Voices from the East has been a passion project of the BSO’s Chief Conductor of 15 years, Kirill Karabits OBE, who through access to unpublished manuscripts not previously performed by western orchestras, has curated and brought to life a series of forgotten orchestral masterpieces from his homeland of Ukraine and its surrounding areas. The Voices from the East series has so far included works from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Macedonia, Poland, Turkmenistan and Ukraine and spans composers from the 1800’s onwards, including Kirill’s own father, Ivan Karabits (1945-2002).
Our partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has numerous highlights over the years - including the BSO's work to support musicians, the music industry, its community programmes and initiatives and much more. This is all built around the skill, craft and talent of a world class orchestra and its musicians. One of the recurring themes since 2009 has been the sharing of symphonic works under the title of 'Voices from the East', which has been presented in live concerts, live-streamed broadcasts, and recordings for the Chandos record label.
Voices from the East festival
You may have seen the recent news from the BSO announcing a new artistic team and the conclusion of Kirill’s incredible 15-year tenure as Chief Conductor of the BSO. To celebrate the conclusion of Kirill's time in this role, it was announced that a festival of ‘Voices from the East’ would be held in May 2024 at London’s iconic Southbank Centre. This promised to be a special event, and it’s no surprise that the coverage of the festival echoes and exceeds that promise.
Voices from the East at the Southbank Centre by Pete Woodhead
Bournemouth Echo shared news of the festival with its readers, saying: “If one day could begin to encapsulate that unique musical and emotional journey that conductor, players and audiences have been on together, this was surely it.”
The Times commented on a memorable performance of Kancheli’s Styx, which its four-star review described as “meditative and thrilling” – and a further four-star review came from Bachtrack, which said: “there is every reason to believe in “Voices from the East” as a tale without a final chapter.”
Seen & Heard International summarised the experience, saying: “…these three concerts were a musical triumph for Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra […] this extraordinary day of music will remain in the memory-banks of its multi-national audience for a very long time.”
Voices from the East continues, and we know that audiences will have many more opportunities to be thrilled and educated about the works presented. Through our long standing partnership with the BSO, we’ve seen countless reviews, commentary and insight around the influence that Kirill has had on the Orchestra over a decade and half. Like so many who have shared in the thrill of this journey with Kirill, we are thankful for his contribution to the BSO and for sharing his artistic vision and gift with us. Kirill will continue working closely with the BSO in the role of Conductor Laureate, Artistic Director, Voices from the East from autumn 2024.
We’ll leave you with this extract from a review written by BSO Member and Proud Supporter; Tom Wickson, which really summarises the creative influence and impact Kirill has had on the BSO.
Voices from the East at the Southbank Centre by Pete Woodhead
"He [Kirill] has carefully introduced us to new works, ranging from those by the quite well-known Aram Khachaturian to the wilder shores of Avet Terterian and beyond. With Kirill, we have been excited to learn something new. Voices from the East is a coherent plan, not a random selection of musical jewels. It is a musical picture of the culture of a place and a time which has proved really worth getting to know. Exceptionally full houses for new and unknown works are perhaps the greatest testament to what he has achieved here in the South and West."
More from the BSO
Keep an eye the BSO’s 'What's on' pages for more information about upcoming performances, including future Voices from the East programmes.
