1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,000 SIREN BLARES 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,160 Images of the war in Ukraine 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,760 are seared into the collective memory. 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,560 But now, a new front line is opening up. 7 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,880 And it's being fought not with rockets, 8 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,360 but with musical instruments 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:35,040 and the rise and fall of a conductor's hand. 10 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,240 My baton is my weapon. 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,160 It's one that reaches to the soul. 12 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:44,640 It's not one that kills. 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,480 Music is such an important tool in our lives, 14 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,160 not just to bring pleasure, 15 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:55,880 but also to heal and to bring hope. 16 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:07,520 75 of Ukraine's best musicians are about to come together 17 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,440 to form an extraordinary new orchestra. 18 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,080 Today, I am a bit nervous. 19 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:22,960 The trip has begun. 20 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:30,840 But creating a world-class ensemble from scratch is ambitious. 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,120 And there are just eight weeks before their first concert. 22 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,880 I'm going to follow their journey across Europe. 23 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,640 Can they escape the tumult of their homeland 24 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,720 to play on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall? 25 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,760 Why is the message they're carrying so important 26 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:03,080 that they're willing to leave those they love behind? 27 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,280 And I'm going to ask whether musical notes arranged on a page 28 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,720 have the power to defy and ultimately heal. 29 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,600 We want to prove 30 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,480 that this is the voice of Ukraine, 31 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:25,560 that you cannot... 32 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,360 ..erase it. You cannot erase the culture. 33 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,760 BBC NEWS THEME 34 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,000 Good evening, we're live in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv 35 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,160 in an underground shelter. 36 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,360 Russian forces are closing in on the city and... 37 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,520 As a journalist, I reported on the first days 38 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,000 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 39 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,880 It was a full-scale military assault 40 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,360 by land, sea and air. 41 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,040 For months now, the Ukrainian people 42 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,480 have been fighting a battle for national survival. 43 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,600 And the cost, in lives and destruction, 44 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,520 has dominated the nightly news. 45 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,560 But I've heard about a group of Ukrainian musicians 46 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,520 who want to fight back in a different way, 47 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,680 with the weapons they know best - 48 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:32,400 their musical instruments. 49 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,000 75 of them have decided to come together 50 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,880 to form a brand-new ensemble - 51 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,320 the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. 52 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:47,960 Now I'm returning to the country. 53 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:49,920 I want to meet some of the performers 54 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,960 and find out why playing classical music together 55 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,640 is as important to them as fighting on the front line. 56 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,320 In just two months, 57 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:11,560 the new orchestra is due to perform at one of the most high-profile 58 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,320 classical music festivals in the world - 59 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:15,760 the BBC Proms. 60 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:18,880 But there's a catch. 61 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,360 The orchestra still doesn't exist. 62 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,520 And many of its members remain here in Ukraine. 63 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,440 VIBRAPHONE PLAYS 64 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,400 MUSIC: Oh, The Red Viburnum In The Meadow by Stephan Charnetsky 65 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:45,800 This song, an adaptation of a 17th-century Cossack march, 66 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,520 was banned here during Soviet times, 67 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,920 but it's recently become popular again, 68 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,720 as Ukrainians turn to music to express solidarity 69 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:55,800 with their homeland. 70 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,360 Yevhen Ulianov is a percussionist 71 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,480 with the National Symphony Orchestra in Kyiv 72 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,320 and now a member of the nascent Freedom Orchestra. 73 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:11,120 Yevhen... 74 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:12,880 He's also a new dad. 75 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:15,800 Good to see you. And I have a present! 76 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:17,080 The birth of a child 77 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,920 is a transformational moment for any parent. 78 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,120 But for Yevhen, there's an added twist. 79 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,200 His wife Tetiana gave birth to their daughter Anna 80 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,480 on the very same day Russia invaded their country. 81 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,240 I just remember one moment. 82 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,760 My husband was standing close to me 83 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,000 and I saw him a little bit in tears. 84 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:43,480 Really? And I realised that something is going on. 85 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:45,200 For him, it was too much. 86 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,960 48 hours later, the war reached their own doorstep. 87 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,120 ORLA GUERIN: An early-morning strike on a block of flats. 88 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:57,680 The authorities here say 89 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,560 it was a Russian missile that killed two people. 90 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:01,920 SIREN WAILS 91 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,160 That big building. Right. 92 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,320 It was, like, from that side. 93 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,920 You can see the damage from this side, but from that side you can... 94 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,640 It's much more devasta... And... 95 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,160 Then... Oh, this is the video. Yeah. 96 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:17,640 YEVHEN SPEAKS UKRAINIAN 97 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:28,400 That must have been terrifying. 98 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,240 I couldn't even... 99 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,640 ..like, understand what's happened... 100 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,040 It will be difficult for Yevhen 101 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:37,960 to leave Tetiana and baby Anna behind, 102 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,280 but for him, joining the orchestra is important. 103 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:46,760 Many of the people are trying to volunteer 104 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,120 to help our government, our soldiers. 105 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:59,240 For me, it's also help, because I can do my job. 106 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,720 And I can help my country and support people. 107 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:04,920 TETIANA SINGS SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 108 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,160 SINGING, UKULELE AND GLOCKENSPIEL 109 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,120 # And I'm singin' 110 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,480 # Just singin' 111 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:23,240 # In the rain! # 112 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,200 ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYS 113 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,520 SINGING 114 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:41,880 Like Yevhen, 115 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,520 many of the musicians in the new Freedom Orchestra 116 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,240 are living in a war zone. 117 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,320 There are no flights to or from Ukraine, 118 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:52,600 so two weeks before the concert, 119 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:54,560 those still based in the country 120 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,680 hope to make the journey by road to Poland, 121 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,480 where they can safely gather to rehearse. 122 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,600 Hundreds of miles away from the frontline with Russia 123 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,200 is the city of Lviv. 124 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,400 Although far from the battlefield, 125 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:21,480 this metropolis of almost three quarters of a million people 126 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,240 has been dragged directly into the conflict. 127 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:30,800 Just weeks ago, seven civilians here were killed in a missile strike. 128 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:42,320 I'm in Lviv to meet Anna Bura, 129 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,200 a 30-year-old violinist, 130 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,680 whose entire family are fighting for Ukraine 131 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:49,120 in their own separate ways. 132 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:50,880 VIOLIN PLAYS 133 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:19,840 This is a family with a strong musical lineage. 134 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:21,960 VIOLIN PLAYS 135 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,560 Anna's grandmother was a professional violinist 136 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:32,000 and encouraged her to take up the instrument 137 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,120 when she was just five-years old. 138 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,200 Today, Anna plays for the Lviv National Opera. 139 00:09:55,680 --> 00:09:56,880 You can't play. 140 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,240 I couldn't play first 45 days, then I just... 141 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,600 After the war started? Yeah, yeah, 142 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:05,360 because the point of music is the point of joy. 143 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,280 Even when it's sad music, it's the joy of this sadness. 144 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,600 So the music helped fill that emptiness that you had at 145 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:11,960 the beginning of the war? 146 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:16,880 Yes, actually, I felt that it helps me to put myself together, 147 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:20,400 you know, because when you practise, you can concentrate. 148 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,800 Also, I realised that we can help people 149 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:25,760 with music as a way. Yes. 150 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,680 So people also need this healing. 151 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:31,160 VIOLIN PLAYS THROUGH LAPTOP 152 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,120 I loved... I always had this beautiful dress 153 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,000 just for performance, you know? For concert. 154 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,040 Anna and her friends are practising a work by 155 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:01,920 the 20th-century Ukrainian composer Vasyl Barvinsky. 156 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:05,600 He was arbitrarily denounced by the Russians in 1948 157 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,560 and imprisoned for a decade. 158 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:11,160 The secret police also burned his musical scores. 159 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:15,200 But lovers of his work have been able to reconstruct some of them. 160 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:21,720 Actually, I cannot listen or play Russian music now. 161 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,920 I have to play Ukrainian music, 162 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,320 to promote Ukrainian music in the world, 163 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:31,280 not Russian, because everyone knows Russian composers, 164 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,080 but not so many people knows about Ukrainian. 165 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,720 And this is our mission, like musicians, 166 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:42,840 to make people know about our culture more. 167 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,080 The war might be far away geographically, 168 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,360 but it's actually really close to you, 169 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,320 because your father is on the frontline. 170 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,280 I miss him really much. 171 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:56,200 And I haven't seen him for already six weeks. 172 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,760 Of course I'm worrying about him. 173 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,800 You know, it's not a safe place at all. 174 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,240 But also, I'm proud. 175 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,760 Anna is determined to bring Ukraine's distinctive 176 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,080 musical traditions to a wider audience. 177 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,200 And I want to understand her father's feelings 178 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,560 about his daughter's quest. 179 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:20,400 I need to get near the frontline of the fighting 180 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,400 to speak to Yaroslav. 181 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,520 He's in an infantry unit at a classified location near Sumy, 182 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,600 a city in the far north-east, 183 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,080 very close to the frontier with Russia. 184 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:43,880 Naturally, we need permission to get anywhere near the frontline, 185 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,800 and in order to speak with Yaroslav, 186 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:51,440 we need the permission of the Ukrainian forces. 187 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,680 We're just 17 kilometres from the border with Russia 188 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:02,600 and this area is still under constant rocket attack. 189 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,600 Clive. Pleasure to meet you. It's great to meet you. 190 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,680 Your whole family. They miss you. 191 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,080 Yaroslav did his national service decades ago. 192 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:26,200 Now, aged 55, he's volunteered to come back and fight. 193 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:02,680 And is that what you told your wife when she asked you not to go? 194 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:30,720 So now, both your daughters 195 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,120 are going to be playing in the Ukraine Freedom Orchestra. 196 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,600 Yaroslav is fighting in a war for independence, 197 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,320 the kind of struggle Ukraine has known before. 198 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,360 This is a country with a long and bitter history 199 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,800 of being fought over by its bigger neighbour. 200 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:13,840 It's been ruled at different times by empires based in Warsaw, Vienna, 201 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,560 St Petersburg and Moscow. 202 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,520 And each imperial power has left its mark on the country. 203 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,160 IMPERIALIST-STYLE MUSIC PLAYS 204 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:32,800 Ukraine's been the object of desire and aggression for centuries. 205 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:37,360 This imperial legacy has left Ukraine often embattled, 206 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,600 so it's indeed a kind of battleground, 207 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,240 but it's also been a proving ground, and a proving ground for an idea 208 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,760 at the centre of Ukrainian national identity, 209 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,480 and that is the concept of "volya" - defiant freedom. 210 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,160 Art and culture have expressed that defiant freedom 211 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:55,960 for a very long time, 212 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:57,760 and not freedom for Ukrainians only, 213 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:00,200 but freedom for all peoples. 214 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,560 From the folk songs of the 17th century 215 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:08,520 to the romantic verse of Shevchenko in the 19th, 216 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,000 the dramatic poetry of Lesya Ukrainka in the early 20th, 217 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,560 to what we're seeing now in popular music, 218 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:17,680 with Ukrainian rap taking the stage at Eurovision. 219 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,280 Now we're coming to grips with just how often 220 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,760 external forces have sought to obscure 221 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,560 Ukrainian culture from the world. 222 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:28,440 Although Ukraine has been 223 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,520 an independent country since 1991 224 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,440 following the break-up of the Soviet Union, 225 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:37,080 Vladimir Putin now insists 226 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,160 that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people". 227 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,800 And Russia has been accused in the current conflict 228 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,480 of deliberately targeting historical and cultural sites 229 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:53,800 as a way of trying to destroy an independent Ukrainian identity. 230 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,720 The Ukrainian state clearly understands 231 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,280 the importance not only of winning on the battlefield, 232 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,560 but also showcasing Ukraine to the world, 233 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:03,880 because one of the reasons why this war 234 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:05,480 has been so violent and aggressive 235 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:08,160 is partly because of our own ignorance about the country. 236 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,080 We've let this happen, in many respects, 237 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,840 because we haven't paid attention. 238 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:15,080 So the orchestra is bringing Ukrainian culture to the world, 239 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:17,360 but I also think it's working towards a victory 240 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:19,840 in which we all understand and see Ukraine 241 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:22,080 much better than we ever have before. 242 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:24,320 VIOLIN PLAYS 243 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:56,480 One member of the new orchestra, violinist Yulia Rubanova, 244 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,000 knows all too well what Russia's attempt 245 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,400 to obliterate Ukrainian culture really means. 246 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,000 She lives here in Austria, 247 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,880 but grew up in Ukraine's southern port city of Mariupol, 248 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,080 where her parents, both musicians, still live. 249 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,720 In March this year, Russian forces announced 250 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:20,720 they'd taken control of the city, 251 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,680 trapping tens of thousands of civilians. 252 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:40,120 For two months, they managed to cling to life in the besieged city. 253 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,800 Her parents, Serhiy and Vita, 254 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,600 have finally been able to escape. 255 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:08,040 This is the first time Yulia has seen them in months. 256 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,600 Yulia's family lived within sight of Mariupol's theatre, 257 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,720 and had performed on its stage. 258 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,560 In March, Russian bombs destroyed the building. 259 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,360 More than a thousand people 260 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:27,840 were reported to have been sheltering in the basement. 261 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,680 But in the aftermath of all the destruction, 262 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,960 and after more than 400 other attacks on cultural sites, 263 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,640 Yulia is determined to fight back. 264 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,520 For Ukrainians, the Mariupol theatre attack 265 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,360 felt like a deliberate assault on their culture. 266 00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:46,320 A heritage that can be traced back to the late medieval world 267 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,560 of wandering Cossacks, who sang songs that spoke to 268 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:53,400 an illiterate and virtually enslaved peasant population, 269 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:55,360 of past days of freedom. 270 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:01,200 Over centuries, this cultural history 271 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:05,680 influenced generations of Ukrainian musicians and composers 272 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:11,120 seeking to assert an indigenous identity against foreign rule. 273 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,000 Time to head to the capital. 274 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,120 In just five days, the Freedom Orchestra 275 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:23,040 will finally come together for rehearsals. 276 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:33,240 Percussionist Yevhen is getting ready to leave his family. 277 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,000 Hello. 278 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:36,880 How are you? 279 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,040 Yevhen's been given special permission 280 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,680 to leave his country in wartime... 281 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,360 ..but he's uncertain about what the trip will bring. 282 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:41,520 PURRING 283 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,720 Within days, he'll be leaving for rehearsals in Poland, 284 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:48,960 but he's heard some men of military age 285 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:50,800 are being turned away at the border. 286 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,800 He calls a friend in the orchestra to check he has the right paperwork. 287 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,120 It's too late to get an extra permit. 288 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:20,800 He'll have to gamble that the border guards will let him cross. 289 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,920 Most of the new orchestra's musicians are based here in Ukraine. 290 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:31,240 They hope to travel by coach across the border to Poland. 291 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,240 In just two weeks, they'll play the Royal Albert Hall. 292 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,160 In the city of Lviv, 293 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,800 violinist Anna is making her final preparations. 294 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:11,640 It's time for her to join 295 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,960 the other young musicians from across Ukraine. 296 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,400 This is the start of a long international tour - 297 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:31,480 months away from their families back home. 298 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,520 Today, I am a bit nervous. 299 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:43,920 The trip has begun, 300 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:45,880 so I'm really excited. 301 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:48,760 Sometimes it's hard - 302 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,880 you realise, yes, that the war is going on, 303 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:54,360 it's not over. 304 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:59,600 But we need to get some power for future fight. 305 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:06,640 The war means tighter checks on who can and cannot leave. 306 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:09,800 The coach is held up for six hours at the border. 307 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:15,080 Finally, it's waved through, and passes into Poland. 308 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,760 For the musicians, it's the first stop on their musical odyssey. 309 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,280 They're heading to Warsaw, 310 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:29,040 where they'll be based for rehearsals and an inaugural concert. 311 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,520 It's another country, another people, 312 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,280 another conductor, so many things will be different. 313 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:46,840 This orchestra is not the first in history 314 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:50,520 to be formed in defiance of an enemy invasion. 315 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,240 Ironically, it was the Russians who were the earliest to understand 316 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:58,760 the propaganda power of orchestral music during wartime. 317 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:01,000 In September 1941, 318 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:05,520 German troops advanced on the Russian city of Leningrad. 319 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,160 Renowned composer Dmitri Shostakovich 320 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:13,400 was one of 3-million inhabitants who found themselves trapped. 321 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,920 Shostakovich tried to join the army, but they wouldn't let him 322 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,480 because they didn't want to risk his death on the front lines. 323 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:25,360 He ends up assigned to defend the Leningrad Conservatory. 324 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:27,400 He was meant to be on the roof, 325 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,400 so that if any artillery landed on the roof, 326 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:30,880 they would extinguish the fire. 327 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,160 But any time there was ever any danger, 328 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,200 they would send Shostakovich to perform some menial task 329 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,920 so that he was never actually in any danger. 330 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,440 MARTIAL MUSIC 331 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,160 As the siege took hold, Shostakovich began to write 332 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,440 the music that would become emblematic 333 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,040 of his country's struggle against the Nazi invasion. 334 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:00,400 Life in besieged Leningrad was terrible. 335 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,280 It was apocalyptic. 336 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:05,800 People were desperate. 337 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,800 He started composing the symphony 338 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,720 to memorialise everything that was happening around him. 339 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,520 It's why it's so emotionally powerful. 340 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:22,360 Shostakovich started writing it in Leningrad, under the siege, 341 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:25,240 when the worst bombing was happening, 342 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:30,040 and then he was thankfully evacuated from the city. 343 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,320 Once he finished writing the score, 344 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,560 it had to be flown back to Leningrad. 345 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,200 And as preparations were made to perform the symphony 346 00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:00,320 for the first time, the orchestra was swelled 347 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,840 by musician soldiers taken from the front line. 348 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,200 When it was first performed in Leningrad, 349 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,160 it was an event of such magnitude 350 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,560 it gave the people who had been in that besieged city 351 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:21,080 a sense that they were not alone and that there was hope 352 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:26,280 and that there was solidarity with others around the Soviet Union. 353 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:31,760 That score was smuggled out of the Soviet Union. 354 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:35,360 It came to the UK, the United States, 355 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,840 and conductors fought one another to try to get the first performance. 356 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:44,160 It became a symbol of defiance. 357 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,280 The Americans and the Europeans 358 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:51,360 became united with the Soviet Union through this music. 359 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,640 The Freedom Orchestra's musicians have made it to Warsaw. 360 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:10,120 PIANO MUSIC 361 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:21,080 Soon, the hard work will begin, at the city's famous opera house, 362 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:25,240 to mould a credible ensemble in just ten days. 363 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,600 I'm also here for the start of what will be 364 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,240 an intensive rehearsal period. 365 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,960 And here are our musicians. 366 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,680 The poster for the concert, 367 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,600 there's Yevhen at the bottom there, 368 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,040 and Anna, our violinist, there. 369 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:51,560 They're all here in Poland at the home of the National Opera 370 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:54,200 and they're finally going to be playing together. 371 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,000 This incredible project is going to get some life. 372 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,240 I want to meet the person who came up with 373 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,040 this extraordinary musical idea... 374 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,920 ..the conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. 375 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:25,760 What was the motivation for creating this orchestra? 376 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:27,680 I'm Canadian-Ukrainian. 377 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,240 My great-grandparents came from Chernivtsi, 378 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:32,160 which is in the west of Ukraine, 379 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,720 and when I was a child I heard Ukrainian spoken in the home, 380 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,640 I was taught all of the beautiful traditions of the Ukrainian culture, 381 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,120 and very passionate about my Slavic blood. 382 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:48,360 So at the beginning of the invasion, I wanted to fight. 383 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:55,360 But as a musician, instead of taking up a...a pistol or a gun, 384 00:31:55,360 --> 00:32:01,880 I wanted to hold my baton in defence of its culture, of its soul. 385 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:07,400 Vladimir Putin says Ukraine doesn't have a culture. Mm. 386 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,640 He doesn't understand his history. 387 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:15,800 I don't think he understands the human soul 388 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:16,840 and how... 389 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:20,880 ..we are all brothers and sisters of Slavic, 390 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:22,720 of the Slavic nations. 391 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:27,440 There's such a strong history between Ukraine and Russia. 392 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:31,040 So this fight is not only about Ukraine, 393 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,800 it's about all of us. 394 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:37,840 We can speak to one another, despite our differences, 395 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:41,720 and share at least music together. 396 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:43,640 ORCHESTRA WARMS UP 397 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,320 How did you go about finding them? 398 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:03,280 There were glitches along the way. 399 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,520 We had a bass player who was drafted to the military. 400 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:10,040 And believe it or not, just two days ago we had... 401 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,520 ..our principal second violinist was packing 402 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,600 and he found his passport on the table 403 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:17,440 which had been chewed by his dog, 404 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,040 so he's now unable to come. 405 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:24,120 The programme that the orchestra's playing - 406 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,760 Silvestrov, Chopin, 407 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:28,480 Beethoven, Fidelio - 408 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:30,960 there is a link between all of those, isn't there? 409 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:34,240 I selected this programme first of all 410 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:38,280 because I love the music. That I have to establish. 411 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,760 I had to have a Ukrainian composer. 412 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,840 Valentyn Silvestrov is the most famous and celebrated 413 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,760 living composer, he's now 84-years-old, 414 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:50,680 after spending a life in Ukraine. 415 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:52,960 So what are you hoping to achieve, then? 416 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,840 This orchestra is united 417 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:59,960 to play to the world, 418 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:03,400 to galvanise audiences on our tour. 419 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,880 And I feel that there's not a better time now. 420 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:09,840 The war is becoming a little less present 421 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,240 in the news cycle, but it's getting stronger. 422 00:34:13,240 --> 00:34:16,440 There's more death, there's more fighting every day. 423 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,520 The musicians who have families now in Ukraine, 424 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:25,240 it must be absolutely horrific. But we're all determined and strong 425 00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:28,920 and united for this reason - that you will not silence us. 426 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:30,920 ORCHESTRA PLAYS 427 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:36,880 On the first day of rehearsals, 428 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,760 there's a nervous energy amongst the musicians. 429 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:53,720 SHE DEMONSTRATES 430 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:23,400 Fantastika, fantastika. 431 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,400 The first run-through seems to have gone well. 432 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:44,240 I wanted to catch up with violinist Yulia, 433 00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:49,320 who's learned much more about her parents' escape from Mariupol. 434 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,120 Mariupol was a beautiful city. Yeah. 435 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:53,760 And... 436 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:56,640 Like here. 437 00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:58,640 Just like this? It was like this. 438 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:00,840 And now it's devastated. 439 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,160 As a professional musician, 440 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:39,640 Yulia continued to perform regularly in Austria, 441 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:42,400 but her parents were never far from her mind. 442 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,040 Did you fear that you wouldn't see them again? 443 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,480 Tell me about when you finally made contact with them. Yeah. 444 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:35,960 What was that like? 445 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:53,320 Has music helped you through the darkest of times? 446 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:19,720 We are united to fight for Ukraine on the cultural front. 447 00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:21,960 It's not long until the Proms, 448 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:25,120 and they're still getting used to playing together. 449 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:40,440 There is a pride all the musicians feel in playing for their country, 450 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:43,760 and percussionist Yevhen is carrying his national flag, 451 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:47,520 which he hopes his fellow musicians will all sign. 452 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:51,280 All of this orchestra is 100% Ukrainian. 453 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,720 It's like the whole world becomes Ukrainian in one moment. 454 00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:57,440 It's a great opportunity to... 455 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:00,840 ..to world know more about Ukraine, about Ukrainians. 456 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:04,480 We're not like small part of Russia or Soviet Union. 457 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,760 We are independent country, 458 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:09,840 with its own art. 459 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:12,880 We have great culture. 460 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:24,080 We usually think of music as able to transcend borders, 461 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,000 to knock down barriers. 462 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,360 But actually, it's in times of crisis, like wars, 463 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:35,520 when nations tend to turn music to show their patriotism. 464 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:38,840 And there is one living Ukrainian composer 465 00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:44,000 who has a special place in the hearts of its musicians. 466 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,280 His name is Valentyn Silvestrov. 467 00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:52,920 Silvestrov is such a revered father figure 468 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:56,600 for younger composers of all stripes. 469 00:40:56,600 --> 00:41:00,320 In 2017, there was a concert of Silvestrov's music 470 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:01,920 at the Kyiv Conservatory. 471 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:05,840 The minute they opened the doors, it was like a storm to get seats. 472 00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:09,200 People were literally fighting over seats. 473 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:13,160 There was this great need to hear his music. 474 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:18,000 Silvestrov began his career in the 1960s, 475 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:21,160 but after falling foul of the Soviet authorities, 476 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,160 his music took a new direction. 477 00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:29,240 It was Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991 478 00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:31,600 that would affect him most profoundly. 479 00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:34,040 CHANTING 480 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:37,760 Once Ukrainian independence is declared in 1991, 481 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:39,600 the end of the Soviet Union, 482 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:43,400 Ukrainians are beginning to try to figure out 483 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,080 what that means for them as a country, as a people, 484 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:49,280 and Silvestrov very slowly begins to write music 485 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:53,400 that is much more nationalistic, it's much more religious, 486 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:55,760 and it's much more engaged with this idea of 487 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:57,640 what does it mean to be Ukrainian? 488 00:41:57,640 --> 00:42:02,080 He is articulating in sound this growing self-awareness. 489 00:42:04,240 --> 00:42:07,960 In 2014, violent demonstrations broke out 490 00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:11,160 protesting against corruption, police brutality, 491 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:14,520 and the then-government's close ties to Russia. 492 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,520 SIREN WAILS 493 00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:26,640 Over three days, more than 100 people were killed. 494 00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:29,840 It became known as the Maidan Uprising, 495 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:34,600 and inspired Silvestrov to write his most political music. 496 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:37,640 CHORAL-STYLE MUSIC PLAYS 497 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:42,240 Silvestrov wrote a few songs in memory of those protesters. 498 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:51,240 These had very overt political causes 499 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:54,400 and they were meant as a way to memorialise 500 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:58,960 and to give listeners a sense that they were not alone. 501 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:01,560 CHORAL-STYLE MUSIC CONTINUES 502 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:09,640 For decades, 503 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,680 I'd hear Ukraine in Silvestrov's music. 504 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:18,320 He started referring to Ukrainian music, 505 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:21,280 Ukrainian folk songs and Ukrainian language, 506 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:23,840 way before the current events. 507 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,760 CHORAL SINGING 508 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:45,320 What better piece to programme than his 7th Symphony? 509 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:56,840 Silvestrov wrote it for the person most dear to him. 510 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,120 His wife died in 1996. 511 00:44:22,240 --> 00:44:26,960 As a gesture to all of our sisters and brothers in Ukraine, 512 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,280 everyone that we've lost, 513 00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:32,680 and all of those beautiful souls that will live on, 514 00:44:32,680 --> 00:44:35,440 this is our dedication to them. 515 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:47,000 Listening to the rehearsals for the Symphony No 7, 516 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:48,800 one passage is striking. 517 00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:52,800 The brass players blow into their instruments 518 00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:54,480 without forcing notes. 519 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:10,760 SPEAKS UKRAINIAN 520 00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:12,000 Like a wave. 521 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:13,960 MUSICIANS CHATTER 522 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,360 I was standing in the wings while you were practising 523 00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:24,040 the Silvestrov 7th Symphony, 524 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:28,120 and there is an incredibly powerful moment 525 00:45:28,120 --> 00:45:31,840 where you've got the tolling of a bell with the percussion 526 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:35,160 and then the brass section, 527 00:45:35,160 --> 00:45:39,520 the players in turn force air into the instrument 528 00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:42,480 but there's no note that comes out, 529 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:44,680 and that is incredibly poignant. 530 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:48,080 What was Silvestrov trying to represent there? 531 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:51,280 Well, there's a beautiful story behind this symphony, 532 00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:53,640 is that he dedicated it to his wife. 533 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:57,400 Ultimately, it is about her spirit, it's about her dying breath. 534 00:45:57,400 --> 00:46:01,640 But for me, it represents soul and life, 535 00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:04,480 and this is symbolic, why I choose the symphony, 536 00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:07,360 because it was dedicated to her, 537 00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:12,280 but we can dedicate this as a symbol of the soldiers 538 00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:15,080 and all of the victims who are dying 539 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:17,480 and who have died in Ukraine. 540 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:21,280 So this is a very profound and spiritual work for us. 541 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:24,080 It's, uh... 542 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:27,880 It's why this is such a great piece we can perform 543 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:30,720 because audiences will understand... 544 00:46:32,720 --> 00:46:36,280 ..the emotion that we all have together. 545 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:37,920 So it's hope, 546 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:42,720 it's a message of continuity despite all of the tragedy, 547 00:46:42,720 --> 00:46:46,680 and that's our message, ultimately, on this tour. 548 00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:52,400 While rehearsals continue in Warsaw, I'm travelling to Paris 549 00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:56,400 to meet the ensemble's star pianist, Anna Fedorova. 550 00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:01,080 PIANO PLAYING 551 00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:07,520 She's been busy playing a series of benefit concerts for Ukraine. 552 00:47:25,760 --> 00:47:29,720 Anna. Hi. Pleasure to meet you, it's good to see you. 553 00:47:29,720 --> 00:47:31,800 Very nice to meet you. 554 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:36,320 The Chopin is very special to you, 555 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:40,560 particularly in recent times. Just explain why. 556 00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:43,920 All of us Ukrainians, I think we feel even closer to Chopin 557 00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:48,080 because our destinies are quite similar at the moment. 558 00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:54,920 He was also forced to escape from his own beloved country, Poland, 559 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:59,080 because of the invasion of Russia at that time. 560 00:47:59,080 --> 00:48:04,080 And he lived in exile in France for the rest of his life. 561 00:48:04,080 --> 00:48:08,480 I just wonder how intense your playing has become. 562 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:11,880 I feel especially when it's, er, really dramatic music, 563 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:14,520 the tragic music, the dark music, 564 00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:18,800 I feel that it connects even more with me now 565 00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,600 because also this emotions are the ones which I'm going through. 566 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:27,160 And are there moments when you're angry about what is going on? 567 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:30,960 Oh, yes. When you attack the keyboard? Yes. 568 00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:37,040 Yeah, that also comes through a lot when I'm performing. Really? 569 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:41,160 ANGRY RIPPLING SEQUENCE 570 00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:48,120 I think with Chopin, you can never be aggressive when you play Chopin, 571 00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:51,960 so what emotions that rather are coming through here 572 00:49:51,960 --> 00:49:55,200 is the scream of the soul. 573 00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:58,240 That's what you're thinking? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 574 00:49:58,240 --> 00:50:02,640 The drama, the dramatism of the situation, 575 00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:05,280 the tension - 576 00:50:05,280 --> 00:50:07,880 those are the emotions. 577 00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:11,680 The bombing of your homeland, 578 00:50:11,680 --> 00:50:13,920 is that the kind of... 579 00:50:15,240 --> 00:50:17,680 ..desperation of the soul that you're talking about? 580 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:21,840 Yes, yes. It's... It's absolutely heart-breaking 581 00:50:21,840 --> 00:50:27,640 and it's...just physical pain to see and understand 582 00:50:27,640 --> 00:50:29,880 that actually, this is really happening. 583 00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:35,760 Music is such an important...tool in our lives, basically, 584 00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:40,720 not just to bring pleasure but also to heal and to bring hope. 585 00:50:40,720 --> 00:50:47,120 Mmm. Chopin famously never returned to Poland. No. 586 00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:52,080 Yeah. I hope it won't be the case with us, with Ukrainians. 587 00:50:55,480 --> 00:50:58,400 ORCHESTRA PLAYS 588 00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:36,960 THEY LAUGH 589 00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:38,000 Pretty good... 590 00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,360 SPEAKS UKRAINIAN ..that we played together. 591 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:42,680 Er, just, we need a little more life. 592 00:51:42,680 --> 00:51:44,960 SPEAKS UKRAINIAN 593 00:51:44,960 --> 00:51:47,120 er...joie de vivre. 594 00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:48,960 When you make crescendo. 595 00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:51,000 SHE DEMONSTRATES 596 00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:54,040 Just let it go. OK? 597 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:55,680 Sunshine. Sontse. 598 00:51:56,880 --> 00:51:58,600 Freedom. 599 00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:02,240 In Warsaw, Anna Bura has been settling in 600 00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:04,920 among the first violins in the orchestra. 601 00:52:04,920 --> 00:52:07,600 I had a recorded message from her dad, 602 00:52:07,600 --> 00:52:10,520 on the front line in north-east Ukraine. 603 00:52:39,120 --> 00:52:42,120 I feel more emotional that I was expected to. 604 00:52:43,560 --> 00:52:47,160 And you understand why your father is there? 605 00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:51,880 He has to fight for future of his kids. 606 00:52:51,880 --> 00:52:57,000 I am sure that he is in the place he has to be now. 607 00:52:57,000 --> 00:53:00,480 And thanks to people like my dad, 608 00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:04,840 we still have our homes and we still have our country. 609 00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:08,160 This morning, I felt for first time 610 00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:09,760 we are united here... 611 00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:15,800 ..to help Ukraine, so, and it really feels like that. 612 00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:18,720 Mmm. It feel...there's unity. 613 00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:28,680 The gruelling rehearsals continue, with the Proms not far away. 614 00:53:28,680 --> 00:53:29,960 SPEAKS UKRAINIAN 615 00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:37,160 When we come together, we make music together, 616 00:53:37,160 --> 00:53:40,800 and these ten days... I bet nobody's going to complain. 617 00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:43,760 I have a feeling I won't see one musician complain, 618 00:53:43,760 --> 00:53:47,120 because we all know what the soldiers are going through. 619 00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:51,840 I want us to all be resolved that this war is not going away - 620 00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:55,280 we all have to stay in solidarity 621 00:53:55,280 --> 00:53:58,200 and fight with every mean we can, 622 00:53:58,200 --> 00:54:01,320 artistically, in every way possible. 623 00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:03,320 CHATTER 624 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:09,160 Just to keep these people in Ukraine, 625 00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:11,480 keep them feeling like there's hope. 626 00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:19,480 After coming together for the first time just two weeks ago, 627 00:54:19,480 --> 00:54:23,400 the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra arrives in London. 628 00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:29,320 A crowd has already gathered in support. 629 00:54:31,480 --> 00:54:34,080 What are the thoughts now of our musicians 630 00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:36,840 just one hour before taking the stage? 631 00:54:38,520 --> 00:54:40,440 Anna. Oh, Clive! 632 00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:43,600 Hello. Good to see you. Hey! So great to see you! 633 00:54:43,600 --> 00:54:45,880 What are your hopes for this kind of concert? 634 00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:48,640 What do you think it can bring to the Ukrainian story? 635 00:54:48,640 --> 00:54:51,880 It's spreading the spirit of Ukrainian people, 636 00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:54,640 which is very strong and powerful. 637 00:54:54,640 --> 00:54:58,280 This is, of course, a huge stage, a huge exposure. 638 00:54:58,280 --> 00:55:01,360 We will reach a lot of people with this concert. 639 00:55:01,360 --> 00:55:06,640 People in the UK were so supportive this whole time for the Ukrainians. 640 00:55:06,640 --> 00:55:09,880 And I think it will be very, very special. 641 00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:12,520 Well, I know you've got to get ready, so good luck. 642 00:55:12,520 --> 00:55:14,360 Thank you. 643 00:55:22,560 --> 00:55:23,920 Yevhen! 644 00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:27,080 It's good to see you again. Good to see you again. 645 00:55:27,080 --> 00:55:30,560 My word, look at you. Ready to go. Yeah. How are you feeling? 646 00:55:30,560 --> 00:55:32,280 Excited. 647 00:55:40,080 --> 00:55:43,760 And all that work, all the preparation over the last few weeks, 648 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:47,000 it's come to this now. In just a few minutes, you will be on the stage. 649 00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:48,920 Yeah, yes. Very excited. 650 00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:51,600 Hope we can perform very well 651 00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:54,080 in such a great hall, such a great acoustic. 652 00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:55,720 It's wonderful. 653 00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:02,840 Yulia, Anna, it's so good to see you here. 654 00:56:18,120 --> 00:56:20,360 I can see the excitement! 655 00:56:27,360 --> 00:56:29,280 We are still fighting. 656 00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:31,800 And we need 657 00:56:31,840 --> 00:56:35,200 all the world to continue helping us 658 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:38,200 because we cannot stand alone. 659 00:56:39,760 --> 00:56:42,280 It's only been a few weeks since I first met 660 00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:44,760 members of the new orchestra, 661 00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:47,560 and to come together here, 662 00:56:47,560 --> 00:56:50,400 many have had to leave behind friends and relatives 663 00:56:50,400 --> 00:56:51,920 in the middle of a war zone, 664 00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:54,560 but in that time they've forged a new collective 665 00:56:54,560 --> 00:56:58,160 with a powerful message to carry to the world 666 00:56:58,160 --> 00:57:00,600 about Ukrainian culture. 667 00:57:00,600 --> 00:57:03,880 They're doing their bit for their country, 668 00:57:03,880 --> 00:57:07,120 inspired by the conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. 669 00:57:07,120 --> 00:57:10,400 Now you are here at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. 670 00:57:10,400 --> 00:57:13,360 How difficult was it getting this orchestra into shape 671 00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:14,720 from that first moment? 672 00:57:14,720 --> 00:57:16,640 Of course, the first rehearsal was rough, 673 00:57:16,640 --> 00:57:19,840 but ten days of intensive military boot camp 674 00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:21,720 for musicians, it was... 675 00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:24,880 The results are phenomenal, and I couldn't be happier. 676 00:57:24,880 --> 00:57:29,840 As their leader, together we are united as soldiers of music. 677 00:57:29,840 --> 00:57:33,320 To show the world that Ukrainian culture is alive, 678 00:57:33,320 --> 00:57:36,040 it's rich, and it can't be erased. 679 00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:38,640 APPLAUSE 680 00:57:43,440 --> 00:57:44,920 My baton is my weapon. 681 00:57:46,160 --> 00:57:48,240 It's one that reaches to the soul. 682 00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:52,440 It's not one that kills. 683 00:57:52,440 --> 00:57:57,240 It's one that is about life, and hope... 684 00:57:59,720 --> 00:58:03,040 ..and freedom, and unity. 685 00:58:04,200 --> 00:58:05,720 Maestro, standing by. 686 00:58:05,760 --> 00:58:07,680 INSTRUMENTS TUNE UP 687 00:58:12,440 --> 00:58:16,520 CHEERING AND APPLAUSE 688 00:58:38,680 --> 00:58:40,680 ORCHESTRA BEGINS TO PLAY