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Photograph: @fmarshallphoto/Frances Marshall ‘Ukraine’s artistic heroes’ … the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra with soloists Natalya Romaniw, Natalie Lewis, René Barbera and Jongmin Park at St Paul's Cathedral. Photograph: @fmarshallphoto/Frances Marshall Classical music Review Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra/Wilson review – white-hot intensity as Verdi Requiem shakes St Paul’s vast dome St Paul’s Cathedral, London Elemental roars and full-frontal vocal expressivity as the UFO focuses on a mission bigger than a good performance Flora Willson Wed 19 Aug 2026 14.26 CEST Last modified on Wed 19 Aug 2026 15.06 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google T here were climaxes in Verdi’s Requiem that would surely have registered on a seismometer as they gathered into a thrillingly elemental roar before dissipating as a series of echoed convulsions into the vast dome above. There were choral susurrations that swept over the orchestra, exhortations delivered in crisp consonants. There were sinuous woodwind lines that took a few seconds to wend their way out of the orchestral clamour, and vocal soloists – Natalya Romaniw, Natalie Lewis, René Barbera and Jongmin Park – who cut instantly through it in a shock of full-frontal expressivity from the very front of the stage. Four years after making their UK debut with their second ever performance , the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is now on its fifth international summer tour. Founded by Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson in response to the Russian invasion in February 2022, this orchestra has always had a mission bigger than producing a good performance. And what counts as “good” is always shaped by circumstance, after all. As the numerous speeches that preceded the music stressed, the UFO tour as “cultural ambassadors”, their work centred on hope and resilience, solidarity and justice at what one Ukrainian diplomat called “probably the most difficult moment in our modern history”. One of the orchestra’s percussionists is away at the frontline – so too is the son of composer Bohdana Frolyak , whose Gloria opened the concert, its smudgy chromaticism weighted with sadness. No wonder, in this context, that as the final notes of Verdi’s Requiem died away, the orchestra received an immediate standing ovation. Wilson hailed its members as “Ukraine’s artistic heroes” before launching into a rendition of the country’s national anthem. The fact that Wilson’s swift tempi in certain movements of the Requiem resulted in an instant, chaotic blurring of texture and ensemble in this near-impossible cathedral acoustic, that the string tone was less polished than it might have been, that many of Verdi’s finer details were lost in the melee – all of it ultimately registered less than the white-hot intensity of the performance as Wilson leaned in towards the musicians, her focus on them seemingly total, their sound overwhelming. The UFO tour visits Amsterdam, Hamburg, Dublin and New York (final concert 26 August) Explore more on these topics Classical music Ukraine reviews Share Reuse this content Comments ( … ) Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion Most viewed Most viewed Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email About us Help Complaints & corrections Contact us Tip us off SecureDrop Privacy policy Cookie policy Tax strategy Terms & conditions All topics All writers Newsletters Digital newspaper archive Bluesky Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads TikTok YouTube Advertise with us Search UK jobs Tips Accessibility settings Work with us Back to top © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)
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