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Chornobyldorf - an archaeological opera

Tom Service introduces a shatteringly powerful meditation on the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986.
Developed by Ukraine's Opera Aperta for performance at the Mystetskyi Arsenal, Kyiv's flagship arts complex, the work was described by the Times critic, Richard Morrison, as: "A modern Ukrainian masterpiece everyone needs to see.... an extended scream of rage, an elegy for lost humanity, a warning about nuclear annihilation, a brilliant meshing of film, dance, folksong, avant-garde instruments and electronic sounds... It comprises two hours of the most original and astonishing music-theatre I have ever seen."

Presented as an introduction and seven novellas - Elektra, Dramma per Musica, The Little Accordion Girl, Rhea, Messe de Chornobyldorf, Orfeo ed Euridice and Saturnalia - the music quotes the Agnus Dei from Bach's B minor Mass, nursery rhymes and Ukrainian folksong and features dancers, singers and specially created instruments and electronics.

Chornobyldorf received its UK premiere at a single performance at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in October 2022 and the live recording has been has been specially re-mixed with introductions to the seven novellas by Marichka Shtyrbulova and readings from the archaeological expeditions from Illia Razumeiko.

Chornobyldorf - an archaelogical opera
Composers, librettists: Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko

Yevhen Bal – Orfeo / Dionysus
Anne Bennent – Eurydice
Marichka Shtyrbulova – The Little Accordeon girl
Diana Ziabchenko – Dafne
Susanna Karpenko – Susanna
Yuliia Alieksieieva – Venere
Evgeny Malofeev - Ulysses
Anna Rudenko – Hannah
Ihor Boichuk – Heron
Nazgul Shukaiieva – Inanna
Mariia Potapenko – Urania, Young Eurydice
Khrystyna Slobodianiuk – Elektra
Georgii Potopalskyi – Pluto
Roman Grygoriv – Aristoxenos
IIlia Razumeiko – Pythagoras
Live-electronics: Georgiy Potopalskiy
Rhea-player creation - Winfried Ritch
The Orchestra of the Chornobyldorf: Roman Grygoriv – microtonal cymbals and guitar, Illia Razumeiko – microtonal bandura and guitar, Zoltan Almashi – cello, Ihor Boichuk – percussion
Roman Grygoriv - conductor