Songs of winter and war

by Paola Livorsi

for soprano, viola d'amore, bandoneon and dancer

Description

Songs of Winter and War (2025) is based on texts by Ukrainian poet Oksana Zabuzhko, translated into English by Lisa Sapinkopf, from the 1996 collection A Kingdom of Fallen Statues (available at the Finnish National Library).

It is a performance in which poetry, music, and dance are intertwined; all performers (soprano, dancer, viola d'amore and bandoneon players) use their speaking voices at times. In addition to English, the work features languages that are somehow related to current or recent conflicts (Ukrainian, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi, and Kurdish).

The piece has developed during the last few years, when the presence of war and its language has become increasingly closer. Reflecting about winter, I could not help thinking about those who spend the winter in war zones and to their shared and/or conflicting languages. I wondered how the echoes of different languages can separate or unite and to which extent it is possible (or impossible) to accept another person's language(s).

Instrumentation

sopr, viola d'amore, bandoneon

Category

Vocal and Choral Works

Language

En

Lyricist

Oksana Zabuzhko

Premiere

Pia Freund,soprano, Anthony Marini, viola d’amore, Henrik Sandås, bandoneon, Ada Freund, dance, Dialogia! festival, November 16, 2025, Janakkala, Finland

Movements

Comme une graine..., Who?, The turn, A flash, Identities, A step. Hommage à Schubert

Commisioned by / dedications

Dedicated to Pia Freund. Written for Dialogia! festival 2025

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Archive number

MF36131

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