Dmitry Demidov, Ukrainian violinist who shone in Russia and was forced to flee because of the war

Ukrainian Dmitry Demidov virtuoso violinist who played in a prestigious symphony orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia, until the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin forced him to flee Russia to become another one a year later in the ADDA Simfònica orchestra from the Spanish city of Alicante on the Mediterranean coast, where he plays as a guest musician.

For eight years, Demidov participated in one of the main Russian symphonies and the world: the Mariinsky Orchestra of St. Petersburg conducted by Valery Gergiev, and he learned about the Russian invasion in the middle of the night when he returned with his comrades from Moscow after the performance.

Just like the rest of the musicians, “Dima”, as he is familiarly called, fell into a “shock” and that night he could not sleep, imagining “what could happen” in general and him in particular, because he is a Ukrainian on Russian language. Earth.

“It didn’t take long for me to realize that, unfortunately, I would have to leave Russia for being Ukrainian The conflict was not my fault, but I was afraid that something might happen to me, and I began to think about how to leave St. Petersburg without losing everything,” he told EFE a year after the escape on the road across the Finnish border.

He violinist and his companions scheduled a concert a few hours later (on the night of February 24) at the Mariinsky Theater with the assistance of ADDA Simfònica director Josep Vicente, and on the same stage he did not hesitate to ask him for help, who offered to mediate in his favor if he went to distant Alicante .

Help in the danger he was in

With the Mariinsky “Dima” traveled half the world, including Spain, where he had already seen the hall of the ADDA Simfònica headquarters during the tour, which helped him make friends with Vicente and some of his musicians.

“Josep Vicente extended his hand and invited me to come to Alicante,” the 36-year-old violinist, who was born in Moscow, emotionally recalls, although he is Ukrainian because he grew up in this country.

With parents in Italy and brother already in Kyiv, Demidov he misses his friends and colleagues from St. Petersburg, whom he has good memories of, because the Mariinsky allowed him to visit many countries “and play in the best halls.”

He assures that he still keeps in touch with other musicians who remain in Russia and others who, like him, were forced to refuse. And although he does not have a clear plan for the future, he believes that in Alicante he still has “a long way to grow as a musician and as a person.”

Diaspora of artists towards a new life

The conflict, provoked by Putin, has led to the fact that, in addition to a significant number of Ukrainians, “many Russians had to leave” the diaspora, from which Demidov he is “proud to see super-brave people who have managed to start a new life from scratch.”

Through the eyes of an Eastern European citizen, he believes that Spaniards should be “very happy for what they have”, for example, for “the sun and the Mediterranean Sea, which are very welcome.” “Living by the sea is a luxury,” he says.

The daily life of the Ukrainian violinist begins at the Khogar Provincial Social Welfare Center, where he has been living since his arrival at the end of February 2022 and where he has “a comfortable room to be calm and sleep.” The day continues in the Auditorium of the Council of the Province of Alicante (ADDA) with a job that allows him to cover his expenses.

He appreciates the welcome in Spain, enjoys “the food and the people”, and the only thing he lacks is Spanish, but he is “working on it”. (EFE)