And to, you know, describe the theatre and the Home Front and all the elements of war, but i was very worried whether i would come across as some kind of creepy tourist who was just kind of feasting on the unusual sight and ticking it off on a weird bucket list. That wasnt my intention, i was invited there, but im aware that its a sensitive area, isnt it . Oh, but you can see. I mean, vitaly, im sure, agrees with me that the reaction of ukrainians that you were there, they were very honoured, they were so pleased, because they know you, and also because you have become a well known advocate of what is a growing issue for ukraine, and that is how for ukraine, and that is how to deal with Mental Health. To deal with Mental Health. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And thats why i went there. And thats why i went there. The elements, the way we cover olena zelenska, the first lady, olena zelenska, the first lady, she has, for a few years now, had these special conferences she has, for a few years n
Its a great pleasure to be in your presence, stephen. People in ukraine know who you are, they follow you, and they appreciate what you do. No, im thrilled to be here. It was extraordinary to visit ukraine almost a year ago, and i still think about it almost every day and follow whats going on in the news with puzzlement, hope, sometimes despair, and often bafflement. Wars are such complex machines, beasts, whatever we want to call them, arent they . And its very hard to understand them. And, you know, youre a journalist, you both have every right to visit and to be embedded amongst military and to, you know, describe the theatre and the Home Front and all the elements of war, but i was very worried whether i would come across as some kind of creepy tourist who was just kind of feasting on the unusual sight and ticking it off on a weird bucket list. That wasnt my intention, i was invited there, but im aware that its a sensitive area, isnt it . Oh, but you can see. I mean, vitaly, im su
Across as some kind of creepy tourist who was just kind of feasting on the unusual sight and ticking it off on a weird bucket list. That wasn t my intention, i was invited there, but i m aware that it s a sensitive area, isn t it? oh, but you can see. . . I mean, vitaly, i m sure, agrees with me that the reaction of ukrainians that you were there, they were very honoured, they were so pleased, because they know you, and also because you have become a well known advocate of what is a growing issue for ukraine, and that is how to deal with mental health. Yeah, yeah. And that s why i went there. Olena zelenska, the first lady, she has, for a few years now, had these special conferences in which she invites other first ladies and, as they call them, first ladies and gentlemen. So the first ladies and gentlemen gather, and discuss things, and use what i suppose you might call the soft power of a presidential or prime ministerial spouse. Their connections and their ability to get things done
days of hostilities. but, it s reported the israeli military has struck targets in gaza within minutes of the ceasefire coming into force. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i m stephen sackur. russia s war on ukraine has turned culture into a battleground. in countries supportive of ukraine s resistance to putin s invasion, some russian artists, musicians and dancers have been stripped of their platforms or they ve been asked to denounce russia s military aggression. when does solidarity turn into censorship? my guest is the world renowned soviet born conductor semyon bychkov. is art the loser when politics takes centre stage? semyon bychkov, a very warm welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you are like all of the great musical maestros, you re peripatetic, your career takes you all around the world, you are constantly travelling. is there one place you can point to and say that has done the most to define you as a person and an artist? no, i don t think so. maybe be
my guest is the world renowned soviet born conductor semyon bychkov. is art the loser when politics takes centre stage? semyon bychkovjoins me now. welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you are like all of the great musical maestros, you re peripatetic, your career takes you all around the world, you are constantly travelling. is there one place you can point to and say that has done the most to define you as a person and an artist? no, i don t think so. maybe because my destiny made it so that i was born in russia. i lived there 22 years before emigrating to america. leningrad was the city, when it was called leningrad. leningrad today, st petersburg. so the dna, the roots are there, have always been, always will be. but then what happens is that i come to america, i live five years, my first five years, in new york, and then i conduct grand rapid symphony in michigan, buffalo philharmonic, so altogether i think, what, 13, 14 years of life in america, becoming us citizen, having