Odesa Philharmonic Hosts "Ode to Resilience" Concert Amid Recovery Efforts

A concert led by the conductor of the Kharkiv Regional Philharmonic, Serhiy Lykhomanenko, who has been in Donetsk region for three years as an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the 5th separate assault brigade, was held at the Odesa Philharmonic.

The concert, which took place as part of the Ode to Resilience project, was attended by an Intent correspondent.

"Ode to Resilience is a cultural and charitable initiative that combines creativity and military experience. The series of concerts featured symphonic works by contemporary composers inspired by the events of the war in Ukraine.

Odesa is the third city in Ukraine to be visited by the project. The Philharmonic performed:

• Symphonic arrangement of Sonata No. 2 for piano and orchestra by Viktor Kosenko,
• Symphonic arrangement of the Prelude in Fis-Moll by Borys Liatoshynskyi,
• "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 "Ukrainian" by Gabriele Denaro (Italy).
• Concerto for a surviving grand piano by Vlad Solodovnikov.

All the interpretations and works were heard by the Odesa Philharmonic for the first time. After Odesa, the project plans to visit Cherkasy and Lviv.

The Odesa Philharmonic was damaged by a Russian missile strike on January 31: the blast wave knocked out the authentic carpentry of the main entrance, damaged large stained-glass windows and interior decoration.

In total, 15 cultural heritage sites were damaged.

On January 31, in the evening, the Russian armed forces attacked Odesa with ballistic missiles, predominantly of the Iskander type. In the central part of the city, the building of the Bristol Hotel was destroyed, windows were smashed and facades in nearby buildings and premises were damaged.

During the attack, diplomats from Norway were staying in the hotel. The number of victims of the Russian missile strike on the evening of Friday, January 31, reached seven civilians.

Кирило Бойко