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Historic Premiere of Bortniansky's
"Creonte" in Kyiv

Historic Premiere of Bortniansky's "Creonte" in Kyiv


On 12 October, the theatrical premiere of the opera series Creonte by the Ukrainian composer Dmytro Bortniansky took place in Kyiv.

After 250 years of oblivion, Kyiv residents and guests of the capital were presented with a version of the work in Herman Makarenko's modern interpretation on the stage of the National Music Academy of Ukraine, in the Vasyl Slipak Hall.
If the first theatrical production in Chernivtsi in 2025 was conceived as being as close as possible to the original 18th-century score, then we made the Kyiv premiere relevant, dynamic, and in line with the aesthetic requirements of the modern audience", says Maestro Makarenko. "We want Creonte to be not an archival rarity, but a relevant work that will be heard on the world's best stages. This is an opera about Ukrainian identity and our current struggle for freedom. I dreamed of staging Creonte in Kyiv – and we did it!

The production of the opera series was carried out in a short timeframe, over the course of several months; rehearsals took place on various stages, during air raid sirens, shelling, and power outages. Moreover, the premiere was initially scheduled for 3 September, but due to the security situation it had to be postponed to October. And although the danger did not disappear in the following month, it was decided not to cancel the performance and not to postpone it any further.


Despite a drone attack during the performance and a missile attack 40 minutes later, the premiere took place! The professionalism and perseverance of the entire team made it possible to carry out the production in the extremely difficult conditions in which all of Kyiv currently lives.


The modern audience received Dmytro Bortniansky's first work warmly, with stormy applause and particular admiration.


We thank all the creative participants, partners, and co-organisers of the project – the team of the L.I. Medved's Research Centre, headed by Professor Mykola Prodanchuk.