Valentin Silvestrov composed Requiem for Larissa between 1997 and 1999 as a memorial to his wife, musicologist Larissa Bondarenko, who died in 1996. It is a big and unceasingly somber work, scored for chorus and orchestra. Understandably, this Requiem is to a degree reflective, incorporating musical themes drawn from older works that had special meaning to the couple. While Silvestrov's typically glacial tempos are in evidence here, some of the opening half of the piece has an angular spikiness that recalls serial techniques without actively engaging in them. Instrumentally, Requiem for Larissa is dark, atmospheric, and even a little cinematic; the choral parts are sparse and minimally applied. In the fourth-movement Largo, the voices take over and settle down into an ethereal texture that leavens the gloom somewhat, but by this time 25-and-a-half minutes have gone by and some listeners will have already tuned out owing to the toughness of the opening section.Requiem for Larissa is an intensely personal piece performed with respect and care by the Ukrainian National Chorus and Symphony Orchestra under conductor Vladimir Sirenko.

One of Ukraine's most popular, politically charged, and commercially successful rock bands, Okean Elzy (it translates to "Elza's Ocean") formed in 1994 in the city of Lviv by longstanding frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk after the dissolution of his prior group Klan Tyshi.

This fascinating collection was put together by archivist Christopher Wagner, who assembled these vintage 78 rpms recorded between 1922 and 1959 by all manner of emigrant musicians – each addressing the hopes, dreams, fears and confusions of starting a new life in a new world – into an amazing statement on diversity. Some 50 million people migrated from Europe to America in the 19th century, with millions more coming from the Far East, the West Indies, and points in between, all putting to the test the melting pot theory of American democracy, a theory that is, in many ways, still being tested. Consisting of selections by Irish string bands, Scandinavian folk ensembles, ragged street corner calypso orchestras, conjunto bands and so much more, Stranded in the USA holds a mirror to a vital period in U.S. history, and also sheds light on a nascent recording industry trying anything and everything to reach pocket audiences, a process that is difficult to imagine in a contemporary setting full of corporate multimedia giants more intent on selling culture than reflecting or serving it. This truly is the sound of America singing. Kudos to Trikont Records, a German label, for recognizing the importance of these tracks.

This recording of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s emotionally charged Warsaw performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony captures one of the artistic highlights of 2023. The orchestra was created as a cultural riposte to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Their Beethoven has the unique feature that its text, Schiller’s great poem of freedom “Ode to Joy”, is sung in Ukrainian, indeed it also expresses Schiller’s opening word of “Freude” (Joy) as the Ukrainian word “Slava” (Glory) to electrifying effect in a moving echo of Ukraine’s rallying call of resistance in the face of aggression, Slava Ukraini! (“Glory to Ukraine!").

The internationally acclaimed Berlin-based Ethno-jazz band LELÉKA, dedicated to reviving ancient Ukrainian folk songs since its inception in 2016, presents its new album Rizdvo at the end of November. Together with the famous Ukrainian flutist Maksym Berezhniuk, virtuoso and collector of traditional woodwind instruments, the ensemble creates an extraordinary hom-mage to the incredibly rich tradition of Ukrainian Christmas music, breathing new life into it with contemporary arrangements, interpretations and improvisations.

Laura Marti's new album "Africa - Tribute to Lars Danielsson" is a beautiful homage to the legendary European jazz musician. Recorded in Germany's Bauer Studios during the intense conflict in Ukraine, the album is a testament to the importance of supporting Ukrainian music in European cultural life. The album features 9 tracks, including 8 of Danielsson's well-known compositions and a special track written by him for the project, called "For Laura," in which he also participated. Marti invited renowned Ukrainian jazz pianist and composer Natalia Lebedeva to create the arrangements for the songs, and talented Ukrainian jazz musicians Yakiv Tsvietinsky, Yuriy Natsvlishvili, and Dima Litvinenko joined the project. This album is a must-listen for any jazz lover looking to explore the intersection of European and Ukrainian jazz.

With their incredible talent for storytelling and already impressive recognition as a band-to-watch, Ukrainian upstarts Ignea are ready to share their highly-anticipated, thrilling next adventure! Mixing heavy riffs and epic lyricism with symphonic, electronic and ethnic folk elements, the melodic metal five-piece will release their new concept album, Dreams of Lands Unseen, on April 28, 2023 via Napalm Records. Ignea continues their sonic sojourn after previously impressing international metal fanbases with tracks like "Jinnslammer", "Alga" and "Disenchantment", boasting a noteworthy number of views on YouTube alone and recently receiving honors at the Best Ukrainian Metal Act Awards…

Legendary Ukrainian black metal project Drudkh is ushering in the cold darkness and alluring decay of autumn with its brand-new offering, ‘All Belong to the Night’. While the album is only four songs, it rages on for over 45 minutes, delivering an epic maelstrom of grandiose melodies, devastating aggression, and the cold atmospheric passages that have come to define Drudkh’s unmistakable sound.

Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov (b.1937) is an important contemporary voice in vocal music. In this new release, Silvestrov’s hauntingly beautiful vocal works are performed by the Latvian Radio Choir under their director Sigvards Kļava. During his artistic career, Silvestrov has explored a number of musical styles and techniques, such as avant-guard, post-modernism, neo-classicism, dodecaphony, aleatoric writing and pointillism. The fall of the Soviet Union, however, allowed Silvestrov to eventually compose spiritual works, inspired and influenced by his love of the Russian Orthodox Church music which Silvestrov imbues with his own unique sound and bursts of surprising harmonic moves. Silvestrov’s compositions are invested with the composer’s own unique personality, musical sensibility and sense of beauty.

Pink Floyd will release two physical versions of their first new music in over 25 years, recent single “Hey Hey Rise Up,” which was first released digitally in April to support of the people of Ukraine. The single will be available as both a 7-inch and CD single on Oct. 21 in the U.S., with both formats boasting newly-reworked version of “A Great Day For Freedom,” from the band’s 1994 album. The Division Bell. David Gilmour reimagined the song using the original tapes, which feature Nick Mason on drums and the late Richard Wright on keyboards.

In another gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera will gather leading Ukrainian musicians into the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a European and American tour July 28–August 20, including stops in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, before culminating with concerts in New York and Washington, DC. Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the orchestra will perform a program that includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova. Leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, who sang the title role of Turandot at the Met in the spring, will perform the great aria “Abscheulicher!” from Beethoven’s Fidelio, a paean to humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.

Drudkh is a black metal legend. True to the values of this extreme genre, the enigmatic Ukrainians refuse to follow the rock 'n 'roll rulebook and provide no answers, no statements, no shows – all that matters to them is their music. Drudkh's latest albums and split-singles have drawn heavily on 20th century Ukrainian poetry for lyrical inspiration and 'They Often See Dreams About the Spring' continues this trend. Poetic gems from Bohdan Ihor Antonych, Maik Yohansen, Vasyl' Bobyns'kyi and Pavlo Philipovych have been unearthed by the band and brought back to life on this album. 'They Often See Dreams About the Spring' delivers black metal poetry at its best.

“The Realms of Fire and Death” is a concept album with a strong story-telling, metaphors and symbols. It is divided into three major parts, each consisting of 3 songs. Each part outlines a separate story, bringing the themes of fire and death from different perspectives. Musically, “The Realms of Fire and Death” is a modern-sounding metal album, featuring the dynamics of shifting from lighter to more brutal parts, and yet, preserving the melodic side of it. While earlier the band was working towards a symphonic direction, the melodic side in the new album is executed through various synths and electronic sounds.

Звучит (Sounds) is the 2016 album by Ukranian singer Monatik, born Дмитро Сергійович Монатик. This is taken from the original self-released CD, which means it was made specifically for the fans but a later pressing would be released properly.

Following on from their critically acclaimed long-running instrumental collaboration Burnt Belief, Colin Edwin and Jon Durant have joined forces once again, this time with pre-eminent Ukrainian vocalist Inna Kovtun. The trio have drawn on their past influences and experiences to blend seemingly unrelated musical environments, including traditional Ukrainian and Slavic folk elements, modern electronica, Progressive Rock, and a range of deep atmospherics and dreamy ambient textures. The resulting album shares occupies an ethereal territory akin to the likes of Dead Can Dance or even The Cocteau Twins, and to Western ears, the unfamiliar vocalisations provide a compelling thread throughout.