On 30 and 31 October, Kyiv and Lviv will host a theatrical performance of Mr Schoenberg's Bizarre Tales.

Who was Schoenberg and why do we turn to his work today?

Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian cult expressionist composer, founder of the New Viennese School, a reformer of world music in the early 20th century, and the origin and development of dodecaphony is also associated with his name. He was also an ardent inventor and a powerful artist.

This year, the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg.

His influence, of course, has not passed Ukraine by. Schoenberg's music undoubtedly served as a certain impetus and inspiration for the iconic Ukrainian composer Borys Liatoshynsky. Interestingly, for several years Schoenberg was also the teacher of the first Ukrainian female composer, Stefania Turkevych.

"Arnold Schoenberg embodies a turbulent era that seems to be repeating itself in a spiral in our time. By creating this performance, we are talking about ourselves, about our society, inspired by the courage of the reformist composer, the multidisciplinarity of his creative pursuits and the philosophy of play that permeates his art.",- says Bohdan Polishchuk, director and author of the project.

"The creation of the performance is an attempt to move away from the framework of perceiving musical heritage only in the academic halls of conservatories and philharmonic societies. This work is a kind of provocation. It combines music, contemporary dance, theatre and visual art. Play as a state and as a process is the basis of our performance. We invite you to plunge into the whimsical world of fairy tales, fairy tales for adults, in which the game will unite performers and spectators.

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The project is the winner of the Per Forma grant programme implemented by the Kyiv Contemporary Music Days platform with the support of the Performing Arts Fund NL and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands to develop the performing arts sector in Ukraine.

Created in partnership with Studio Fugue / PUC - Pop Up Collective (Vienna, Austria)

We would also like to thank the Austrian Cooperation Office in Lviv for their trust and significant support.