Im Namen der Freiheit - Taras Schewtschenko. Ein Porträt des ukrainischen Nationaldichters

The Ukrainian folk poet Taras Shevchenko was born in 1814 as a serf in a village in central Ukraine and was orphaned as a child. Due to his extraordinary talent, his master Pavel Engelhardt allowed him to study painting in St. Petersburg. The Ukrainian student absorbs all the impressions of the Russian metropolis, learns Polish and French, attends lectures on physics as well as art history and architecture. His patrons, important painters and writers, finally organized a lottery in 1838 to buy the young man's freedom. But this did not quench his thirst for freedom, self-determination and justice. He dreamed of a world without serfdom and oppression, of a world of equality and brotherhood. His "Kobsar" was published in 1840, and the collection of poems, which remains famous to this day, became a milestone in Ukrainian literature. In 1847, he was arrested in Kiev, his poems were classified as "revolutionary" and the head of the secret police, Orlov, wrote to the tsar:

"With the dissemination of his poems in Ukraine, ideas about the possibility of Ukraine's existence as an independent state could take root."

While Svitlana Kavka brings the enchanting poetry of the lyricist closer to the audience with bandura, a Ukrainian lute zither, and singing (mezzo-soprano), Mark Zak paints a lively portrait of the outstanding artist with wit, humor and without any pathos, drawing a line to the present day.

A co-production with Theater der Keller and with the kind support of Blau-Gelbes Kreuz e.V. and Lew Kopelew Forum e.V.

Music and vocals: Svitlana Kavka

Read and narrated by: Mark Zak

Directed by: Alexander Olbrich