National Chorus of Bandura Players of Ukraine

On November 2 we attnded a concert in the lovely National Philharmonia Hall of Columns.

We had front row balcony seats and could take pictures without flash.  

The following comes from the group's website:

National Honored Chorus of Bandura-Players of Ukraine named after H.I.Mayboroda is a male vocal-instrumental ensemble that accompanies its singing with the playing of the multi-stringed Ukrainian folk instrument known as the bandura.  The group was initially known as the Kobzar Choir and was established in August 1918.  The bandura is a peculiarly Ukrainian instrument. Actually, it is no longer just an instrument, but an embodiment and a symbol of the soul and word of a Ukrainian.

From another website:
The Chorus’ history rapidly evolved into a turbulent one.  The ideals of the bandurist - God, truth, freedom, and human dignity heralded through song - were a threat to the then-newly formed Soviet Union.  Under Joseph Stalin’s rule, artists and intellectuals were arrested, exiled or executed in an attempt to eradicate every remnant of Ukrainian culture.  In the years that followed the Chorus was exploited and persecuted by both the Soviets and the Nazis. 
(After WWII many of the Chorus’ members emigrated from refugee camps to the United States.   Eventually the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus was formed in Detroit!  In googling, this US group was often the one that came up!)


The Bandura Chous in Kyiv continued, under duress, until Ukrainian independence.  Now they give concerts and travel and are the National Honored Chorus of Ukraine!

I loved the costumes and the look of the members.  The program began with an impassioned  reading by this man.  Unfortunately for us everything was in Ukrainian, so we didn't understand.  Sis Serdyuk, who introduced us to the bandura, made us aware of this concert and helped get us tickets, told us all of songs were "heroic" in nature.  

 

This duo looked and sounded great. The person on the right is a friend of Sis. Serduk.

Besides those playing their banduras and singing, there were also some additional instrumentalists.  They had been sitting to the right, but here they were showcased in several instrumental pieces.

I captured a few selections as video.  Hope you enjoy them.  (The audio is better than the video quality) 

Wheelchairs

On Saturday, October 29, 2011 the humanitarian missionaries were busy finishing a project of distributing wheelchairs in Ukraine.  This is the logo in Cyrillic and English.

Hundreds of wheelchairs of different sizes and styles were shipped to Ukraine and distributed in western L'viv, in southern Crimea, and in Kyiv.  LDS Charities work with local non-governmental organizations (NGO's).  Here are some people being fitted for their own wheelchairs.

During this final distribution point in Kyiv (in the chapel next door) many government dignitaries came to a luncheon and to see the giveaway.

These are some of the volunteers who were trained to help in fitting the chairs and servicing them in the future.  

Many people drove away very blessed by what they had received.

This project was overseen by Bro & Sis Spencer from Utah, who are friends and coworkers with Dan & Kathy Mills, who also serve in these wheelchair projects all over the world for LDS Charities.

 Donations to the church humanitarian fund pay for these chairs.  What a wonderful gift to a person.  And the name of the church is on the back--great advertising!

It's a Zoo!

We were in the area on October 20 and it was a beautiful Autumn afternoon so we decided to visit the Kyiv Zoo--Zoopark.

We enjoyed walking around looking at some of the waterfowl including these beautiful flamingos

There were American bison and next to them were these European bison with shorter necks

Here are a couple of Bactrian two-humped camels.  In 2010 a camel died, an elephant, and a zebra.  A news article from the Associated Press posted March 23, 2011 stated:
     Once the jewel of the Ukrainian capital and a favorite weekend spot for families, the zoo began to deteriorate after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the years of poverty that followed. Animals were kept in cramped, poorly lit and poorly heated enclosures, fed improperly and left unattended, according to watchdogs.
     New managers appointed in October said that nearly half of the zoo's animals either died or mysteriously disappeared over two years under their predecessors, and a government audit found that thousands of dollars were misspent as animals were illegally sold and funds earmarked for their food and care disappeared.

It was sad to see many cages empty and the whole primates area closed down.  We see other areas in the economy that have suffered but, in many ways, Kyiv seems to be prospering.  But this zoo was one place which was definitely going downhill.  These were interesting animals that I now can't identify.

Everyone seemed to  be enjoying the sunshine!  We did too.

Secure at Home

We always feel completely secure in our Temple Block both working and living.  The entire property is enclosed in a nice fence and the gates are closed/locked during the night.  There is a guardhouse and a security company has it staffed 24/7.  The guards are often walking around checking on things.

You can see in the left of the photo a pole with video cameras on it.  They are located around and on the property, covering all of the area.  During last year the contractors had out the blueprints of the security system in the basement where our exercise equipment is and were changing some of the cameras for better coverage.  Note the camera array in the next picture.

Also on our temple block is a building to house the water system including filtration (at two levels--for regular use and purer for drinking only) and heating water for both culinary use and for heating the buildings' radiators during cold weather.  In the foreground behind the landscaped wall is a filtration area.

In the far right of the previous photo is the other building, housing the electrical systems.  To the left is a shed for some of the equipment.  This shows it from both sides.  Again note security camera poles in the second photo.

Here is a low area designed as a catch basin for the rain water.  The ground cover there is not regular grass, but "meadow grass and wildflowers"but this photo was taken in February after some snow had melted.

This is an "island" in the intersection coming off the "ring road" to the road into the temple property.  It was naturally covered with grass and weeds.  The temple president thought it ought to be better kept and so it was tilled, and planted with flowers from seed.  Here is the beautiful result:

As you can see, it was a stormy October day when the photos were taken so the sky is dramatic.  The leaves are changing and everything is beautiful--another reason we love living here!

Wooden Churches Covered with Metal

I have already posted pictures of lovely churches built of wood which we saw in the Carpathians.  Of course, wood was the available building material.  As I researched, I found that wooden churches are typical in villages all over.  

In some areas we found that these structures had been overlaid with metal and were very beautiful.  Wikipedia reports: "Unique to Hutsul churches is the use of tin or metalwork in the upper parts of the church, which are also used in home architecture of the region".

This particular church in Pistyn from 1600 was said to be beautiful as a wooden structure.  One writer regretted it had been covered with metal.  I found the result very stunning.

I loved the details in embossing various metal panels, the multi-layers and the intricate cut/stamp work

This little building shows such details

One article said that domes, in particular onion-shaped ones, began to be constructed after the Mongol invasion.  They are good for helping snow slide off!  Of course, they have become the signature of Orthodox churches.  

Transcarpathian Ukraine--between Kyiv, Budapest and Vienna

The western area of Ukraine has often been part of European countries such as Lithuania, Poland, Austria, and Hungary.  In central Chernivtsi we saw many old buildings that looked European.  Most of them were built after Chernivtsi became part of the Austrain empire in 1850 so this city is often called "Little Vienna"

This is the city hall and square.  The most impressive building complex was the former residence of the Orthodox Metropolitans which now house the central buildings of the university.  We happened to be there on Aug 31, not knowing that this was the day to officially welcome all new students who would be starting school the next day.  We were lucky to find a parking place and found the grounds swarming with new students, often with their parents.  The balcony of the central building was used as the speakers' platform as several officials in their academic robes gave speeches.  An orchestra and chorus  on ground level provided music.  We skirted the crowds and took pictures.

Because this area often changed hands politically, various church allegiances developed.  Europeans brought Catholic Christianity and constructed many Catholic churches.  In 1646 a council in Uzhhorod, after lengthy negotiations, declared a unity between the orthodox and catholic churches in transcarpathia.    This Greek-Catholic Cathedral in Uzhhorod dates to that time. 

This is the Trinitarian Cathedral in Kamianets-Podilskyi

A former Jesuit Cathedral, this is now the Archcathedral of the Resurrection in Ivano-Frankivsk

 The Armenian Church in Ivano-Frankivsk

The protestant Reformation also brought Lutheran and other protestant churches to the region.