ZOLTAN ALMASHI’S MARIA’S CITY (MARIUPOL) WITH THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
OUT TODAY VIA PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS
“We are here to stay in this world and of course we are not going anywhere…..we must create bravely.”— Zoltan Almashi
February 20, 2026— Ukrainian composer and cellist Zoltan Almashi today releases Maria’s City (Mariupol) with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra via Phenotypic Recordings—listen here.
Maria’s City (Mariupol) was composed by Almashi at his piano in his apartment in Lviv, Ukraine, in 2022 during a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“There was an air alarm in the city but I didn’t go to the bomb shelter because Ukrainians don’t go to the bomb shelter every time the air alarm is on,” Almashi said. “I was at the piano composing and glanced out the window and saw the lightning, and the lightning was in the shape of dashed line, very rhythmical. In a moment, I heard the explosion and it occurred to me I actually saw the rocket. But instead of being afraid, instead of being frozen in fear, I made it a central episode of my composition. And that is how the fear was translated into a musical idea. Instead of bringing destruction, it created something new.”
The haunting and lyrical piece is rooted in past and present musical traditions of Ukraine. Almashi describes himself as a polystylistic composer who pulls from neo-Romanticism and modern styles. He is grateful to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for capturing an essence of Maria’s City (Mariupol)….”it’s not only about professionalism, it’s about this energy of performance which I feel is in tune with what I was putting into my music while composing….”
Mariupol is a designated Hero City by the Ukrainian government as recognition of the courage of the people who withstood a three-month siege four years ago in February of 2022.
ABOUT ZOLTAN ALMASHI
Zoltan Almashi is a leading figure in the musical life of Ukraine, both as a cellist in the Kyiv Camerata and in his own quartet, and also as the composer of more than 70 concert works. After Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv invited Almashi to compose a work for string orchestra that would use Samuel Barber’s iconic Adagio for Strings as a reference point. Working amid the ongoing war, Almashi used that prompt to create Maria’s City (Mariupol), a work he dedicated to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol that was besieged and largely destroyed before being occupied by Russian forces. (The city’s name is linked to the Virgin Mary and the small Greek Orthodox population in the region that has endured there since the Middle Ages.)
“For me,” Almashi explained in an interview with the Ukrainian music journal The Claquers, “the title and dedication are more important than the work itself. Humanity forgets everything very quickly. It forgets the facts surrounding terrible crimes, and they need to be reminded of these facts. Every normal musician is interested in the title and dedication of works they play, and the title and the dedication of Maria’s City are the keys to remembrance.”
ABOUT THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1959, the Grammy Award-winning Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming. SPCO concerts are primarily musician-led and include a broad range of repertoire, from Baroque works to new music, in close collaboration with a dynamic roster of internationally acclaimed Artistic Partners. Through a distinctive musician-led artistic model, SPCO musicians lead and develop the orchestra’s programming, determine members and choose artistic collaborators.
In its commitment to making music accessible to everyone, the SPCO presents concerts in a variety of venues across the Twin Cities each year while offering the most affordable ticket prices of any professional orchestra in the United States. The orchestra also offers an innovative ticket membership model in which members pay a monthly fee to attend unlimited concerts, starting at $5 per month.
ABOUT PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS
Phenotypic Recordings brings to light new music by world-class musicians and innovative composers, with a focus on music that highlights the most important issues facing the world today. As another way of amplifying artistic voices, Pheno donates its revenue from streaming and downloads to support non-profit causes identified by the artists making the music.
For more information, please contact
Krista Williams, Christopher Emond or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
