(Kate Tsurkan’s article appeared in the Kyiv Independent, 10/3/25; Photo: Postmodern opera “Gaia-24,” Act III – Free Bleeding. (Valeriya Landar / The Kyiv Independent.)
A moment from a postmodern opera “Gaia-24,” Act I – Arkan. (Valeriya Landar / The Kyiv Independent)
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Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent is a media partner of the “Gaia-24” performance on Nov. 27 in Kyiv.
Even in the midst of Russia’s ecocide against Ukraine — where forests are scorched, rivers are poisoned, and crops are torn apart by shellfire — life refuses to end. Nature sends up green shoots through craters — and in the same spirit, art rises through grief.
“Gaia-24,” the opera inspired by Russia’s 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir dam in Kherson Oblast, is set to make its return to the Kyiv stage in late November at the Lesia Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theater.
Since the May 2024 premiere in Kyiv, Opera Aperta, the team behind “Gaia-24,” has reshaped it with new music, fresh performers, and updated video sequences.
“The premiere was only the beginning — the opera evolves all the time as the landscape (of Kakhovka) heals itself,” composer Roman Grygoriv told the Kyiv Independent.
The opera belongs to a new wave seeking to redefine the art form with formats that depart from classical norms. Blending folk, cabaret, and other genres in a clash of sound and spectacle, the production sees its performers strip down in a number of scenes, baring both body and soul as they play.
“The project aims to understand how art can help our society navigate the never-ending wars against humanity and the ecological battles threatening our planet,” composer Illia Razumeiko said.
“We want to explore how Ukraine’s experience — and the lessons we are learning from the tragedy of Russia’s invasion — can be transformed into a new methodology, a fresh approach, and a set of tools that can help save us in future crises.”
