Song for Ukraine airs on BBC Radio 3

I collaborated with contralto Jess Dandy on a ‘peace song’ for Ukraine, setting a poem by the 19th century Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko - who was imprisoned by Russia for promoting the independence of Ukraine. BBC Radio 3 played the piece on their breakfast show today, which was a real honour.

A filmed performance of the piece is available to watch here.

About the piece:

'All Now Went Still’ - a peace song for Ukraine

Taras Shevchenko (1814–1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer and artist who was imprisoned for supporting the independence of Ukraine, voicing anti-Russian sentiment, and promoting Ukrainian folk traditions. 

His poem 'A Cherry Orchard by the House’, written from prison, evokes a pastoral Ukrainian scene permeated by the song of nightingales - the national bird of Ukraine, who seem to keep watch over a family throughout the night.

In our new musical setting of the poem we have focused on the line 'All now went still’ to create what we see as a 'peace song’ expressing hope and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. 

The uneasy depiction of the stillness of night is evocative of the eerily quiet footage of Ukrainian cities under curfew in recent weeks. The nightingales’ almost sacred vigil points to the sanctity of peace but also the caution and vigilance needed to maintain it. The flower crown references vinoks: traditional Ukrainian flower crowns worn as a talisman of resistance since the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.

Music by Alex Mills

Performed by Jess Dandy and Dylan Perez

Recorded and filmed by Bobby Williams

Enormous thanks to Boris Dralyuk and Roman Koropeckyj who gave us permission to use their English translation of the poem.