Hennadiy Melnyk. Melodies of Carpathian Valleys. Traditional Music of Carpathian Shepherds.

This album – as well as, actually, the album "Wedding at Kosmach", which has been released simultaneously with it – is the result of wanders and labor of Gennady Melnyk, better known as Hector Mukomol. But Hector Mukomol means music in the styles of ambient and new age, and in this case the issue is a bit different. However, some characteristic features have been preserved – but not that much in sounding as in the attitude towards the sounding. What do we mean? The name of this disc should be perceived absolutely literally – and it is for this reason that the disc differs from other recording of this sort. Due to his previous explorations and experiments with music of spaces and states, Gennady Melnyk is able to look at the sound picture at a somewhat different angle. His eyes aim not at cutting off the superfluous, but, the other way round, at absorbing everything that sounds – and to intertwine it into the general canvas. That is why most recordings were made right under the open-skies, not in the special studio conditions. That is why it is possible to hear here such unusual things, for example, as sounding of cows’ bells ringing – and do not be surprised when you hear real music in that. It is there indeed – though not as obvious as in the joint singing of fuyarka and forest birds, or in the dialog of human singing and cows’ bells, to say nothing about ancient Huzul melodies. But – and that is the common feature for creativity by Hector Mukomol – in order to hear and feel this music, it is necessary to forget about music. One needs the position of contemplation and immersion, non-evaluation. The one who will manage to listen so will be able to discover a new living space – the space of Carpathian boundlessness. To discover – and to enter...