OUT NOW | The Metropolitan Opera's "A Concert for Ukraine"

All proceeds from the sale of the album will help to support the people of Ukraine

New York's Metropolitan Opera has recently released "A Concert for Ukraine" on Decca Classics and Deutsche Grammophon. The album is a live recording of the Met's benefit concert for the people of Ukraine, which took place in March 2022 with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

The album opens with the National Anthem of Ukraine, featuring Ukrainian bass-baritone and Lindemann Young Artist Vladyslav Buialskyi. Also on the program is Valentin Silvestrov’s “Prayer for Ukraine,” Barber’s Adagio for Strings, and “Va, pensiero” from Verdi’s Nabucco, as well as a moving interpretation of Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the indelible soprano Lise Davidsen.

The album closes with the Finale from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, featuring soloists including soprano Elza van den Heever, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Piotr Beczała, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green.

Currently, the album is only available digitally but will be released in physical copies later in 2022.

“This album captures a uniquely memorable performance by the Metropolitan Opera and its stars, and demonstrates the power of art to deliver a clear message to the forces of darkness that would destroy a nation,” said Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera's General Director.

“I hope this concert brings a measure of comfort and moral support to the suffering people of Ukraine, and that it reminds the world that we stand with them.”

"This is a time for solidarity with those suffering," said Dominic Fyfe, the Label Director of Decca Classics.

"We are pleased to join with our friends at the Met and our colleagues at Deutsche Grammophon to bring this Concert for Ukraine to a global audience. All the soloists performed without charge, and proceeds from the album will be donated to charities supporting relief efforts in Ukraine. Music can make a difference.”

You can watch a preview video from the concert, with videography by Pete Scalzitti, below.