Musicologica Olomucensia 2, (2024):58-73
Mapping Ukrainian Works Performed in French Musical Institutions Since 2022
- Department of Music, Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Sorbonne University, France
This article examines the representation of Ukrainian music abroad through an analysis of programming in French musical institutions since 2022. Numerous concerts featuring Ukrainian compositions have occurred in France, signifying a renewed interest in, and at times a novel encounter with, this repertoire since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion. We explored how two leading Parisian musical institutions, the Philharmonie de Paris and the Opéra National de Paris, have supported Ukraine, both symbolically and practically. Further, we analysed how the selected works, chosen to represent Ukrainian cultural identity on European musical stages, have been framed as part of a shared European heritage, thus demonstrating the role of music as a form of soft power in the current wartime context. Finally, we considered the 1991 Project, an initiative led by Anna Stavychenko that supports Ukrainian musicians and strives to preserve Ukrainian musical heritage. In this context, Ukrainian music emerges as a resilient force and a symbol of resistance within the European cultural sphere.
Keywords: Ukrainian music; music and politics; programming; French musical institutions.
Accepted: March 7, 2025; Published: September 1, 2024 Show citation
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