The Lviv Philharmonic and the Legacy of Thomas de Hartmann
Film screening and discussion
Thursday, September 14, 7:30 p.m.
In early February of 2023, with the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaching, the Fine Arts Center welcomed the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine to the UMass Amherst campus.
The program for the evening included Ukrainian composer Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto. Written in response to the Nazi occupation of de Hartmann’s native country, the piece fit the moment. Its performance — a first ever in the Americas and the first anywhere in the world in more than 70 years — also highlighted the orchestra’s efforts to claim their countryman’s music for Ukraine, and the ongoing effort to restore the once “lost” composer de Hartmann to his rightful place in the western canon. Our companion films — a short documentary that looks at the historical and topical contexts of the performance, and a full film of the Violin Concerto — capture and examine a moment in music history as it unfolded in real time.
Please join us for a free screening and discussion.