Is it possible to protect a family member from the horrors of war? This question was posed in the film “Life Is Beautiful,” which inspired Ukrainian artist Halyna Andrusenko to create her own works of art, which in turn inspired the documentary by Joel Espi and the score by Daniela Mars, and whose title is shared by the opening track.
Since the early days of the invasion, Ukrainians have been wrapping monuments and statues in cloth and reinforcing them with sandbags to protect them from fire and bombs. In her art, Andrusenko does the same with her family (allowing them to breathe of course) and draws sketches of them: a brand of performance art translated to physical form. Through flute and wordless voice, Mars conveys feelings of love and protection, with a melancholy undercurrent that highlights the fragility of human life.
“Life Is Beautiful” is short yet sweet, a choral preface to the overture. Mars’ multitracked voice becomes that of a church choir, blurring the lines between baptism and requiem. Threaded into the following piece, the voice becomes the accompaniment for an array of flutes, operating as an additional instrument. Even without seeing the film, one can imagine the tenderness shown by Andrusenko as she wraps her family fold by fold, and the mixed feelings as she ties the cloth in string. “Colours of the Bending River” operates in the lower register, a cluster of dark thoughts.
“Dana Nobis Pacem” (“Give Us Peace”) cements the spiritual connection. Part of the Latin Mass, the phrase also appears in works by Beethoven and Vaughn Williams. This prayer leads to the first of three versions of “Halyna’s Theme,” which is also the first of two contrabass pieces that represent the album’s emotional center. The contrabass take on “Dark Sky Lullaby” conjures images of its title; in Ukraine, these skies are as often caused by war as by weather. “In the Sky” is the score’s most abstract piece, a shimmer of dismay including a disturbing rustle at 00:50.
Light and dark continue to battle, Mars’ voice a perennial reminder of hope. The later tracks grow more intimate with the sound of breath. “Halyna’s Theme (by the water)” offers early confidence, communicated by multiple flutes, before one steps to the fore, is heard and is then joined again, a parable of community. “Dark Sky” is balanced by “Silent Light,” the title a sideways allusion to “Silent Night.” We don’t know how the film ends, because we don’t know how or if the invasion ends. We do know that the war will leave a residue of sorrow. Mars conveys this beautifully in “The Wind Breathes,” leaving us with the bittersweet feeling of a mother who does what she can, knowing that it can never be enough. (Richard Allen)
If you are in Kyiv, be sure to check out the exhibition, which just opened at the Dymchuk Gallery run by Max aka Trinidad Shevron!
a closer listen 