Can a classical concert respond to current events? Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla gives a clear answer to this question. Silvestrov's Prayer for Ukraine was composed in the wake of the Maidan demonstrations in 2014, while Sibelius composed his violin concerto at a time when Finland was on its way to freeing itself from dependence on Russia. Prokofiev returned to Russia in 1935 after almost twenty years in exile and composed his ballet music Romeo and Juliet full of hope. After just a few months, he had to realise that his comeback was a big mistake. The premiere was banned for a long time and Prokofiev was condemned as a formalist artist - a shock from which he was never to recover.