Kijów_Kraków / Ukrainian Music Scene 2023
The subsequent concerts as part of the Kijów_Kraków 2023 project drew crowds and received standing ovations. On the stage of the Strefa club, the following artists performed: NAZVA, Susanna Jara with her band, Horyna, Muzykanci, HrayBery, and the band Małe Piwko.
August and September were marked by a series of concerts in which bands representing the richness of traditional Ukrainian and Polish music showcased their diversity. These performances encompassed a wide range of styles and musical genres, ranging from distinctly traditional sounds to experimental interpretations and fusions of traditional music with jazz, folklore, or classical elements, all inspired by traditional motifs.
NAZVA [UA] | 22.08.2023
NAZVA, a Galician-Donbas band, played their first concert in Poland. NAZVA, among other things, are the creators and performers of the song 'Сіґеле-міґеле.' The band was formed in Lviv in 2019. Their style is identified as alternative 'ethnoart chaos,' in which two people on stage create music with a double bass, viola, keyboards, and a floor tom. On December 1, 2022, the band released their debut album 'NAZVA,' which includes nine compositions, including 'Сіґеле-міґеле.' Within a month, the song reached the top spot on the Ukrainian Shazam charts and garnered 4 million views on YouTube.
Susanna Jara with the band [UA/PL] | 09.09.2023
She has a wide-ranging musical background, spanning from church choirs to folk, folk, jazz, classical theatrical music, and contemporary styles. She loves improvisation and is most often heard singing and creating in six languages. She was born in Pochayiv, Ukraine, where she began learning to play the violin at the age of 4, a pursuit she continued upon moving to Poland in 1992. In addition to the violin, she readily picks up the bandura, cello, double bass, hurdy-gurdy, cymbals, and various percussion instruments, using them in unconventional ways. However, her most significant instrument is her voice, with its wide range and enormous capabilities, allowing her to perform folk music both authentically and stylized. She is unafraid to tackle classical pieces, giving them new sounds or restoring their traditional character.
In 2013, she released her debut album 'Wesna, wesnoju,' featuring original songs and folk songs from the Carpathians in unique, original, multi-voice arrangements. In 2016, she released an album with music from a performance featuring songs from Anna German's repertoire. In 2017, in collaboration with Ruská Bursá, she released her second original album 'Rusyn Takes.' In 2018, the CD 'Hulanka' was released, featuring remixes created in collaboration with the artist T.est.
Workshops with Ludmila Wostrikowa [UA] and a concert featuring the bands Horyna [UA] & Muzykanci [PL] | 16.09.2023
On Saturday, September 16th, at the Strefa club in Krakow, it was a day filled with sounds and musical inspirations. We started the morning with singing workshops led by Ludmila Wostrikowa, and in the evening, we surrendered to the magic of the Horyna band's concert, led by Ludmila herself. The evening was crowned with a dance party featuring the Muzykanci band.
Ludmila Wostrikowa is an ethnomusicologist and a vocalist with a unique, velvety voice, as well as an experienced and excellent teacher. She was born in the village of Rokitne in Polesie, in the Kowalczuk family, where traditional songs were sung from an early age. She received extensive knowledge about the traditions of her region from her parents. Over time, she began documenting these traditions, first in the vicinity of her hometown and later throughout Polesia. She organized and participated in numerous field studies and ethnomusicological expeditions in Polesia. In 1997, she completed her higher education at the Department of Folk Music at the State Humanitarian University in Rivne. Since 1999, she has been leading the well-known student ensemble Horyna in Poland. The program for Saturday's workshops included traditional ritual and lyrical songs from Polesie Równieńskie. The songs from Polesie Równieńskie are characterized by their richness in variations and ornaments. Participants worked on listening to these variations and later using them freely during the performance of the songs. The program also included work on singing techniques specific to the region: breathing exercises, emission exercises, and work on the sound and manner of Polesian singing."
The Horyna ensemble performs traditional songs from Polesie Równieńskie. In Krakow, the female part of the ensemble presented excerpts from wedding rituals in the village of Rokitne (Równieńszczyzna), such as the presentation of the wedding bread, dressing the bride, and the giving of wedding gifts. They also sang traditional summer songs and lyrical songs.
The Muzykanci are pioneers of acoustic instrumentation and draw directly from folk traditions. This, coupled with their immense stage presence, performance dynamism, outstanding vocal harmonies sung a capella, continues to contribute to the originality and appeal of the group's offerings. Their performances are a journey through time and space: tracing the footsteps of rural minstrels, Romani caravans, and Klezmer orchestras.
Грайбери / HrayBery [UA/PL] & Małe Piwko band [PL] | 22.09.2023
HrayBery's repertoire mainly consists of dance tunes (Cossack, Mazurkas, Polkas, and Waltzes) reconstructed from archival recordings made by Ukrainian researchers in Ukrainian territories. The band's sound allows the listener to immerse themselves in the ancient, multicultural music of regions inhabited by Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews.
The band members play three traditional instruments: violins, second violins, cymbals, and often a drum/bass. In the 19th century, ensembles with this lineup were popular both in cities and villages, as evidenced by the memories of performers from whom the collected material originated.
The band has performed at festivals in Poland and, most recently, at the Rudolstadt Festival and Donaufest in Deggendorf, Germany
The band Małe Piwko consists of three experienced musicians who have been playing in various projects at the intersection of traditional and folk music for years. The band aims to faithfully recreate the character of pre-war ensembles, which is why they play in an archaic lineup: violin, basetla, guitar, drum, and vocals. During their concerts, you can hear hits such as the sentimental waltz 'Bal na Gnojnej,' the dramatic 'Tango Apaszowskie,' lively foxtrots 'Ach te Rumunki!' and 'Ty masz dla mnie coś,' the love song 'Tango Stachu,' or the melancholic 'La Paloma.' They also perform rural trance obereks, fast polkas, lively krakowiaks, and characteristic chodzone dances from the former Galicia region. The band mainly plays dance parties with live music as part of the Dom Tańca Kraków (Krakow Dance House) and has performed in venues like Piwnica pod Baranami, Jazz Like That, and frequently on the Krakow Market Square.
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Kijów_Kraków / Ukrainian Music Scene | 2023
:: organizer: ROZSTAJE: u Zbiegu Kultur i Tradycji. Association
:: funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the National Centre for Culture program: Culture - Interventions. Edition 2023