The Chernobyl Disaster in the Music of Ukrainian Composers

Here is a selection of music by Ukrainian composers dedicated to the Chernobyl disaster:

1. “Elegy in Memory of Chernobyl.” Composer: Myroslav Skoryk. Performed by the National Ensemble of Soloists “Kyiv Camerata,” conducted by Valery Matyukhin, artistic director Ivan Karabits. Recorded in 1996

2. Oratorio “The Mother of Chernobyl” for narrator, soprano, choir, and symphony orchestra. Composer: Yevhen Stankovych; lyrics by Ivan Drach. Performed by: Oleksandr Boiko, Serhiy Mahera, Nataliya Mykolayishyn, the Ukrainian Radio Choir, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; conductor: Volodymyr Sirenko; choirmaster: Yulia Tkach. Recorded in 2018

3. Cantata “The Bells of Chernobyl.” Composer: Vitaliy Filipenko, lyrics by Leonid Tatarenko. Performed by the Choir of the Bohuslav Pedagogical Institute, artistic director and conductor Oleksiy Yuzefovych. Recorded in 1994

4. Symphony No. 2 “Chernobyl” in A minor. Composer: Hryhorii Tsitsaliuk. Performed by the Honored Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Radio Company of Ukraine, conductor Volodymyr Sirenko. Recorded in 1996

5. Symphony No. 1 “Chernobyl”. Composer: Oleksandr Yakovchuk. Performed by the Honored Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Radio Company of Ukraine, conducted by Volodymyr Sheiko. Recorded in 2006.

Compiled by the host of Radio Culture Natalka Popudribko.