To mark the anniversary of the beginning of the war, ARTE Concert is showing the Ukrainian opera “Kateryna”, on 24 February 2023, a work commissioned by the Ukrainian composer Alexander Rodin.
“Kateryna” was premiered in September 2022 at the Odessa Opera House despite the Russian war of aggression. The opera’s premiere was scheduled for 27 March, World Theatre Day.
A public rehearsal for media representatives was to take place on 24 February. But then Russia’s war against Ukraine began. Many of the theatre’s staff enlisted in the army or joined the country’s defence forces.
Many also stayed in Odessa and found refuge from bombing in a bunker built under the theatre. For three months, the opera house was surrounded by barricades; in mid-June 2022, performances resumed under the most difficult conditions. On 17 September 2022, “Kateryna” could finally be premiered there.
It is the opera house’s largest production since Ukraine’s declaration of independence. The commissioned work is based on a poem by Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861), one of Ukraine’s most important lyricists. The performance is partly on instruments specially developed for the opera, which imitate sounds of nature. 800 new costumes were designed and produced in Kharkiv.
“Kateryna” tells the story of a Ukrainian girl whose love is betrayed by a Russian soldier. In her despair, she leaves her child alone in the forest and drowns herself in the lake.
