I was still hundreds of metres from the Royal Albert Hall when I spotted the first Ukrainian flag. It was the first of many worn as capes, not to mention the badges, hats and colour-coordinated outfits scattered around the near-capacity auditorium. If this sounds reminiscent of the annual flag-fest on the Last Night of the Proms, think again: this crowd was sombre, even subdued. But that changed as members of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra started to filter on to the stage, met by a battery of applause and an immediate standing ovation.
It was an impressive start for an ensemble that didn’t exist a fortnight ago, rapidly assembled from professional Ukrainian musicians in Ukraine and across Europe. One musician I spoke to – a trombonist with the Kyiv National Opera – had travelled straight from Lviv to Warsaw for the orchestra’s first rehearsal under founding conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. Instantly recognisable in his concert dress outside RAH, he told me this was his first trip to London: “Like a dream come true”.
