In short
State of the World Podcast Notes
Episode Title
Making Music from the Sounds of War
Overview
- Podcast Title: State of the World from NPR
- Episode Focus: The impact of war on daily life in Ukraine and how it has transformed into a form of artistic expression through a youth orchestra's composition.
- Host: Greg Dixon
- Correspondent: Joanna Kakissis
Key Themes
- The Constant Threat of War
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since early 2022, leading to more than 50,000 drone strikes.
- The pervasive threat has altered many aspects of life in Ukraine, particularly affecting nighttime sounds.
- Youth Orchestra's Response
- A youth orchestra called Harmonia based in Kivshavata, near Kyiv, is creating a musical piece titled Shahed Overture.
- The piece reflects the experiences and sounds of war, illustrating the juxtaposition of peaceful life disrupted by conflict.
- Composition Process
- The orchestra members, primarily middle school students, collaborate with local music teacher Dimitro Kornienko to compose the overture.
- The composition integrates various auditory elements, including:
- Calm nights
- Air raid sirens
- Sounds of drones and anti-aircraft fire
- Explosions and emergency sirens
- A heartbeat represented through drumming
Personal Experiences
- Rostoslav Musienko, a 14-year-old trombonist, shares his fear of the drone sounds overhead, which he has learned to mimic in rehearsals.
- Anna Neduji, the conductor’s daughter and lead violinist, expresses the contrast between normalcy and the disruptive reality of war.
- Ruslana Halazjuk, a 20-year-old drummer, conveys the emotional toll of playing at soldiers' funerals and how the experience often overwhelms her.
Conclusion
- The episode highlights the resilience of young Ukrainians who channel their experiences of war into music.
- The ongoing composition, Shahed Overture, serves as a poignant reminder of the conflict, while also offering a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.
Key Takeaways
- The art of music is being used as a coping mechanism and form of expression for those affected by war.
- The youth orchestra's project reflects their reality and serves as a testimony to their survival and creativity in the face of adversity.
- The emotional impact of war on young people is profound, influencing not only their daily lives but also their artistic endeavors.
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Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Today on State of the World, making music from the sounds of war.
0:08You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. I'm Greg Dixon. Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. And since then, Ukrainians have been under the constant threat of war. That has changed most aspects of daily life, including how it sounds, especially at night, when Russia often launches drone strikes. On today's episode, we're going to meet members of a youth orchestra outside Kiev that have taken note of the new sounds of their country. And PR's Joanna Kakissis brings us their sonic poem.
0:46On most nights, 14-year-old Rostoslav Musienko hears something like this buzzing over his house. An Iranian-designed drone called the Shahed. It looks like a small plane and often carries a warhead. Rostoslav says, when it picks up speed, I hide because I'm scared. He knows this sound so well. He plays it on his trombone at orchestra practice.
1:19Joining the other musicians, most are middle schoolers from the town of Kivshavata outside Kiev. They are playing a composition about Ukraine's nights of war. It's called Shahed Overture. The young musicians are writing it with local guitar teacher Dimitro Kornienko. We used to play jazz and funk songs, Kornienko says. This composition reflects the horror that we now live in.
1:54The orchestra is called Harmonia. They rehearse on a small, brightly lit stage. The conductor, Serhi Neduji, straps on a bass drum. Then hums a tune to the lead violinist, his 14-year-old daughter, Anna Neduji.
2:18who starts the piece by evoking a calm night. It's pleasant and peaceful, Ana says, an ordinary day in an ordinary city, until a terrible reality intrudes. Her dad, the conductor, continues. We hear air raid sirens, then a Shahid drone flying, then anti-aircraft guns.
2:51The conductor pounds on his bass drum. Explosions. The drone is shot down. Its wreckage falls on the city. Then, he says, you hear the sirens of an ambulance and firefighters. And rescue workers digging in the rubble, hearing a baby cry.
3:21The drumming, he says, is a heartbeat.
3:27It starts quietly at first and then grows stronger and stronger. The heart beats louder, a sign of life. The young Ukrainians in this orchestra are survivors. Russian strikes blow out their windows at home and force them into bunkers at school. Nearly every week, they play at the funerals of local soldiers. Ruslana Halazjuk, a 20-year-old drummer, struggles to describe the experience. You just stand there, she says, and you just cannot hold back your tears. There is no ending yet for this war or for Shahed Overture, which the musicians are still writing. So today, they linger on a hopeful note.
4:18Joanna Kikisis, NPR News, Kivshavata, Ukraine. That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.
From the publisher
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the country has been hit with more than 50,000 drone strikes. The constant threats of war have changed many things about life in Ukraine, including the way the night time sounds. We meet members of a youth orchestra outside Kyiv who are marking the new sounds of their country with a sonic poem.
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