AN EVENING of operatic classics, from Bellini to Verdi, has been held in solidarity with Ukrainian expats.
Soprano Kateryna Bolkunevych and pianist Liliya Solomonova performed a spellbinding series of arias from some of the genre's best-known composers.
The concert, which was organised by the Winchester Ukrainian Cultural Association, took place at St Paul's Church on Friday, July 12
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The musicians mixed classic arias with Ukrainian folk-inspired tunes, as well as some Neapolitan standards, like Torna a Surriento.
A particularly striking rendition of Casta Diva, from Bellini's Norma, accompanied the more complex and mournful, but no less beautiful tones from the performers' homeland.
The concert's organiser, Olena Hrebeniuk, 48 – who is herself an opera singer – explained the mission of the Winchester Ukrainian Cultural Association.
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She said: "We have had a few artists, but these artists are professionals. Kateryna works in London and she moved to the UK just when the war started.
"Honestly, this association was created to bring people together and for integration. We have a lot of very talented people here and our aim is to create a platform so they can do something if they have a project.
"This is the first time we have done a classical concert and I'm pretty sure we will do another one soon"
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