Any day now, Stas Nevmerzhytskyi, the editor-in-chief of The Claquers, an independent Ukrainian online classical music magazine, will join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A musicologist specializing in early music by training—“I graduated from the National Music Academy in Kyiv, which, unfortunately, still bears the name of Tchaikovsky,” he said—Nevmerzhytskyi founded the publication, with articles in Ukrainian and English (and occasionally German and Polish), in June 2020.
The name refers to “a group of people hired to applaud at a performance,” which is ironic given The Claquers’ reputation for ferocious criticism. But not just that: Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the magazine has become by necessity a venue for war reporting. (Tetiana Novytska, who published a devastating story about a Ukrainian musician’s experience in Russian captivity, will take over from Nevmerzhytskyi as editor in chief.) Recently, I spoke with Nevmerzhytskyi on Zoom about the publication’s early “arrogance,” the important distinctions between Ukrainian and Russian music, and why he decided to take up arms. Les Vynogradov interpreted during the interview.
Unlimited access to our
