GANNA GRYNIVA

For Ukrainian-born Ganna Gryniva, old folk songs from her homeland are a matter close to her heart – and a real musical treasure trove. Her critically acclaimed album “Home” (with the GANNA Ensemble) has already caused a sensation with its emotionally charged, jazz-coloured arrangements – Bayerischer Rundfunk called “Home” “(…) certainly an album of the year, poignant, powerful, magnificently sung and played!”.The now released successor “Kupala”, on which Gryniva works with loops, samples and other effects, sounds much more electronic. Here too, the Berliner-by-choice skilfully combines different sensory worlds from jazz to Ukrainian folk and experimental music, always with a strong reference to the original themes of the Ukrainian singing tradition such as love, grief and the connection between everyday life and nature.She has repeatedly travelled to her old homeland to rummage through archives for traditional folk songs and record the songs of her grandmothers and grandfathers. She now presents these finds in her solo pieces – in an extremely original way. On the album, produced together with Tomáš Kaspar from London, Gryniva is supported on some tracks by Swiss drummer Julian Sartorius. When listening, it quickly becomes clear that the technique used is not an end in itself, but serves to emphasise the pulse of the music – as in the winter ballad “Hanya” or the love song “Obrutch”.Ganna likes songs that radiate optimism and joie de vivre, and on her solo album she has accentuated and elaborated this energy in a completely different way.Two tracks from “Kupala” can also be heard in the award-winning documentary film “Life after Butscha” (Grimme Prize 2023), which deals with Russian war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Butscha. The film’s director, Mila Teshaieva, was so impressed by Gryniva’s music that she used two pieces for the documentary.Gryniva: “Lebidonka” is about Cossacks defending their country while their relatives at home pray that they will return home unharmed. And “Misto” is a love song. Overall, this is an extremely powerful and in some ways challenging film. On the one hand, because it grips the viewer and confronts them with great sadness. On the other hand, because it shows in a touching way how strong the survivors are mentally and how they support each other in rebuilding.”Together with filmmaker Peter Bräunig, Gryniva has also completed her own documentary film “Spivanka”. The film conveys impressions of her trip to Ukraine in 2018: “There are scenes in which I talk to old women who sing for me and tell me their life stories.” The film penetrates deep into the soul of Ukrainian folk music – thanks to its protagonists, who remember the music of their childhood and preserve it in their memories by passing it on orally. It is these images and scenes that emphasise the independent and autonomous identity of the Ukrainian people. “Spivanka” was shown as part of the “WOMEX music expo” 2023, which took place in A Coruña/Spain at the end of October.Ganna’s new album offers a completely different musical approach to her quintet album, but it is definitely a confirmation of her dedication, versatility and brilliance and another expression of love and hope.