On Saturday, Mar 8, two major works for chorus and orchestra by Sergei Prokofiev and Ralph Vaughan Williams will be performed in Chenery Auditorium. The concert, scheduled for 7:30 PM, includes a unique, Ukrainian-language premiere of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky.
The concert is a collaboration between two longstanding ensembles associated with Kalamazoo College: Kalamazoo Choral Arts and the Kalamazoo Philharmonia. In a significant departure from tradition, the Kalamazoo Philharmonia, led by conductor Andrew Koehler, will perform "Alexander Nevsky" in Ukrainian, a decision driven by the current geopolitical climate. "The idea of doing it in Ukrainian is to reclaim the figure of Alexander Nevsky," Koehler explains during a conversation with Cara Lieurance and Kalamazoo Choral Arts director Chris Ludwa.
The historic figure Nevsky defended the city of Novgorod from Teutonic invaders in the 13th century, long before Russia was a country. Nevsky was co-opted as a Russian hero by Prokofiev under the Soviet regime. Rethinking the piece’s propogandist purposes, Koehler decided to commission a new libretto in the Ukrainian language. “At this point, if we want to tell a story about folks who are needing to fend off invaders, it's going to be the story of Ukraine right now." Ludwa adds, "It's thrilling to do something different, to know you're a part of something that has a deeper meaning."
Ludwa will conduct the second half of the concert, consisting of Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, a work that resonates deeply with themes of peace and the horrors of war. Ludwa says he hopes audiences will leave with “a sense of, if not peace, just an ability to really be present for an hour and a half or so, and just immersed in this music.”
"These are the better angels of our nature, right? This is the best of what we can do as humans, creating something beautiful, even out of a painful episode in our history," Koehler adds.
Tickets for "War and Peace" are available online at the Kalamazoo Choral Arts website, at the Tyler Little Box Office in the Epic Center, and at the door on the night of the performance. Prices range from $15 to $25.
