Play for peace: ‘Dedication’ by Fedorov

Dedication for viola, piano and double bass was written by Borys Fedorov, a composer born in Russia who has lived in Ukraine for the last 35 years. He is the father of Anna Fedorova, who plays piano in this video. She is joined by violist Dana Zemtsov and double bassist Nicholas Santangelo Schwartz.

Fedorova expressed devastation at the outbreak of war in Ukraine, stating, ’It is impossible to express in words what is happening in my heart right now. Being both from Russian and Ukrainian descent I could never imagine that the worst nightmare would become a reality.

’Dear friends, thank you for the incredible amount of messages of concern, support and help from all corners of the world. It means the world to me and my family. Luckily I managed to fly my parents to Amsterdam just a few days before the invasion. But while we are in the Netherlands, all our hearts, fears and hopes are with our friends, family and all the people in the Ukraine.’

She states that violist Zemtsov’s father was also born in Russia and that bassist Schwartz is of Ukrainian descent, illustrating how the war between the two nations impacts the ensemble.

’This piece… expresses our feelings so much better than any words. This is a message of peace and call to stop the war. If anyone else of my musician friends is inclined to share music as a call for peace, maybe we feel more united. It is heartbreaking to see how Russian and Ukrainian people are killing each other, how the country I was born and grew up in is bombed and getting destroyed.’

Anna Fedorova will be performing in ‘Concert for Peace’ at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam on Sunday 6 March.