Ukrainian musicians bring Kyiv love letter to HippFest
Ukrainian duo Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin will be providing a new livescore to the poetic Kyiv documentary In Spring at this year's HippFest. They discuss the experience of representing their nation during its brutal invasion
Performing live scores for silent films merges history and creation, past and present. Ukrainian musical duo (and real-life couple) Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin have been bringing their instrumental, compositional and improvisatory skills (Roksana on piano, Misha on electric guitar and effects) to live screenings since 2021. They make their Scottish debut at HippFest 2023, performing the UK premiere of In Spring.
This 1929 documentary is an avant-garde love letter to Kyiv. Its director, Mikhail Kaufman, is the brother of Dziga Vertov, whose Man with a Movie Camera (also 1929) is often considered the best documentary of all time. In Spring is just as vibrant, kinetic and boundary-pushing as its contemporary. It seems strange they are not mentioned in tandem until Roksana explains In Spring was lost until 2005, when a copy was discovered in an Amsterdam archive. “Maybe this film was lost because it was something they wanted to hide,” she offers, suggesting language is key. The title on posters is often given in Russian – Весной (Vesnoi) – rather than the original Ukrainian Навесні (Navesni). However, every single word filmed – street signs, newspapers, shopfronts – is Ukrainian. Russian-led politics “intended to destroy our identification as Ukrainians,” says Roksana. “In this film, you can see the culture. It’s beautiful.”
“It's amazing to see Kyiv at that time,” says Misha. He remembers growing up with “95%” of written communications in Russian as a consequence of the Soviet occupation. But the duo are as excited by the film’s artistry as they are by its history. “It’s amazing to see how Kaufman filmed,” Misha says, “how was it possible to find all those angles?” Kaufman puts his camera under and atop trains, captures trees and balconies from below, and glides over cities. “The camera was for him like a toy for a kid.”
“It feels like Kaufmann was so excited to have a camera,” Roksana agrees. “Each time we play it I find something new. It's so dynamic.”
In Spring
The duo have composed a score for 70% of In Spring and improvise the other 30%. Each time they add a new film to their repertoire, they watch it many times to feel its development. “We first improvise to the film, then we go deeper and fix what we improvise, and then we compose,” Roksana says. “In Spring starts with melting snow and finishes with people celebrating. When we created this music, we wanted to follow this to a dynamic crescendo.”
Working as creative partners and spouses facilitates a “constant creative process,” according to Roksana. “We composed the soundtrack long ago, but we transform it every time we perform. We are influenced by the places we perform in.”
They suggest their audience listen to their album Whispers ahead of In Spring. “It’s really connected to the film,” Misha says. “It will give some glimpse of our musical language.”
“This film doesn't show political things,” says Roksana. “It shows real lives and emotions.” Watching ordinary life rendered with his creativity and energy is remarkable. “My grandmother was the same age as the small children in the film,” says Roksana. “I can imagine her as a child.”
“We can see those people have the same ups and downs as now,” Misha says. “At the same time, in 12 years, in 1941, they will face the Second World War. They have no idea.” It’s a connection to shared experiences and emotions that is even more powerful as the invasion of Ukraine continues.
“When the war started, we lived in Kyiv,” Misha says. “After the first month, we got special permission from the minister of culture to represent Ukraine around Europe – especially to perform this film. This is the best way we can help our country in this very hard moment.” Misha describes their artistic work as a bridge, bringing the reality of the war from TVs into “people’s lives, minds, and consciousnesses. This is a war of old and new mentalities. People’s values are different from a hundred years ago. Everybody wants an opportunity to work and develop themselves. It is amazing to see people united in support of Ukraine.”
The pair are excited to be coming to the UK for the first time and honoured to be representing Ukrainian culture. “We support peace because it’s fragile,” Roksana says. “This war shows that peace is extremely vulnerable and we should all protect it. Only real resistance can bring a victory not only for Ukraine, but the whole world.”
In Spring screens at HippFest on 25 Mar, The Hippodrome, Bo'Ness, with Roksana Smirnova (piano) and Misha Kalinin (guitar) performing a live score