Mariana Sadovska & Vesna: ЖИВИ! You should live!

Mariana Sadovska: In January 2022, I began working on a new project with my VESNA colleagues Christian Thomé and Markus Braun. We exchanged ideas, improvised, and explored new sound worlds — rhythms, textures, and melodies rooted in tradition yet open to experimentation. Then, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — my home country. Everything changed. For a long moment, music felt irrelevant. How could we continue creating while war was unfolding at home? Yet the deeper question was how I could help my people survive. While members of my family and friends joined the defence forces in Ukraine, I became an activist in Germany. Together with fellow artists, we organized fundraisers, supported refugees, coordinated humanitarian aid, and suddenly found ourselves learning about bulletproof vests, night-vision devices, and drone equipment. After months of constant activity and worry, I was exhausted. I didn’t know how to go on. Then I encountered a poem by the Ukrainian poet Olena Teliha. She was 34 years old when she was executed by the Nazis during World War II. One of her poems carried a message that felt like a blessing: “Move on. Hold on. Trust that something truly beautiful is still waiting for you. You should live.” In my concerts, I often speak about the ancient ritual power of Ukrainian village singing. During research expeditions, I learned that certain songs are believed to protect and heal. In Ukrainian, we call such a protective charm an “Oberih.” These songs act like talismans, guiding us through the darkest times. For the first time, I felt this same protective force in modern poetry. Teliha’s words formed a circle of strength around me. I placed her text in dialogue with a traditional song about a nightingale asking, “Why don’t you sing anymore?” This composition became both a manifesto and a call to action. You should live. Mariana Sadovska, Christian Thome, Matthias Kurth, Markus Braun