The TV version of the Opera-Myth will tell the world about Ukraine
Opera-Myth "Ukraine - Terra Incognita", dedicated to the defenders of Ukraine and personally to Vasyl Slipak, will be released in video format and English translation to tell the world about the nation's struggle, its heroes, and the values they protect through contemporary art.
The modern opera based on traditional songs was created by Ukrainian artists last year. The war ruined plans for performances in Ukraine and abroad. Part of the opera team is now fighting, part is engaged in volunteer activities, and part is working on the cultural front. With the support of the Goethe Institut, the opera team hopes to show a television version of five episodes - "myths" - about the Ukrainian land, which for centuries gives birth to warriors, about the home and love they are forced to leave behind to protect, about the struggle and rediscovering themselves for a new life.
The idea of this format arose during the premiere on October 14, 2021, at the Lviv Opera. Then the video recording of the event was professionally provided by Ukr.Stream using a 360-degree DynamiCam system. The sound recording of the opera was made by one of the most professional Ukrainian companies «Tik-Tak». The TV version will be produced by Yuriy Ivanyshyn (the film «Winter on Fire», nominated for an Oscar in 2016, the film «Life to the limit»; in 2022), director of the TV version – Ivan Vasilets.
In addition to the opera itself, the TV version will include artists; stories about their experience of the war in Ukraine, the uniqueness of Ukrainian culture, and songs that resonate sharply in our time. The creators of Opera-Myth believe that the TV version will also fulfill its mission in the fight against Russian propaganda, especially among cultural figures and connoisseurs of contemporary art in the world.
"Myth has a multi-layered, as opposed to a linear structure, so we need to talk about it in associative language, the language of symbols, signs, messages. Our opera consists of microforms that add up to one monumental statement. One microform is self-sufficient in itself, it can speak independently of other structures. At the same time, the content of the whole opera is formed in the viewer’s head. The viewer becomes, in fact, a co-author, because the overall message will be formed differently in different heads. But there also exist world myths, or archetypes inherent in all mankind, about ethical, moral things, about ideals. One of the greatest myths of mankind is about the Warrior who goes to gain glory, to defend the Home, and the eternal Woman who waits for him. Our opera is also about this myth, only told through the Ukrainian soul", says the author of the idea and director of Opera-Myth Ulyana Gorbachevska.
