Through these initiatives, De Munt keeps the victims of the war in Ukraine in the spotlight this winter.
De Munt wants to keep this tragic and ruthless conflict, and its countless victims, in memory in the coming months. Out of solidarity, but also as a warning that imperialist regimes are unfortunately not a thing of the past.
The peristyle of our theater building has been illuminated in yellow and blue colors during every performance for months, and since early January a massive image of the Mariupol theater has been displayed on the façade of De Munt. It was completely destroyed on March 16, 2022 following an air raid, despite the fact that hundreds of people were sheltering there at the time. During the run of Yevgeny Onegin, posters on the outer walls of De Munt also highlight the destruction of Ukrainian architecture. Their 'before and after' painfully shows how devastating this war is and what lasting scars this conflict leaves behind.
It is a way not to forget what is happening today just two thousand kilometers from Brussels and what is no longer unthinkable elsewhere. A reminder too that the international artistic community is particularly vulnerable in these circumstances.
During the concert of February 19, De Munt programs the Second Piano Concerto (for the Left Hand) by Ukrainian composer Sergei Bortkiewicz. It will be performed by his compatriot Illa Ovcharenko, whose family in Chernihiv is confronted with the consequences of war every day. In this concert we also hear echoes of our recent production of Der Rosenkavalier in two symphonic works by Richard Strauss: the symphonic poem Don Juan op.20 (1888) and the Oboe Concerto in D major (1945). Visitors with Ukrainian nationality can obtain two free tickets for this concert.
The programming of the Third Symphony by Reinhold Glière, named after the Ukrainian 'hetman' Ilya Muromets, is also a moment of commemoration. The work, central to the concert of April 22, also raises the question of the appropriation of artists by a particular regime, a discussion we would also like to conduct during a public debate with European and Ukrainian intellectuals. The date and speakers for this colloquium will be announced later.
During the run of Nos in June, in collaboration with the initiative Artwithoutbars and our project A Bridge Between Two Worlds, young Ukrainian artists will take over the corridors of De Munt.
For the future, De Munt is considering a project of artistic support for Ukrainian colleagues in which productions from De Munt's repertoire are made available to a number of opera houses so they can present new productions to their audiences.
All these projects are set up in collaboration with Promote Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute in Kyiv. They also fall within the solidarity between sister cities Brussels and Lviv in Ukraine.