On 29 August, the “Fantasie und Klang” festival took place in Basel. It was organized by Verein Brücken Konzerte under the artistic direction of Ukrainian pianist Andrii Dragan. The idea behind the concert, “Klangbrücke: Bündnerland – Basel – Karpaten,” was to create a musical encounter between Switzerland and Ukraine.

Ukrainian and Swiss musicians performed works by Duri Sialm, John Giuseppe Derungs, Roland Moser, Hans Huber, and Myroslav Skoryk. A particularly meaningful symbol of the Ukrainian-Swiss dialogue was Myroslav Skoryk’s “Variations on a Swiss Theme.”

The performers included Andrii Dragan, Ukrainian musicians Oleksandr Piriiev and Vasyl Zatishka, the string quintet “Lviv Virtuosi,” as well as Swiss musicians.

“Friendship between countries is born when people listen to one another, discover each other’s culture, and create something together. Perhaps this is how the strongest bridges begin — with the ability to hear one another,” said a representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in Switzerland in the welcoming remarks.

We sincerely thank all Ukrainian and Swiss musicians, the festival’s partners, and all the guests.