Art Music and War: Ukrainian Case 2022

Abstract

After the beginning of full-scale war Russia against Ukraine from 24 of February 2022, Ukrainian composers are reflecting the theme of a war in diverse ways. This article examines general underpinning concepts, guiding the composers of the present-day Ukraine, as well and their actual musical realizations, in order to 1) provide a basis for the understanding of the wartime functioning of the Ukrainian music culture; and 2) capture a specific brand of a creative response to a dramatic and oftentimes, tragic political situation. Specifically, attention in the article focuses on works Eyes to Eyes by Evgen Petrychenko and Lullaby for Mariupol by Illia Razumeiko, Roman Grygoriv and Opera Aperta ensemble, and investigate their structural, semantic and reception-related aspects.