Following its UK Premiere as the opening concert of hcmf// 2022, Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko’s Chornobyldorf has received a nomination in the Opera and Music Theatre category at the 2024 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.
Chornobyldorf. Archaeological opera in seven novels was conceived by Ukrainian composers, stage directors and librettists Grygoriv and Razumeiko, collaborating as Opera Aperta. Inspired by the impact of nuclear power on our world, the contemporary media-opera is a postapocalyptic fantasy depicting society in the aftermath of nuclear, economic and cultural disaster.
The production combines folk and classical singing with physical theatre, dance, unique musical instruments and cinematic video-novels, with recordings taken from Chernobyl’s prohibited zone and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to create an increasingly tangible, thoroughly visceral projection of a dystopian future. These settings and the themes of the opera more broadly have taken on a heightened level of resonance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even as the work was first written and premiered before the 2022 offensive.
Chornobyldorf‘s sold-out presentation as part of our 2022 festival was critically acclaimed, receiving ★★★★★ from both the Times and the Telegraph. The production has since continued to tour internationally.
About the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards
Regarded by many as the BAFTAs for classical music, the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards are classical music’s annual good news story, shining much-needed light on inspirational individuals, groups and initiatives whose music has lifted hearts and minds across the nation.
A registered charity, the Royal Philharmonic Society has been at the heart of music for over 200 years, supporting musicians and championing the vital role that music plays in all our lives. The Society’s tradition of recognising excellence among musicians dates back to the 19th Century with the presentation of Honorary Membership and the RPS Gold Medal which have been presented over the decades to the likes of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Strauss, Stravinsky, Bernstein and more recently Martha Argerich, Jessye Norman, George Benjamin, Marin Alsop and John Williams, among many others.
The Opera and Music Theatre Award at the 2024 RPS Awards is supported by Wise Music Classical. Award-winners will be announced at the ceremony on Tuesday 5 March.