Recommendations from the Kyiv Independent: The Voice of Water (Patreon)

Dear readers,

Sofa Koretska, office manager at the Kyiv Independent, here today to remind you how incredible and ingenious Ukrainians are.

In 2019, a group of well-known musicians in Ukraine with the support of the Ukrainian water company Morshynska created a symphony using natural water — the rivers, lakes, and waterfalls of the Carpathian mountains.

The symphony, titled “The Voice of Water,” was performed by Ukrainian artists The Maneken, ONUKA, DakhaBrakha, and Katya Chilly.

The Carpathians, a historical region in Ukraine, are situated east of Central Europe and share borders with Poland and Romania. This region is known for Ukraine's tallest mountains, nature reserves, and as being home to the Hutsuls, Lemkos, and Boikos — unique ethnic subgroups of Ukrainians that have maintained many of their centuries-old traditions and practices.

The Morshynska water company originates from the Morshyn Valley on the eastern side of the Carpathian Mountains. The area is secluded from towns and big industries and its natural springs are relatively protected from pollution.

Apart from its aesthetic aspect, the Voice of Water symphony served a charitable purpose. A portion of the funds generated from selling Morshynska mineral water under the project went towards supporting ecosystem restoration programs in the Carpathians through the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Ukraine.

To create the symphony, the musicians constructed six unique musical instruments to convey the power of water. Some of the instruments included:

The thorn instrument, which resembles an African kalimba. Placed in the Zhnets River, it consisted of a wheel and steel tongues that each corresponded to a specific note.

The musicians placed an instrument in the fast-flowing Bystritsya River that was inspired by Ukrainian cymbals — an ancient string instrument with a wooden frame shaped like a trapeze with strings — to produce a vibrant timbre when hit with a stick or mallet.

A percussion instrument was placed in the Zhnets River to use its turbulence to create a delicate chime through the constant movement of the current.

You can find the entire project here. Although it's in Ukrainian, it's easy to navigate.

You can watch a music video featuring The Maneken, ONUKA, DakhaBrakha, and Katya Chilly here.

The Voice of Water is also available on Spotify and YouTube Music. You can also find instrumental and ambient versions on both platforms.

Enjoy!