FREEDOM ON FIRE: Behind the Music

Freedom On Fire: Behind the Music
By Jasha Klebe

In 2015 I had the privilege of working with director Evgeny Afineevsky on the Oscar-nominated film, ‘Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom’. The documentary depicted the unrest in Ukraine from 2013-2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
I traveled to Kyiv to present the film with our team and spent time with many of the inspiring Ukrainian people who stood at the front lines of the Maidan revolution.

7 years later, on 24 February 2022, I, like much of the world, watched in horror as Russia invaded Ukraine. My social media feed was suddenly overflown with the people I had met in Kyiv now being forced to flee their country and fight for their lives. I reached out to Evgeny asking if he knew anyway to help. He was already on the ground with a team in Ukraine capturing the events. With footage coming in weekly from in-person witnesses, our original ‘Winter On Fire’ team came together to complete the film, ‘Freedom On Fire’ in just 3 months time. “Instant Cinema” as it was termed at the Venice Film Festival.

With such urgency, I faced an entirely different way of scoring. Like composing to a constantly evolving news cycle, new footage came in, and I would sit at my piano and react. The faces staring back at me were what mattered most, and so my focus was on capturing an immediate, visceral reaction that evoked the undeniable emotions I believe we all feel watching such harrowing images on the screen.

At the heart of the score are an incredible Ukrainian violinist and cellist - Vera Lytovchenko & Olena Dvorskavera - who we safely brought out of Ukraine and into a studio, where we could record without the sounds of bombs in the background. They brought the voice of the Ukrainian people to the score; a voice that continues to fight, continues to endure, and continues to hope.

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Featured Musicians: @vera_lytovchenko @dvorskaya_elena @bananaleaves1

FREEDOM ON FIRE available on demand now

Original Soundtrack by Jasha Klebe releasing January 5th
Pre-save and stream here: https://lnk.to/FreedomOnFireJK
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