The Sophia Chamber Choir from Kyiv performed at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum in Bern on December 12 at 19.30.
The program was devoted to the upcoming Christmas time and included works from Johann Sebastian Bach, Francis Poulenc, Victor Kolomits, Iaroslav Karpiv, Oleksandr Rodin and others. The audience was presented with an impressive blend of voices and musical works from both Ukraine and Western Europe. Several of the arragements had been specifically created for the Sophia Chamber Choir.
The concert concluded with the traditional Ukrainian New Year's song 'Shchedryk'. Shchedryk was arranged by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, who was i.a. known for his arrangements of Ukrainian folk music. He was murdered in 1921 by a Soviet security agent, becoming one of the many victims of the Soviet state's suppression of Ukrainian culture. Shchedryk is at the basis of the well-known Carol of the Bells, which can be frequently heard around Christmas time.
Please find the full program under this link.
The Sophia Chamber Choir could also be heard at their Basel concert and Stockholm concert on December 16 and 17.
The concert was organized by the Ukraine Culture Network UCN, with special thanks to Werner Schmitt and Maria Söderberg, UCN Board Members.
