian fire. To conclude this program, we will hear two of Aleksiytsjoek’s choral songs performed by the Amphion Chamber Choir on Saturday, June 10, at the Oranjekerk in Amsterdam.

The first edition of “An Ox on the Roof” is sold out, but you can obtain a copy of the second edition via boekenbestellen.nl.

1. Oleksandr Shchetynsky [photo]. Lacrimosa.
Musicians from the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Ivan Ostapovych.

2. Evhen Stankovych. Violin Concerto No. 2.
Valeriy Sokolov, violin.
Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Oksana Lyniv.

4. Iryna Aleksiytsjoek.
a. Pisnja.
Chreschatyk Academic Chamber Choir conducted by Pavlo Struts.

b. Haide, Kato.
Galician Chamber Choir Yevshan conducted by Iryna Kreslenko.

Composition, presentation and technique by Thea Derks.