OUT NOW | Daniel Hope and Alexey Botvinov's "Music For Ukraine"

Violinist Daniel Hope and pianist Alexey Botvinov have recently released a new disc on Deutsche Grammophon in support of the people of Ukraine. The pair have a strong connection with the city of Odessa in particular: Botvinov was born there, and Hope performs regularly in the city.

The EP features works by the Ukrainian composers Valentin Silvestrov, Myroslav Skoryk, and Jan Freidlin. In recent months, Silvestrov has become synonymous with the musical voice of Ukraine: his short orchestral work "Prayer for Ukraine" has been performed all over the world following the Russian invasion of his homeland.

Teldex Studios, Steinway, and Kobalt Media all contributed work to the album free of charge, and all proceeds from the sale of the album will go straight to charity.

Hope has nominated Aktion Deutschland Hilft as his charity of choice, and neither he nor Botvinov will receive any revenue from the album.

"My thoughts and prayers are with all the people and our friends in Ukraine," said violinist Daniel Hope.

"Odessa, a magical place, and its Odessa Classics Festival have become an integral part of my life," he added. "In these days I was due to be in Kyiv with Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov to work with the composer Valentin Silvestrov. Instead, we have decided to record his music in Berlin, together with other Ukrainian composers as a message of musical solidarity."

Hope and Botvinov recently performed a recital in support of Ukraine from Dresden’s Frauenkirche and Berlin’s Gedächtniskirche. You can watch the live recording of their performance of Skoryk's "Melody" below.