As the War Turns

Zenit / Zenith

Zenith

There, where the mountains are high, fly freely
There, where the water is deep, swim freely

I fly freely in the sky
My melody is strong

There, where the mountains are high, fly freely
There, where the water is deep, swim freely

I fly in the sky
I fly in the sky
I fly in the sky

My melody
My melody

The wind freezes as the sun rises at its Zenith
And I am me

The following video is titled Zenit (Zenith in English). It was released in 2019 and because of its captivating folk figures, the music video still gets a lot of views today. English lyrics are provided below, so readers can get a sense of how the band relates to the Carpithian mountains of Western Ukraine. These forested peaks also spread into nearby Poland and Slovakia, providing a mountain retreat and culture, distinctly different from that of the lowlands.

Peremoha, which simply means Victory, is an Onuka music video that was released in July 2023, just as Ukraine's military was launching their summer counter offensive against the Russian attack. Fortunately, this video has English subtitles provided by the recording artists, so viewers can determine for themselves, just what the intent of the song is. As with other Onuka productions, superb visual quality is a staple.

At the time of release, optimism was running high in Ukraine, due to the fact that Ukraine had repelled an early Russian advance on its capitol. Since then optimism has waned, as Ukraine launched a counter-offensive and Russia dug in its heels and attempted to repel the attack with some success.

During the winter of 2024, Ukraine encountered its bigger morale drop, as military supplies ran low, largely due to a reluctant US Congress, and Russian forces obtained some minor victories. In recent weeks, Ukraine's forces seems to be on the rebound due to the renewed U.S. aid. This has in turn boosted Ukraine's morale, as they continue to hit Russian military targets with their improved drone technology. Nothing is for certain in warfare, but Russia does appear to have a difficult road ahead, especially as economic conditions in its major cities, start to decline.

The Band Onuka officially began in 2014 with the release of their first EP, tiled "Look". Shortly thereafter, came
another EP (extended Play) named Vidlik. In English, this Ukranian word translates out as "New Beginning" or "Countdown". Both songs were included on their premier album, "Onuka", which translates from the Ukranian as "granddaughter". Within the band, lead singer, Nata Zhyzhchenko, pictured in the center of the photo above, is also the granddaughter of a well-known and respected instrument maker and thus has become the focal point of the popular band.

Onuka Begins

Peremoha

Three of the band members, Mariia Sorokina, Nata Zhyzhchenko and Daryna Sert, are pictured above.

The Tremblia and Other Ukrainian Folk Instruments

Even though Nata Zhyzhchenko garnishes much of the attention, the band has many members and often places ten or more musicians on stage during a performance. Nonetheless, the importance of Nata's grandfather, Oleksandr Schlyonchyk, cannot be understated. This man was a well-known folk instrument maker, who during his lifetime created over a thousand instruments of various types. Besides making folk instruments on the side, the man devoted most of his working life to the Chernihiv instrument factory, which was the biggest such factory in the USSR. Today, this place is gone along with the USSR, thus allowing for the return of the more traditionally based folk craft.

The Trembita is an Ukrainian horn that can be heard for many miles.

The Trembita

The Carpithian Mountains of western Ukraine is where you might the strange looking wooden horn called the Trembita. The musical tube can run well over twenty feet and typically produces a resonating sound that can carry for over twenty kilometers. By tradition the instrument must be constructed from a two hundred year old tree (or more) that has been struck by lightning. Contemporary Trembitas come in three parts, but in the mountains the more traditional Trembita is made as one unit. Originally, the Trembita was used as a form of communication across the mountains, but today the instrument has been adapted by bands like Onuka to bring a truly unique sound to the Electro-Folk scene.

Onuka Today

As I write this (5/2024) Onuka is on tour in Europe. The countries, where the band performs includes Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland. The war grinds on, but everyday there are bits of news that for Russia, this military conflict is unsustainable. Let's hope this is the case.