Since Russia has entered Ukraine nearly three years ago, Tetiana Martiniuk Bari, a violinist of the Kiev Symphony Orchestra, has moved from apartment to apartment to apartment with her husband and 14 -year -old daughter, Oreesia. , I have lived a refugee life.
She has seen that the war has been developed from afar, and she believes that it plays a role as a champion of Ukrainian culture, fearing the safety of her family returning home.
The orchestra musicians were welcomed in Gerra, Germany for two years, and when it ended, she invited the Monheim Am Line, about 40,000 towns along the Rhine, to a two -year cultural residency. I felt lucky. At the moment when Ukraine's western government's support seemed soft and many places seemed to be welcomed by refugees, 73 musicians and their families provided a very necessary shelter.
More than 1,000 days after her and her fellow musicians first evacuated, 44-year-old Martyniuk-Bahrii said she was used to uncertainty.
“It's a life, but it's not a completely happy life,” she said. “Who knows what happens next?”
In Germany, immigration is a hot issue prior to this month's parliamentary election, and some politicians have called for the government to pass strict new restrictions. Some people have proposed reducing support for exile, including those from Ukraine, as a way to encourage them to find a job.
Martyniuk-Bahrii said she tried not to think about her future in Germany because she was helpless to control the law and politics.
Her daughter enrolls in a local school, studies German, and plays violin like her mother. When parents talk about war, she covers her ears.
Martyniuk-Bahrii focuses on the safety of Ukraine friends and family, receiving air raid alerts over the phone and scanning the headlines of devastating news.
“My body may be here,” she said, “But my heart is in Ukraine.”
In Monheim, Ukrainians were warmly welcomed, but some inhabitants were wondering if they could afford to help others when the town faced their own social and economic issues. I was doing it. The musicians held a benefit concert, recorded works by Ukrainian composers, and toured around Europe.
Martin Witkowski, the intention of Monheimer Kulturweerke, a cultural center invited by the Kyiva Symphony Orchestra, said that it emphasized hiring as an orchestra musician full -time and contributed to the economy. The town expects to spend up to 3 million euros ($ 3.1 million) this year for Ukrainian salaries and other benefits.
“They are our siblings,” said Witokowski. “War is not on our street, but it doesn't mean you can't come here. If you're a refugee, you have to think, how do you want to be treated?
Orchestra violinist Orekushii Pusheniknikov (25 years old) said it was difficult to know the period when the orchestra could stay in Germany or when a musician could return to Ukraine.
“It's an uneasy soup,” he said. “At one point, you start wondering,” Will we go home? ” “
In Monheim, musicians explain a friendly atmosphere. However, in Gera, a city with about 96,000 Chewinga family in eastern Germany, they sometimes felt the dazzling of unknown people. Gera is occupied by the Soviet army after World War II and still has Russian parent. One day, a small group of the Demonstrations marched on the street and criticized German politicians by supporting Ukraine.
“That was the last thing I expected,” said Dennis Karacevzef (32), an orchestra cellist. “I can't explain these nostalgic emotions.”
Kalachevzefu, who attracted attention during the war to play Bach in the destruction of Ukraine's hometown and destruction, may be skeptical of some Germans first. He said he understood why. “You have to live together,” he said. But he said music would help dispel stereotypes.
“By playing a little note, you can open people's eyes,” he said.
The Kiev Symphony Orchestra was deep in the rehearsal for a few days before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The orchestra, founded in 1979, was planning a Wagner concert, including excerpts from “Flying Dutchman”, “Tristan UND ISOLDE”, and “Diewalküre” in Kiev's Ukrainian National Opera.
Later, in late February, a missile fell to Kyiv. The orchestra canceled the engagement, and the player took the shelter.
At home, musicians looked at the instrument for comfort. But they missed the performance together.
Pshenychnikov, who joined the orchestra in 2021, fled to the suburbs of Kiev with his family, where he was distracted by the constant bombardment boom.
“I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat it,” he said. “And suddenly we all were separated from each other.”
In April 2022, the war continued and the face -to -face concerts were not a problem yet, so the leaders of the Kiev Symphony Orchestra stopped in Warsaw, Berlin, Hamburg, etc. and crossed Europe. Was announced.
The orchestra said that if he worked to fight Russian attacks in all possible ways, the ensemble would “be a powerful voice of the world in the world.” Ukrainian cultural and defensive staff have granted permission so that male players of the military age can leave the country.
The tour reunited with the musician and gave them a mission: promoting Ukraine culture. The first concert in Poland included works by famous Ukrainian composers such as BORYS Lyatoshynsky and Myroslav Skoryk.
The tour said, “like a miracle,” said Martiniuk Balii, who fled to Rivive in western Ukraine, had fled west with the orchestra sound and a video engineer daughter.
“Cultural life has been frozen throughout the Ukraine,” she said. “And finally, we were able to play again.”
When the tour ended a few months later in the summer of 2022, the musicians were exhausted. Some people lost their friends and parent Relative in the war, and felt guilty that they were protected from confusion.
Biorinist Caterina Demian tuk (24 years old) struggled to agree with his uncle's death in Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, who was severely attacked in March 2022.
“Russia has just decided to take our lives in an instant,” she said. “Suddenly he's gone, and I couldn't do anything. It was terrible for me.”
Every time she played the violin, she shouted. She said she felt sick when she had a privileged life while her beloved did not have running water or electricity.
The musician was torn. Some people wanted to return to Ukraine. However, they also felt that the efforts to maintain Ukraine's struggle with a spotlight were affecting. (Kiev Symphony is one of some Ukraine ensembles that work to promote Ukraine culture overseas, and includes the Ukrainian Rivi National Philharmonic Orchestra and Ukraine's free orchestra. )
With the help of German officials, the Kiev Symphony Orchestra settled in Gera. They became a symbol of German refugee hugs, visited Congress and performed for the highest staff. (Germany hosts about 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees. This is most of the European country.) Berlin Philharmonic became an orchestra, provided musical instruments, and supported performance formation. 。
But two years later, the funds began to be depleted in the galley. And some musicians felt more and more anxious about the parent Russian population.
“Every time you say you're from Ukraine, people have changed a little,” said Demian tuk. “They looked at you in another way.
When Mongheim's cultural leader, Witokovski, heard that the Kiev Symphony Orchestra was looking for a new house last year, he brought them to Monheim, about 280 miles west, from Gera on the shores of the Rhine. I thought about that. The town works to become a cultural hub. Next year, a new complex of performing arts will open in the renovated oil factory.
“The war is theoretical for most Germans,” said Witokowski. “But when these people are next to you, they will suddenly become very realistic.”
In July, 120 people (musicians and their families) arrived on the Montheim bus, killing their instruments. Their arrival caused a fuss. Parent Russian news organizations reported that orchestra musicians were seeking asylum in Germany, and group men were playing as a way to avoid military service.
However, a few weeks later, Kyiv Symphony debuted on Monheim and performed an outdoor concert featuring the works of Schumann, Max Richter, and Ukrainian composer Levko Revutsky. More than 1,000 people picnic on the lawn.
When she took a bow on the stage, I remembered that Martyniuk-Bahrii felt a sense of security.
“For a while,” she said, “We were able to breathe.”
On the night of December, the musician gathered in the Mongheim auditorium and rehearsed on holiday programs. They played Waltz, Polka, and traditional Ukraine Carol.
However, during the break, when the player checked the Russian attack news, the mood became gloomy. The drone attacks near Kiev.
After each attack, Kalachevzev, who created a habit of sending messages to friends and family, said that the distance from Ukraine worsened their fear.
“The most scary moment,” he said, “When you see a warning about missiles, you don't know where it is.”
As the third anniversary of the war approaches, Kiev Symphony is planning a concert in Mongheim to mark this opportunity. It will be led by Okusana Rinnib, a famous Ukrainian Maestro, who has recently been nominated as a major guest conductor of the orchestra.
In an apartment in northern Mongheim where her and her colleagues live, Martyniuk-Bahrii prays every morning and at night. Sometimes she joins her daughter. My daughter has a prayer book on the backpack, one of the few items brought by my family from Ukraine.
Martyniuk-Bahrii said that Ukraine's memories often got lost: Christmas time celebration, summer hiking, stuffed cabbage roll and bolsit taste.
After the large VE day concert, Martyniuk-Bahrii invited several friends in her apartment for champagne. They looked at the speech by Ukrainian President Volodimia Zelensky, toasted the New Year and prayed for the peace of Ukraine.
Martyniuk-Bahrii said he was worried that world precautions were shifting away from the war. However, she said that she wanted a small role in making the Ukrainian cause in advance.
“The world is tired. We're tired,” she said. “But we need victory and need justice. All we can do is hope and prayer.”
