The Metropolitan Opera, Decca Classics and Deutsche Grammophon present A Concert for Ukraine, an album recorded live at the Met on March 14, 2022, that features the company’s complete special concert expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine. All ticket sales and donations supported relief efforts in Ukraine and proceeds from the album will also support relief efforts in the country. The album has been released digitally on 21 July and physically in the US later in 2022.
This album captures a uniquely memorable performance by the Metropolitan Opera and its stars, and demonstrates the power of art to deliver a clear message to the forces of darkness that would destroy a nation. I hope this concert brings a measure of comfort and moral support to the suffering people of Ukraine, and that it reminds the world that we stand with them. ~ Peter Gelb, the Met’s general director
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus with a roster of star musical soloists offering solace through their art. The album opens with the National Anthem of Ukraine, featuring Ukrainian bass-baritone and Lindemann Young Artist Vladyslav Buialskyi. Stirring performances of Valentin Silvestrov’s “Prayer for Ukraine,” Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Op. 1, and “Va, pensiero” from Verdi’s Nabucco are also included, as well as a moving interpretation of Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the indelible soprano Lise Davidsen. The final selection, Beethoven’s Finale from Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, featuring a stellar quartet of soloists including soprano Elza van den Heever, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Piotr Beczała, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, offers a rousing conclusion.
Dominic Fyfe, Label Director of Decca Classics, says,
This is a time for solidarity with those suffering. We are pleased to join with our friends at the Met and our colleagues at Deutsche Grammophon to bring this Concert for Ukraine to a global audience. All the soloists performed without charge, and proceeds from the album will be donated to charities supporting relief efforts in Ukraine. Music can make a difference.
Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President of Deutsche Grammophon, believes the recording represents a beautiful symbol of support and solidarity.
A Concert for Ukraine enabled some of today’s finest musicians to show their compassion and light a beacon of hope for the Ukrainian people.
A Concert for Ukraine – Track Listing
Recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera on March 14, 2022
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Lise Davidsen, soprano
Elza van den Heever, soprano
Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano
Piotr Beczała, tenor
Vladyslav Buialskyi, bass-baritone
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Donald Palumbo, Chorus Master
1. Mykhailo Verbytsky (1815-70) – National Anthem of Ukraine – Vladyslav Buialskyi, Metropolitan Opera Chorus
2. Valentin Silvestrov (b. 1937) – Prayer for Ukraine – Metropolitan Opera Chorus
3. Samuel Barber (1910-81) – Adagio for Strings, Op. 1
4. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) – “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco – Metropolitan Opera Chorus – Richard Strauss (1864-1901) – Vier Letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
5. Frühling
6. September
7. Beim Schlafengehen
8. Im Abendrot
9. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
10. Finale, from Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 – Elza van den Heever, Jamie Barton, Piotr Beczała, Ryan Speedo Green – Metropolitan Opera Chorus
PROCEEDS FROM ALBUM’S SALE TO BE DONATED TO CHARITIES SUPPORTING UKRAINE RELIEF EFFORTS
DIGITAL RELEASE: 21 JULY 2022