Sunday Letters from Ukraine. Some news and an opera star from Ternopil

Hi!

I began writing this letter on Saturday afternoon. Tomorrow morning, I'll have an early start and a long way home from Ternopil, a tiny city in Western Ukraine, where I spent a few days.

I am sitting in a cosy cafe with good air conditioning (it is hot again outside). My mom and aunt came home after a long walk in the city centre. I will write a special travel chapter about Ternopil for the book Ukraine Beautiful. You have to see this beauty.

But now, a cup of delicious warcoffee and a piece of cake. Oh my, I eat too much here. I suspect my mom and aunt think I don't eat in Kyiv. I don't know why I ordered that piece of cake. It looked sooo good (with blueberry).

I still don't know what photos I will include in this letter. I have the ones from yesterday's visit to the village and the ones I took earlier today in Ternopil. They are in my camera yet. So, at this moment, it is a photo mystery for me.

But the first one will be from the village where I spent many summers in my childhood. I love this place so much. It is filled with sweet memories and whispers of green years when I only started dreaming.

Let's return to the present moment. This week, the third Patriot anti-aircraft missile system from Germany arrived in Ukraine; the White House announced a new military aid package worth $150 million; France sent 41 electric generators to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, whose power infrastructure was severely damaged by russians. 

Of course, russia hasn't stopped its attacks on Ukraine this week. On July 3, russian forces attacked Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs, injuring at least 14 people. On the same day, they hit a shopping centre in Dnipro, killing seven people and injuring at least 50. Civilian port infrastructure was struck in the city of Chornomorsk in Odesa Oblast; one civilian was killed, and seven others were wounded.

Ukrainian forces were also busy this week, targeting russian critical objects. On July 1, drones struck power substations in Belgorod Oblast; a few days later, drones also attacked an electrical substation in Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai. Unfortunately, debris from one of the drones damaged a three-storey building. Fresh news from here (I added it after arriving in Kyiv) that Ukrainian Security Service drones destroyed a large ammunition storage point in Voronezh Oblast.

And something new in my letters. Occasionally, I will give you some recommendations for the articles. So, if you want to read about russian attacks and look at the photos of the two settlements and their people in Donetsk Oblast, please pay attention to the article: russia attacks New-York and Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast, killing civilians – Ukrainska Pravda photo report.

The other article concerns Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's visit to Kyiv: Why did Orbán come to Kyiv, and what did he agree with Zelenskyy?

Maybe you noticed that I tried to shorten our news section without compromising its quality.

In the second part of the letter, I introduced you to our past in the last several letters. Today, I will tell you the story of a woman I admire. I chose her because she was born near Ternopil (the village very close to it), and her name is worth knowing.

So, Solomiya Krushelnytska (1872-1952) was a famous opera singer with a unique voice. Wikipedia says that during her life, Krushelnytska was recognized as the most outstanding singer in the world. Now, we will close Wikipedia and listen to the story I gathered from different sources.

Here is a monument to Solomiya in the central square of Ternopil

She was born on September 23, 1872, to a priest family. Since childhood, Solomiya studied piano and singing.

The father borrowed money secured by his own home and sent his daughter to Milan. But there might not have been a great opera singer. In 1890, when Solomiya turned 18, she became engaged to a young seminarian named Zenon Gutkovsky. He was the son of her father's friend. Zenon did not like the fact that his future wife sang and played. He used to say:
- When you get married, you will become a housewife and not have time to sing.

The closer the wedding approached, the more sad Solomiya became. Finally, she decided to talk to her father, and he ended the engagement. Solomiya was grateful to her father for this decision for the rest of her life. But this act damaged the Krushelnytsky family's reputation. None of Solomiya's sisters married a priest.

It is a lake in the city centre of Ternopil, where fountains provide a refreshing escape on hot summer days.

So, Solomiya went to Milan to pursue her studies after graduating from the Lviv Conservatory. During that time, she also performed at the Polish opera, with her triumphant performance in Warsaw in 1899.

In late 1902, Solomiya Krushelnyska captivated the Parisian audience with her performance at the Grand Opera House in Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin. Sadly, her father passed away around the same time, making it especially difficult for Solomiya as she was unable to attend his funeral.

After her father's death, Solomiya decided that her family should move to Lviv and bought a three-storey building not far from the city centre. Their family lived there for more than 30 years. In 1939, the Soviets nationalized the house and left only one flat on the second floor for the Krushelnytska family. During the Nazi occupation of Lviv, Solomiya was moved to the third floor. After the end of the war, she returned to the previous flat and lived there until her last days.

Ternopil Drama Theater

But let's talk a little more about her life. During her professional career, Solomiya performed about 60 roles. Her name is associated with the triumphant revival of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. The premiere was on February 17, 1904, in the Milan theatre La Scala, but it failed. The composer worked on the opera for two months and asked Solomiya Krushelnytska to perform. It occurred on May 28, 1904, at the Grande Theater in Brescia (Italy). The opera was a complete success.

In early 1908, Solomiya Krushelnytska was invited to perform in Cairo with the opera Madama Butterfly. She went there with Giacomo Puccini, his wife Elvira and secretary Cesare Riccioni, who became her husband a year later. After their marriage, they settled in Viareggio, Italy and lived there until Cesare's death.

What else can I tell you about Solomiya? She loved travelling, had a camera, played tennis, and drove. By the way, she is considered the first Ukrainian woman to learn how to drive a car.

Giacomo Puccini was a neighbour of the Krushelnytska and Riccioni spouses in Viareggio. In his office, a single photograph hanging above his desk was of Solomiya Krushelnytska. It was a remembrance of her reviving his opera Madama Butterfly. 

I am writing this final note from Kyiv. As you can see, I added some pictures from Ternopil and some of the village.

Have I rested? It's hard to answer right now because I slept poorly last night, took an early train, and had a long trip (almost 7 hours). What I can tell you for sure is that this change of scenery helped me. It's vital to do such things from time to time, even during wartime.

Just a quick update on the energy situation: This week was tough, with numerous power outages. However, there was a slight improvement over the weekend. Ukrenergo has informed us that the power supply situation will improve in a few weeks as they will repair the generating units.

Anyway, I have ordered the EcoFlow portable power station I mentioned in my previous letter. I don't know when it will be available, but I hope soon. Of course, I will update you. I am grateful for the warcoffees I got this week as they helped me place the order. Thank you!

Sending you sincere hugs,
Yaroslava

P.S. Please let me know if you like this letter. Your likes, comments and warcoffees talk with me.