Live concert in war zone gives goosebumps: sirens fit into "Inception" track

Created: 03/24/2022, 10:42 am

By: Franziska Schwarz

Photo from March 22nd: Refugees at the train station in Lviv (Lemberg).

© Ty ONeil/Imago

If there was peace, it would have been an entertaining performance at Lviv's busy Central Station.

But since Putin is currently at war in Ukraine, another level has been added.

Lviv (Lemberg) – More than 3.5 million people have already left the contested area * in the Ukraine war, according to the UN refugee agency.

Many stayed.

Just like the piano teacher "Alex" in Lviv (formerly: Lemberg).

The western Ukrainian city has been a haven for just over a month, the last outpost before Poland* and host to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians passing through or staying here. 

The World Heritage city of Lviv is around 80 kilometers from the border with the Polish NATO member.

Nevertheless, the sirens are howling here too.

The pianist's following current Instagram* post proves it.

But the artist does not receive applause for this in the social network.

But because, despite the alarm, he continues to play his piano undeterred - even though he has brought it to Lviv's main train station to play music for the fugitives.

This is where the recording was made:

Ukraine war: "My protest against sirens, bombs and murder!"

"This is my inner protest against sirens, bombs and murder!" he wrote.

"Alex"'s real name is Oleksii Karpenko, reports

.

The editors wrote to him.

“It all happened suddenly and by accident.

I didn't even realize that I was being filmed," Karpenko replied when asked.

And his motivation? "I play because it's the best thing I can do." It felt like an act of protest.

After the recording he played a few more pieces.

The song in the video is the song "Time" by composer Hans Zimmer from the science fiction film "Inception" (2010).

Karpenko told

that he was surprised himself that the sound of the air raid siren matched it so well .

Here is a photo of the incident:

War protest in Lviv (Lemberg): Mayor asks for help because of refugees

There is currently less war in Lviv than in Kyiv, Kharkiv or Odessa.

On March 18, however, the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadowy, asked for international help - in view of the hundreds of thousands of war refugees who had arrived in his city.

that money was most urgently needed to provide people with food and medicines and to build container houses, mobile showers and toilets

.

"We can't keep people in a gym or on a theater stage forever."

According to Sadowy, the city of Lviv and the region of the same name have each taken in around 200,000 refugees.

At the time, the mayor was skeptical about the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

"A treaty with Russia is only worth the paper it's written on," he said.

“Russia was, is and always will be our neighbor.

And Russia was, is and will always be a threat to us.”