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Not Every Hero Carries a Gun In This

International Symphony Pianist and Soloist Valentina Lisitsa

Ukrainian Pianist Fired from Toronto Symphony Orchestra for Speaking Out for Donbass, Performs in Donetsk

June 22, 2015 | Kristina Rus

Each of us is faced with a choice of speaking our mind, or worrying about what our family, friends, bosses will think, how it would affect our reputation. This choice is even more amplified for public personas, such as Valentina Lisitsa, who put her career and livelihood on the line for truth, for her personal pain and the struggle of her people.

She chose to stand with her people, and she is an example for all of us. When the world goes mad, there are always these bright and pure signs of hope, strength and truth. And they are activated by our own personal choice not to compromise on our decency. 

The Ukrainian conflict has forced many to make that choice, even if they would prefer not too, and revealed the worst of us, and the best of us. It would not be possible without the pain and struggle, which break or cleanse a human soul and the soul of the nation. 

Music is a feeling, and nowhere it is stronger and more alive, then under a constant threat of death. Valentina became a fountain of vital energy, which the residents of Donetsk are so thirsty for. Even if we can appreciate the music on our computer screens, we cannot even imagine the feeling experienced by those in the audience.

Enjoy this concert in memory of June 22, 1941, the beginning of Nazi invasion of the USSR, in a frontline city of Donetsk, at which the Ukrainian heavy artillery is pointing from the dark fields just a few kilometers away.

Valentina Lisitsa (at 39 min): 
"I am incredibly grateful. This is one of the most important  days of my life. This is a great honor to be here with you on this day to enjoy this beautiful music together. Music is our spiritual legacy, just like our language, our faith, this is what is worth fighting for, it is our history, which no one can take away and rewrite. Seventy years had passed since we defeated fascism the first time, and now our role is to defend Europe, to defend the entire world from this brown plague, which is raising its head once again. And you are on the frontline, defending the entire world, the entire humanity. I am grateful to tears to be with you on this day. Thank you!"

The concert of Russian classics began with music by Sergei Prokofiev. Donetsk international airport which was completely destroyed was named after Sergei Prokofiev. More than 6 thousand people gathered to honor the memory of the fallen during WWII.

http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/06/ukrainian-pianist-fired-from-toronto.html 

Editor’s Note: That Canada could sink so low in the PC Quagmire; -that expression of utter contempt for the individual citizen’s position, as to crawl under slime on stilts to end this brilliant pianist's career for pointing out the Genocide in Ukraine; proves that Canada is lost and in need of massive repair as is all of North America.  -LB

‘I was to play Rachmaninoff, not preach politics’ – fired pianist Valentina Lisitsa to RT

Published: April 07, 2015

The Ukrainian-born pianist Valentina Lisitsa has become even more famous than she's already been among the online community, after her political views cost her a job with a Canadian orchestra. And she doesn't plan on being silenced, she told RT.

"I always separated music from politics and tried to keep enormous distance between the two," the pianist told RT's 'In the Now' host Anissa Naouai on Tuesday, after news of how she's been treated by Canada's Toronto Symphony Orchestra has spread globally. 

The hashtag #LetValentinaPlay surged in popularity on social media, and thousands of supporters spoke out for the artist, who was offered to be paid not to play.

READ MORE: Canadian orchestra drops Ukraine-born pianist Valentina Lisitsa over anti-Kiev posts

"I was about to play Rachmaninoff concertos with the orchestra, not to preach politics," Lisitsa, who was fired allegedly for her political views rather than lack of skill, told RT. The orchestra hasn't returned RT's requests to comment on the situation so far. 

"I never expected my music to be silenced," the pianist said, adding that she's "totally for freedom of speech, freedom of discussion and freedom of heated argument."

"That's what I've been doing on Twitter," she said, explaining her extensive tweeting on Ukraine on the social platform, with her point of view not falling in line with the popular Western narrative, allegedly costing her a job. 

"I always thought that things like that could only happen somewhere in the countries known to be undemocratic," the ethnic Ukrainian, who has lived in the United States for 20 years and has both American and Ukrainian passports, said.

READ MORE: Pianist’s ‘atheist’ Tweet could spell jail

"I tried to have a conversation with the Symphony through the management, but the only way they would talk to me is through their lawyer, [from whom] I got quite offensive letters," Lisitsa said, adding that those letters contained accusations of her having "come close to committing a crime by inciting hatred [by posting] inflammatory tweets." 

   When asked about negative comments about her on social media – many of which were harsh and rude, calling Lisitsa a liar and telling her to "go to Putin" - she said such reaction made her laugh, as she's actually "never played in Russia."

"It's laughable when people tell me to go back to Russia - I would love to go to Russia, I've actually visited it quite rarely and I'd like to catch up," she said, adding that "the world is much bigger" than some people imagine it to be, and the "Ukrainian community is so much bigger than the group of people who pressured Toronto Symphony anonymously to pay me not to play." 

"Looking backwards, I would not change anything I've done," Lisitsa told RT, saying she has fans around the world, not just in US and Canada, and has plenty of "places to go and play."

"Music in the end is always going to win over the war," she said.

http://rt.com/news/247677-lisitsa-interview-ukraine-canada/ 

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