At a pivotal moment in the Ukrainian struggle for national sovereignty and cultural identity, the musicians of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra are once again embarking on a tour of Europe in August 2025. In the wake of the...

Following the high-profile tours of the previous three years, on this year's tour the ensemble will present a moving programme at the core of which will be Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 - a masterpiece of world music literature written during the turmoil of war and the composer's personal crisis, which will forever remain a symbol of the victory of light over darkness and adversity. The performance of the work during the tour will be recorded by Deutsche Grammophon. Last year, the famous German label released a unique interpretation of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in a Ukrainian version performed by UFO.

During the tour, the orchestra will perform the world premiere of a new work by acclaimed Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets. The suite from the opera Mothers of Kherson is a moving tribute to the Ukrainian women who travelled almost 5,000 kilometres behind enemy lines to free their children held by the Russian authorities. The suite is based on a new opera composed by Kolomiiets to a libretto by George Brant, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Grand Theatre - National Opera in Warsaw.

Also on stage will be American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who will perform with the ensemble the Prelude and Liebestod from Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde, as well as Richard Strauss' poignant Four Last Songs.