World renowned classical pianist Alexey Botvinov is coming to Australia to perform a small number of shows to raise money for his family and friends back in Ukraine. In one of only a couple of public concerts, Botvinov will perform Stand With Ukraine at The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday 21 September.

Currently living in exile in Germany, Botvinov left his home city Odesa early in the conflict to be able to send back financial aid. He has so far been overwhelmed by the support he has received from the people of Europe.

“In the first days of the war, immediately after the war began, I knew I needed to leave in order to play an active role in the war with my concert work and to have the opportunity to raise money and awareness for Ukraine. I would have been powerless to do this from my home and therefore took the very heartbreaking decision of leaving my relatives, friends, in order to take a very proactive role in the war,” Botvinov says.

While he finds it too painful to speak of how the war has ravaged his country and his people since he left, he holds on to hope for peace.

“All I can say is that before the war I had a normal life, spent time with family, travelled for concerts. Now I live in a foreign country, can’t go back home and all my energy is invested in the war effort.”

Botvinov has chosen a selection of his favourite works to perform for the audience at The Q, including romantic pieces from Brahms and Chopin, as well as the music of his friend, Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov.

“The program will end with Rachmaninov’s second sonata which is full of raw emotion and helps me express how I feel in these painful times.”

After the concert, the audience will have the chance to ask Botvinov questions about his life and career. He has wanted to visit Australia since he was a young boy and, until now, a busy performing career has stopped him.

“I’m very much looking forward to this trip, to performing for Australian audiences and meeting them in person, as well as some kangaroos,” he smiles.

Botvinov hopes that once the conflict is resolved, he will be able to once again welcome people back to his country.

“Ukraine is a beautiful and plentiful country. We have rich soil, a deep cultural heritage, and very warm-hearted people. When the war is over, I hope I can welcome many Australians to my wonderful festival, Odesa Classics.”

The concert has been curated by conductor Vladimir Fanshil, co-founder of Live At Yours. Fanshil is also from Odesa and says he met Botvinov around five years ago when he was conducting in Europe. They had planned to work together before Covid hit, but plans were shelved when the world shut down.

Throughout the pandemic, Fanshil and his wife, who is an opera singer, started Live At Yours. Seeing no value in online performances, as soon as restrictions started to ease, they began performing for audiences of 20 people in their homes.

“Smaller is higher impact; it is like the boutique of concerts. For people who have never heard classical music before, it makes it palatable and accessible as it’s more of a social gathering with exceptional music,” Fanshil says.

Fanshil has stayed in contact with Botvinov over the pandemic and since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. He hopes that bringing Botvinov over as the first international performer with Live At Yours will help keep the conflict in Ukraine at the forefront of our minds.

According to Fanshil, the situation has become like Covid; we all have become used to living with it as media attention wanes. However, this isn’t the case for those living in the region. 

“It’s not on the front pages anymore but the war is intensifying. Unfortunately, the situation is worse than it was at the beginning of the war; they need help more than ever but there is and less attention.”

Hear Alexey Botvinov at The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, Wednesday 21 September 7pm; theq.net.au

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