UKRAINE SONATA
This timely musical documentary opens the door for discussion of a very under researched phenomenon in Western music scholarship, namely the state of classical music pedagogy, performance, and repertoire building in Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The film raises a number of interesting points about the nature of freedom in music, the impetus to create, and the political and economic factors that influence music as a mode of expression. The 27 minutes of Ukraine Sonata leave the viewer wanting an even deeper understanding of the transformation the arts have undergone in postsocialist countries experiencing transitions similar to Ukraine.

Adriana Helbig, Ph.D.
Columbia University