Kyiv Symphony Orchestra Marks Anniversary of Ukrainian Invasion with Commissioned Work

Written by the Ukrainian composer Evgeny Orkin, "Five Interrupted Lullabies" was commissioned by conductor Oksana Lyniv

The Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv has commissioned a new work by Ukrainian composer Evgeni Orkin. Titled Five Interrupted Lullabies, the piece commemorates the events of a night in Odessa in March 2024, when a rocket attack claimed the lives of four infants and a baby.

Lyniv and the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra performed the work on February 24, 2025, in a concert marking the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. The program also featured Orkin's 2024 piece Requiem for a Poet, as well as Yuri Laniuk's Grieving Thorn, and Victoria Poleva's Bucha. Lacrimosa, and Beethoven's Overture to "Egmont" op. 84.

A composer, clarinetist, and educator, Evgeny Orkin have had his works performed by groups including the Heidelberg Theater Orchestra, INSO Lviv, the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra.

He regularly appears as a solo clarinetist and is particularly known for his interpretations of baroque and classical repertoire on historical clarinets. In this sphere, he has written a book on historically informed clarinet playing, has released numerous CDs, and is a specialist collector of historical clarinets. 

Five Interrupted Lullabies is due to receive a further performance by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in January 2026, and you can find out more here.

A full recording of the original concert has been made available by Deutsche Welle, and you can hear it below.