A Living Dialogue: Daniel Hope Explores the Soul of Ukrainian Music on 'Born in Ukraine'
Daniel Hope traces 150 years of Ukrainian music, from Lysenko, Bortkiewicz, Leontovych,
Stepovy and Lyatoshynsky to Valentin Silvestrov, Alexey Shor and Vitalii Kyianytsia
Two world premiere recordings frame the album – Shor’s Footprints in the Sand
and Kyianytsia’s Adagio from the ballet The Perfect Scent
Hope is joined by three young Ukrainian pianists:
Alina Pronina, Roman Fediurko and Vitalii Kyianytsia
Born in Ukraine – 150 Years of Ukrainian Music
will be released digitally and on CD on 6 November 2026
For his latest Deutsche Grammophon recording, Daniel Hope is returning to the music of Ukraine, tracing its rich history from the 19th century to the present day. Following his album of works by Valentin Silvestrov and his EP Music for Ukraine, both recorded with pianist Alexey Botvinov, Born in Ukraine – 150 Years of Ukrainian Music reflects the violinist’s long-term and ongoing engagement with Ukrainian culture.
On Born in Ukraine Hope performs a selection of works for violin and piano, including new arrangements, alongside three young Ukrainian pianists – Vitalii Kyianytsia, Alina Pronina and Roman Fediurko – whose own backgrounds and musical perspectives bring a deeply personal dimension to the project. Together they explore music by three living composers – Silvestrov, Alexey Shor and Kyianytsia himself – including two world premiere recordings, as well as works by five pioneering figures from Ukraine’s musical past: Lysenko, Bortkiewicz, Leontovych, Stepovy and Lyatoshynsky. Born in Ukraine is set for release digitally and on CD on 6 November 2026.
Hope calls the project “a journey into Ukrainian musical identity” marked by moments of “lyricism, nostalgia, exile, hope and quiet resilience”. Over the last decade he has visited Odessa many times, building on the affinity he already felt with Ukraine’s violinistic tradition: “That goes back to [my teacher] Zakhar Bron, to David Oistrakh, to Stolyarsky. And I guess I wanted to know more about where that musical soul comes from.” His choice of title for the album is, he says, intentionally simple. “It reminds us that behind every score is a human story – a composer shaped by a place, a culture and a history.”
Hope’s explorations led him back to Mykola Lysenko (1842–1912), one of the foundational figures of Ukrainian classical music, represented here by his Elegy. He also selected works by Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877–1952) and his contemporary Mykola Leontovych (1877–1921). He calls Leontovych’s Shchedryk (later transformed into the “Carol of the Bells”) “a melody that has travelled the world while remaining forever rooted in Ukrainian soil”. Less familiar are the Prelude by Yakiv Stepovy (1883–1921), originally for solo piano, and the yearning Melody by Borys Lyatoshynsky (1895–1968). Roman Fediurko, who won the Bronze Medal at the 2026 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, joins Hope in all five pieces.
In recent years, Hope has worked closely with Valentin Silvestrov (b. 1937) and discovered “the quiet humanity that shines through everything he writes”. Here, he and Vitalii Kyianytsia (b. 1991) perform the Elegie from Silvestrov’s 5 Pieces and the third of his 3 Postludes, originally for cello and piano. Kyianytsia’s own Adagio, from the ballet The Perfect Scent, premiered by Ballett Kiel earlier this year, closes the album. It is one of a pair of world premiere recordings that frame Born in Ukraine, which opens with Footprints in the Sand by Alexey Shor (b. 1970), performed with Alina Pronina. Hope and Pronina also play Shor’s Violin Sonata No. 1, a work the violinist has described as “technically challenging” and offering “a concentrated dialogue between the violin and piano”.
Hope is full of praise for his three young colleagues, noting how much he learned during the sessions from listening to “something they do naturally … how they would express this Ukrainian voice in their own way”. He adds: “Their voices, perspectives, and experiences have shaped every note of this recording, reminding me that music is, above all, a living dialogue between generations.”
“My hope,” he concludes, “is that this album encourages listeners not only to discover some of Ukraine’s remarkable musical treasures, but also to celebrate a cultural legacy that has enriched European music for generations. At a time when that legacy continues to face immense challenges, preserving and sharing these voices feels more important than ever.”
Highlights of Daniel Hope’s schedule at the start of the 2026–27 season include performances of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed with the Zürcher Kammerorchester at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Klassikfestival Küsnacht (9/10 & 20 September); Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden in venues across Germany (29 September−3 October); and music from the 2024 album Irish Roots at the Merano Festival (16 September). Hope also leads New Century Chamber Orchestra in a four-concert series with the Marcus Roberts Trio celebrating the music of Gershwin, Ellington, Rhiannon Giddens and Caroline Shaw (California, 5–8 November). Full touring details here.
