A Composer who cannot return home with Marina Sobyanina

“It's also like, uh, some kind of a devil loop, because it's exactly a hundred years ago that there were those philosophers' boats that the Soviet authorities just threw out of the country. People like intellectuals, cultural people, artists, film directors… And now it's like a hundred years later and people are fleeing in the same directions. You know, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia.”

In this fifth episode of Season 2 we return to a conversation about the ongoing war in Ukraine, this time with accomplished Russian composer Marina Sobyanina. For more than a decade she has lived in Bern, Switzerland. Her work contains and fuses a wide range of genres including contemporary classical music, experimental jazz, and sound design. She composes for chamber ensembles, large orchestra, film, and theater. Marina has long been a vocal opponent of Putin, and her opposition to his regime only increased when Russia invaded Ukraine last February. In this interview she talks about what it means to be a Russian artist who opposes Putin and the current war in Ukraine.

Marina grew up in the town of Sarov, which is famous for its nuclear research facility. For more than a decade Marina has lived in Bern, Switzerland. Her work contains and fuses a wide range of genres including contemporary classical music, experimental jazz, and sound design. She composes for chamber ensembles, large orchestra, film, and theater. As her bio puts it, her music “morphs between delicate soundscapes, saturated polystylistic blocks and tricky rhythmical structures.”

And while her music is not overtly political, Marina has long been a vocal opponent of Putin, and her opposition to the Putin government only increased when Russia invaded Ukraine last February. In this interview she talks about what it means to be a Russian artist in the current context of global politics.

In this interview, conducted last April, Marina speaks with OneBeat co-founder Jeremy Thal. Due to her busy schedule, the best time Marina could find to do this interview was in the car outside of her 3-year-old son’s pre-school. We hope you enjoy this interview, and Marina’s insights into art and life amidst the tumult of history.

We are sensitive to the fact that we’re releasing this a year after the war began — there is a very reasonable argument that we should not foreground Russian voices in a time of Russian aggression, and another argument that anti-war Russian voices are needed now more than ever. At OneBeat we are committed to keeping an open and respectful dialogue, and understanding that within our alumni there are many differences of political opinions. So we decided to include Marina’s Interview in this season’s podcast, to provide a look at how one compassionate and thoughtful Russian musician is navigating these terrifying times

Produced and Edited by Jeremy Thal

Mixed by Jeremy Thal and Mitya Burmistov 

Executive Producers: Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park, and Kyla-Rose Smith

Featuring: Marina Sobyanina 

Music heard in this episode: 

1. "Ai Bozha" by JAZZATOR
2. "Laughter No.2" for Ensemble Proton, CH (contemporary classical)
3. "Blood Wedding" - excerpt from F.G.Lorka´s theatre play (music for theatre)
4. "Peter the Clown" by JAZZATOR (avant-pop, jazz)
5. "The Very Same Munchhausen" excerpt from a theatre play (music for theatre)
6. "Das Testo" (dough in germ.) - for Ensemble Paul Klee, CH (contemporary classical)
7. "Say goodbye to Mermaid" by SBOKU (folk-jazz, cabaret)
8. “Tableaux Vivants”, excerpt from a theatre play, valse with war sirens (music for theatre)
9. Cradle song from F.G. Lorka's "Blood wedding" (music for theatre)

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.