Oksana Lyniv: Back in Bayreuth | Insights from a dramatic year for the Ukrainian conductor

Oksana Lyniv made headlines in 2021 as the first woman to conduct an orchestra at the Bayreuth Festival in its 145-year history. She’s back in 2022, where she will once again take over the musical direction of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman.” Lyniv will also conduct the first open-air concert at Grüner Hügel, which will feature a colorful program of pieces by a variety of composers. But the world has changed since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv’s performances take an explicit stance against war.

This portrait focuses on the turbulent year of both her Bayreuth debut and her return to the festival. In a candid interview, Oksana Lyniv describes how she is coping emotionally with her skyrocketing career, but also with the horrors of war. And she even shares some insight into her private life, having provided Deutsche Welle with exclusive footage from her wedding. She also talks about the families of refugees that have taken in her and her family. Musical excerpts from her latest concerts complete this portrait of Lyniv. The picture that emerges in the end is one of a very strong woman—full of very passionate emotions.

At a glance:
(00:00) Wagner, Parsifal, Verwandlungsmusik, Act I | Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bayreuth, 2022)
(01:10) The influence of war on art – statement by Lyniv
(01:23) Wagner, Parsifal, Prelude to Act III | Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bayreuth, 2022)
(01:40) Wagner, The Flying Dutchman | Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bayreuth, 2021)
(02:24) Conducting in Bayreuth in 2022 – statement by Lyniv
(02:35) Wagner, The Flying Dutchman | Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bayreuth, 2021)
(03:28) After her debut in Bayreuth 2021: continuation of her work this year – statement by Lyniv
(04:27) The consequences of debuting in Bayreuth – statement by Lyniv
(05:19) Wagner, Tannhäuser, Overture | Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bayreuth, 2022)
(05:40) What conducting in Bayreuth again this year means for Oksana Lyniv – statement by Lyniv
(05:52) Exclusive wedding pictures of Oksana Lyniv
(06:15) Looking back on her wedding – statement by Lyniv
(06:38) Yuri Shevchenko, We are | Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bologna, 2022)
(07:29) What makes conducting in times of war easier – statement by Lyniv
(08:05) Lyniv speaks with musicians from the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
(08:30) Zoom conference with the young Ukrainian musicians affected by war – statement by Lyniv
(10:10) Dvořák, Symphony No. 9, III. Scherzo. Molto vivace | Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Berlin, 2022)
(10:55) On including new works by Ukrainian composers in her repertoire – statement by Lyniv
(11:21) Zoltan Almashi, Maria’s City | Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Berlin, 2022)
(12:28) Lyniv and her family’s private commitment to Ukrainian refugees – statement by Lyniv
(13:27) Beethoven, Symphony No. 9, IV. finale | Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Bologna, 2022)
(14:08) The topicality of Schiller’s text from Beethoven’s Ninth – statement by Lyniv.
(14:48) Dvořák, Symphony No. 9, IV. Allegro con fuoco | Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Oksana Lyniv (conductor) (music excerpt, Berlin, 2022)

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