Symphonies and air raid sirens: Kyiv Philharmonic’s opening night
13.10.2026
By Sofia Johanson,
As Boris Lyatoshynsky’s Fourth Symphony reaches a crescendo, there’s a brief moment of ecstatic sensory overload expanding into every corner and crevice of the auditorium of the Ukrainian National Philharmonic, also known as the Kyiv Philharmonic. Enveloped by thunderous brass, your vision is overwhelmed by sparkling chandeliers and kaleidoscopic column mouldings, the smooth pea-green painted balcony cool on your elbows as you strain ever closer to the music. The eccentric conductor is absorbed by his work, as if it’s some kind of cosmic mission, his musicians transfixed by his jolting and bucking, and the audience gaze on from the stalls.
But as the volume swells, suddenly wailing air raid sirens tear through the music, accompanied by a dispassionate, robotic voice instructing audience and orchestra alike to descend to the bomb shelter. The conductor gradually guides his musicians towards a natural-sounding diminuendo, and only then does the audience begin to arise from their seats.
And thus the Kyiv Philharmonic opens its new season.
