On May 4 and 5, the Wiener Symphoniker, conducted by Oksana Lyniv, will perform Espenbaum by Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets.
Maxim Kolomiiets turned the pages of Celan’s works for a long time to understand his attitude to the place of his birth. And he was surprised when he came across a poem where he directly mentions Ukraine. It is Ukraine. It was important to Kolomiiets that he himself identified the territory in which he was born as the territory of Ukraine. One might consider it as the composers’ sentiment, but it was important for him to prove that Celan himself considered himself a Ukrainian. At least all his Ukrainianness was reduced to one word in one of his poems, where he speaks of “a mother who will never return.” This extremely tender and at the same time full of sorrow and anxiety impressed Kolomiiets with its conciseness and subtle transmission of the broken feelings of a man who lost his homeland, the same “green Ukraine” that forever remained in his heart a loving mother who no longer will return.
Espenbaum, dein Laub blickt weiß in’s Dunkel.
Meiner Mutter Haar ward nimmer weiß.
Löwenzahn, so grün ist die Ukraine.
Meine blonde Mutter kam nicht heim.
Regenwolke, säumst du an den Brunnen?
Meine leise Mutter weint für alle.
Runder Stern, du schlingst die goldne Schleife.
Meiner Mutter Herz ward wund von Blei.
Eichne Tür, wer hob dich aus den Angeln?
Meine sanfte Mutter kann nicht kommen.
Concert on May 4 and 5 by the Wiener Symphoniker, conducted by Oksana Lyniv.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention