The Metropolitan Opera will mark the one-year anniversary of the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine on Friday with "For Ukraine: A concert of Remembrance and Hope."
Ukrainian tenor and bass-baritone Dmytro Popov and Vladyslav Buialskyi will headline the concert alongside fellow Met Opera regulars Golda Schultz and Emily D’Angelo.
The program includes Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the Ukrainian National Anthem and Valentin Silvestrov’s “Prayer for Ukraine.”
The Met didn't choose the program's classical works arbitrarily; they're honoring Ukrainians with the pieces' symbolism.
“Mozart’s Requiem is to remember the innocent victims of the war, and Beethoven’s Fifth is in anticipation of the victory to come," said General Manager Peter Gelb.
Metropolitan Opera Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead the concert, presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations.
“I am proud to lead the great Met Orchestra and Chorus as we continue to use music, an instrument of peace and healing, to show support for the people of Ukraine as they continue their quest for peace and an end to this war," he said.
Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's UN ambassador, praised the Met for their early support.
"The Metropolitan Opera was among the first to show solidarity with Ukraine, its people, culture and artists, and it has continued to do so throughout the past year of this tragic invasion," he said.
“All wars come to an end, but we will always remember who was with us from the first, most difficult, moments.”
Listen to the entire concert live on Classical IPR at 7 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 24.
