Russian & Ukrainian music

[mendeleyev]

Qi Peng brought some great artists to our forum library!  First, here are several songs from his first group Blestyashchie (Блестящие).  Thanks Qi for selecting these beautiful ladies (and they can sing and dance, too)!


Чао, бамбина! "Chow Bambina, senorita."  Russian goes spanish!

And I Still Fly

Cha-cha-cha on Saturday Evening

This all-star ladies group has seen several ladies leave and each has been replaced by another just as beautiful.  Perhaps the most famous to make it to stardom on her own is the stunningly gorgeous superstar Zhanna Friske (Жанна Фриске). 

(Qi, keep them coming...you have good taste!)

[Qi Peng]

Zhanna Friske has become more famous as the actress in the movies Nochnoi Dozor and Daywatch movies. Of course, you can consider her similar to how Mandy Moore has gone too.

[mendeleyev]

Not being familiar with Smash, I turned to Qi's prior reference to Wikipedia for some good information:

Smash!! was a Russian pop duo, consisting of black-haired Sergey Lazarev and blonde Vlad Topalov, founded in 2002. They sang mainly in English, and released their music in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. They were most popular among teenagers in Russia and Southeast Asia. The band split in 2005.


Wow, these guys are good!

And another:

Then surprise!  A ballad I'd heard on Russian radio....just never knew the singer:

Where some of the girl groups rely on highly produced up temop dance songs, Sergey Lazarev knows how to put together a heart-felt and beautiful ballad:


Thanks again Qi for adding to our library of Russian music!

[bgreed]

Olga,
Maybe you can help me with this.  Since I play guitar I would also like to learn to play balaliaka.  Problem is all I can find are those made in China.  Any thought where I might find one made in Russia or Ukraine.

Also In my TR I told about the wonderful fruit compote that my step mom inlaw makes. any thought on a recipe?

Thanks,

Gregg

[mendeleyev]

Reflex has been a Russian girl duo and sometimes a girl group with 3 or 4 members.  Very controversial with older Russians because of the lesbian overtones, these ladies aren't afraid to strut their stuff on stage and on video.  Not long after the popular lead singer Irina Nelson left the group, a Russian magazine went public with the news that new lead singer Alena Torganova used to make a living by posing nude for Russian adult publications. 

[mendeleyev]

Introducing the Russian girl group "Non-Stop."  Young, beautiful and fun they may just capture a spot amongst your favs.


Today these ladies will introduce themselves:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/BRA97vTqbEg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/BRA97vTqbEg</a>



A beautiful slow but very contemporary ballad has taken over the Russian airwaves.  It is titled, "Я на все согласна" (I Agree to All).  Hauntingly beautiful.  Enjoy!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/56l3czQ25eU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/56l3czQ25eU</a>

[mendeleyev]

Philip Kirkorov (Филип Киркоров)


This next singer is a master of the Russian love ballad.  Time for candles, a little wine and some love songs.  But wait...at the same time he's a very funny comedian. 

Flip a coin:  Ready for a good laugh, or a candlelight dinner?  How about a bit of both?

Russian singer Philip Kirkorov (Филип Киркоров) is one of the smoothest vocalists for love ballads and at the same time one of the funniest musicians in pop Russian culture today.  He blends serious love songs, skits, stories, and just being goofy into his acts.  Apparently it works!  So, sit back and enjoy!


First his smash hit "Cruel Love"


In serious moments Philip is a master of the Russian ballad and love songs.


Often he likes to team up with Masha Rasputina (Маша Распутинаno) and here is their ballad, "Dream"

[mendeleyev]

Yuri Antonov (Юрий Антонов)


Back on page 2, Olga introduced us to the music of Yuri Antonov (Юрий Антонов) with a couple of her favourites.  Here is an expanded program of some of Olga's suggested Russian singer.


This guy can rock!
"Believe the Dream" (Поверь в мечту):
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/iK7Oy5nBmOs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/iK7Oy5nBmOs</a>



(Несёт меня течение) "Carried by the Flow" is soulful yet solid.  Blending sounds from the 1970s and early 80s this ballad is very nice.  The piano work at the beginning and guitar work at the end call to mind musicians like Van Morrison and Jackson Browne.  I think you'll like this one:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/XfdHGKuM3zE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/XfdHGKuM3zE</a>



Some of our Russian members may remember the Soviet days where most viewers were treated to two choices:  Channel One and Channel Two.  The old joke was that Soviet commentary was featured on channel one and there was a continuous tape of an angry KGB agent on channel two yelling, "Go back to channel one, immediately!" 
This video takes us back--26 years ago to Yuri Antonov and his band on Soviet television:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/r7P7H0r56UE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/r7P7H0r56UE</a>



Okay, this is NOT Yuri.  But any fan this devoted, to go to these lengths in a video production to lip-synch his hero, well, such a fan deserves some publicity!  Enjoy:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/r7P7H0r56UE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/r7P7H0r56UE</a>



For anyone who wondered whether there is "Country & Western" music in Russia--here's your sign:
(Yee Haw!)  Park that pickup behind the barn.  Leave the shotgun in the gun rack, please.  Dust off yore boots and come on in!  Gents on the left and ladies on the right--it's time for the Texas 2-step.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/LCCnkR9-zPk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/LCCnkR9-zPk</a>



Every country deserves it's own Barry Manilow, I guess.  Combining sounds of Lawrence Welk with that classic Barry Manilow style, here is a cheesy (hmm...how does one say "cheesy" in Russian?) production complete with a 1950s furnished lounge, Russian accordian and a bad case of very thin neckties.  Even the title "Only in Flight" is just wrong man, it's just wrong:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdHkb2QAQLo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/JdHkb2QAQLo</a>



Wow, is this the Average White Band?  Nope, it's Yuri Antonov again with a nicely arranged horn section backing him on "I Remember" (Я вспоминаю):
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/fK3LCmmZKmE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/fK3LCmmZKmE</a>



He can rock, do the Texas 2-step, roll with the brothers in Philadelphia or Detroit and here is Yuri with a nice slow ballad.  Hold you lady close and whisper sweet nothings in her ear and remember that it's "Still Yesterday" (Еще вчера):
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/tSoEz8DPu2o" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/tSoEz8DPu2o</a>



As you can see he is a versatile and talented musician.  Yuri Antonov is a class act and thank you, Olga, for telling us about him.


We've saved the best for last!  The instrumentation of this song blends the alto sax, electric organ and background singers into a soulful experience one would have expected from some of the best bands in the 1970s.  Very nice!  Add this song to your favouties.  Take your lady by the hand and enjoy dancing slowly to the romantic “If” (Если):
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/47b8abxtSSY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/47b8abxtSSY</a>

[Olga]

Leonid Utyosov (Леонид Осипович Утёсов)


Wikipedia: Leonid Osipovich Utyosov (Russian: Леонид Осипович Утёсов; real name - Leyzer (Lazar) Vaysbeyn, or Weissbein, Russian: Лазарь (Лейзер) Иосифович Ва(й)сбейн, 21 March [O.S. March 9] 1895 in, Odessa - 9 March 1982, Moscow) was a famous Soviet jazz singer and comic actor, who became the first pop singer to be awarded the prestigious title of People's Artist of the USSR (1965).

Leonid Utyosov was brought up in Odessa and attended the Faig School of Commerce, from which he dropped out and joined the Borodanov Circus troupe as an acrobat. He started his stage career in 1911 in Kremenchug, then returned to Odessa, changed his artistic name to Leonid Utyosov, and performed as a stand up comedian with the Rosanov troupe and with the Rishelyavsky Theattre. In 1917, he won a singing competition in Gomel, Belarus, then performed in Moscow.


http://www.jewishgen.org/ukraine/Photo_Album/Stamps/leonid_utyosov.htm

[mendeleyev]

Владимир Самойлович Горовиц (Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz)


This great musician was born in Ukraine, and called the greatest piano player in the world, Vladimir Horwitz captured the hearts and immaginations of music lovers all over the planet.

In America, one's background is unimportant, but most Russians would proudly remind us that he was first Russian and then American, but then pointing out that he was Jewish.  Horowitz lived in New York where his music could flourish.  He loved the vibrancy and life of New York and it was there where he felt most at home.

Born in the same year as my late father, 1903, he died in 1986 at the age of 86.  It was my father who first introduced me to the classical brillance of Vladimir Horowitz as his fingers nimbly raced across the keyboard, giving each piece of ivory a gentle caress as his hands swept deftly over each key.

Horowitz was a showman, an entertainer.  Audiences loved him.  Critics, well critics are just that--critical.  Ticket sales of concerts, worldwide performances, and Album sales silenced his critics.  It seemed that only in death did the critics finally come alive to his brillance.

Born in Berdychiv (Ukrainian: Бердичів), not far from Zhitomir and Kiev, he was a citizen of the Great Russian Empire at a time when modern day Ukraine was part of Russia and Russian Tsar Nicholas II was also the Grand Duke of Finland and King of Poland.  Change and turmoil were a constant part of his childhood.

Horowitz defected to the West in 1940 while on a tour to London, Paris, and New York City.  He loved New York and there he decided to stay, becoming a US citizen in 1944.  He married an Italian girl and of course she was Catholic.  Although Horowitz was reportedly gay, they managed to have one daugter who died in the 1970s.

In 1986 he returned to Russia for concerts in Moscow and St Petersburg (Leningradskaya).  In every way his trip was a success.  Even the rehearsals were sold out!  We take you now to Russia in 1986 for that homecoming.


His piano is shipped from NYC to Moscow.  He was there to make certain it was packed correctly!

His piano tuner traveled to Moscow with him!

Horowitz was a perfectionist.  When the piano arrived in Moscow the stage floor at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory was not level.  He refused to play until a remedy was found!

Plays to a delighted audience:

Russian fans were smitten and adored this son of Russia:

Horowitz plays Rachmaninoff:

In Moscow, Russian officials allowed him to play the piano which had belonged to Russia's beloved composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  What a treat:  Horowitz played Rachmaninoff on Tchaikovsky's paino!

Horowitz plays Scriabin in Moscow

A full length CD "Horowitz in Russia" is available in music stores and on-line.

[mendeleyev]

Orthodox Radio online

Are you a lover of music?  What are your favourite types?  Please post them here so we can explore and share them together!

My personal music tastes run the scope from classical to jazz to pop and lots of other styles in betweeen.  By the way, do you know the technical difference between classical and jazz?  I'll wait a moment while you find a pen and per--this is important.

Ready?  Okay, here is the difference:  A piece of music played to perfection is called classical.  But if mistakes are made during the performance, it is jazz.

Each Sunday morning I climb the stairs to the choir loft of the Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church where our family is blessed to be each Sunday when in the USA.  Our church in Moscow, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, has the good sense to politely decline the use of my susposed (and very questionable) musical "skills" so it is there where I get to actually see the worship during the liturgies.

Our choir loft in my city here is at the back of the sanctuary, and being a loft, we don't stand on risers.  We high up above the congregation, and we're at the back so no one can see us.  And we don't get to see the service--but we do have a great view of the chandelier!

I love the music of the Orthodox Church.  Climbing those steps each Sunday morning is fun for me.  I feel the bond and experience the friendship of standing beside others who (with far more talent than I) are there to share their gift in the worship of God.  90 minutes later at the end of the service I am already looking forward to the next Sunday.

In Orthodoxy there are no instruments.  The human voice is the only instrument acceptable for worship to God.  I won't beat you up if you feel otherwise, I'm sure God enjoys all the instruments.  Under Orthodox tradition, the human voice can be sanctified by God's grace because it has free will.  Man-made instruments are simply creationed objects with no free will and no chance to be sanctified (set apart for a holy purpose) for use in worship.  That is why you don't find instruments in an Orthodox service of worship.  Hope that explains the difference.

Would you like to hear music of the Orthodox church?  Great, it is an honour to introduce you to Ancient Faith Radio, the American internet (on-line) radio voice which can be heard world-wide, 24 hours daily.  There is a combination of music and speaking.  Music is over 75% (my own rough and unscientific estimate) and 25% talk.  Don't worry, Orthodox priests aren't typically "hellfire and brimstone" types so if you catch a talk when tuning in you won't be driven away.

The music is a combination of the Orthodox groups found in the US:  Russian, Greek, Armenian, Romanian, Arabic, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, etc.  Sometimes in English but often in other languages.  For centuries Russian style music has influenced the Orthodox churches worldwide and you'll hear a lot of it in both Russian and "Old Church Slavonic."  Old Church Slavonic is the original Slavic language.  Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Polish, and other Slavic languages originated from this unique language.  While not used on the streets, you can hear this language kept alive around the world in Orthodox service.

Okay, enough background.  Enjoy Ancient Faith Radio on-line:
http://www.ancientfaithradio.com/



Here is a link to Orthodox resources in various languages:
http://www.pravoslavie.com/

[mendeleyev]

Wedding Videos.... 

Hard to imagine a Russian ZAGS (or Ukrainian RAGS) wedding without a video ordered along with the ceremony. In this edition we'll look at some general Russian/Ukrainian wedding videos from civil ceremonies.  You can be sure that the camera is everywhere from almost every angle in a civil wedding.  You can order from the yellow pages (yes there is such a thing in Russia) or you can order it when you first make arrangements at the local ZAGS/RAGS offices.

(Because so much is involved in an Orthodox wedding we'll explore that ceremony in a later edition.)

Once edited back at a professional studio, these videos show the important highlights of the wedding ceremony, the reception dinner, and the couple's traditional stop at a city square/statue/monument/park for the first toast after the ceremony.

Here we will sample several Russian/Ukrainian wedding videos.


This is one of the most professional (and romantic) wedding clips I've witnessed:

Notes:
1) This couple combined scenes from two ceremonies and also the restaurant reception. The two ceremonies take place at the Moscow ZAGS and the church wedding ceremony from one of the smaller chapels inside Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

2) They stopped at a park (it looks like the Alexander Gardens just outside the Kremlin, but I'm not 100% certain) after leaving the wedding for a Rus/Ukr tradition, to make the "first toast."  They released white doves, a favourite Russian wedding tradition (butterflies are popular also).

3) Did you catch two ring exchanges in the video?  The first was when the priest placed the wedding rings on their hands in the church ceremony.  The second was the very next scene...at ZAGS where the the rings are placed on a little round ceremonial table and the bride and groom give each other the rings during that event.  Wedding rings in the FSU are worn on the right hand, not on the left like in the USA. 

You notice that it is very rare for a local wedding to include an Engagement ring--those are primarily an western invention--imported to Russia when western men travel and not realizing that they're not necessary.  My wife said it would feel out of place on her hand--she didn't want one.

4) The wearing of crowns in the church--will be covered in an edition about Orthodox weddings.

5) Nice limo!  Took them to the centre of the city.  The Savoy is one of Moscow's finest restaurants and where they arrived for their reception on Rozhdestvenka street.

6) They used the central ZAGS in downtown, in the prestigious Palace of Weddings on Butyrskaya Street...the very same Wedding Palace where the beautiful Mrs Mendeleyeev and I were married.

7) The flowers handed to them is a tradition.  It happens at ZAGS in a receiving line after the ZAGS/RAGS ceremony.



Traditions:  On the wedding day the groom travels to the bride's home and in many cases must "ransom" her from her family (I'll write about that in great detail on a later post).  The groom "receives" his bride from the parents and then they travel together to ZAGS (usually the entire family travels with you).  Upon arrival registration is completed, documents signed and final fees paid.  Friends and family gather and the traditional walk up the wide staircase (or thru a great hallway) is made and photographed.  Then there is usually a wait and finally the wedding attendants (ZAGS employees) gather everyone for the great entrance into the ceremony hall.  The doors swing open, the music begins and bride and groom lead their party inside for the ceremony.

A Russian/Ukrainian wedding tradition is rent a bus (or carpool) so that the entire wedding party can follow the couple after the ZAGS/RAGS ceremony. First stop after leaving ZAGS is a tradition of the city or the family. A popular square or park or landmark is chosen and the entire group will stop there for photos and the "first" toast to the couple.  Just watch: 

From there the couple and the entire party continue on to the reception dinner party:

What's it like at a Russian wedding party?  Well, come on baby, light my fire!

Ah, the joys of dancing at a Russian wedding. Men with men and ladies with ladies.  Professional bellydancers! A pre-rehearsed dance you and your bride will perform for your guests. Your first dance with your MIL, then with the grandmothers, aunts and her cousins. If you don't like to dance, then better find an excuse not to attend your own wedding! 

I don't mean to renew the arguments about differences in age....but this guy could be her grandfather and she is very, very attractive! Without making comments about her move up the status ladder, here is the video of one Australian man who went to Russia and brought home some some "arm candy!"

(Notes:  Did you notice that he showed up at her home with the traditional "ransom?"  This is a couple who met thru Elena's Models agency, Robert and Svetlana.)


Not every wedding is a traditional Slavic-blond hair-blue eyes-Orthodox kind of event.  Lenin himself, among others, labeled Russia as "a prison of nations." Gypsies, Jews and Muslims also have their own unique wedding styles.  Here a Muslim family combines their Soviet roots with the creation of a new home in my city--Phoenix, Arizona: 

And finally every video session needs a little humour!  Let's just hope your Russian wedding goes better than this one: 

May your wedding be a "one-take" event with no edits needed for the rest of your lives!

[mendeleyev]

Wedding videos, continued


Spontanteous singing will be a part of your wedding party.  Guests will perform songs or dances.  Your wife will likely dance for you!  And you and your bride will dance for your guests.

And don't be surprised if the entire wedding party breaks out in song once in a while for a traditional song.  As we featured traditional Russian songs on page 3:

"Калинка" is often sung at wedding parties.  At this imaginary wedding party in Moscow, with the lights of the Kremlin softly accenting the background, famous Belgian singer Helmut Lotti performs a rousing version with the wedding party singing along in true Russian fashion."

[Jared2151]

"I don't mean to renew the arguments about differences in age....but this guy could be her grandfather and she is very, very attractive!  Without making comments about her move up the status ladder, here is the video of one Australian man who went to Russia and brought home some some "arm candy!"

you were ever so tactful in your description of him ....

Every time he kissed her, it looked like he was holding her face as if to chew off her teeth.      He'll no doubt soon be replaced by the pool boy....

[GreyScales]

Slot (Слот)


My word...  You folks sure "love" ballads, techno and pop...

For those of us "young enough" to enjoy the "harder" music...  How about the band Slot, with the song called Two Wars off of the album with the same name.

or another from the same group

Slot is part of music called "nu music" and was formed in 2002 in Moscow, Russia. In 2003 they released their debut album “SLOT 1”. The album was released on the label "Mistery Of Sound”. Their debut video "Odni" was in rotation on MTV and other major video stations for over 6 months. The album went on to sell over ten thousand copies internationally.

[mendeleyev]

Grey, thanks for the links.  You bring another viewpoint and add variety.  Keep posting!

[Olga]

Russian Rock groups


Agata Kristy (Агата Кристи)

My favorite is Gorky Park

and Time Machine (Машина времени)

Chicherina (Чичерина)

Mumy troll (Мумий Тролль)

   
Lyapis Trubetskoy (Ляпис Трубецкой)

DDT (ДДТ)

Luber (Любэ)

Alisa (Алиса)

King and Buffoon (Король и Шут)

Chife (Чайф)

The Untouchables (Неприкасаемые)

Ukrainian Rock
 
Wails of Vidoplyasov (Вопли Видоплясова)

Elisa's ocean (Океан Эльзы)

[Olga]

wow, do you still remember them?

I do   

[Olga]

Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (Дмитрий Александрович Хворостовский) born October 16, 1962), is a baritone opera singer from Russia.

Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia. He studied at the Krasnoyarsk School of Arts under Yekatherina Yofel and made his debut at Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in the role of Marullo in Rigoletto. He went on to win First Prize at both the Russian Glinka Competition in 1987 and the Toulouse Singing Competition in 1988.
   


More about him http://www.geocities.com/onegin_new/

Luciano Pavarotti & Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Don Giovanni - La ci darem la mano - Hvorostovsky & Fleming

Sumi Jo & Hvorostovsky - Rossini - Il Barbiere di Siviglia

CD's
Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Songs and Dances of Death
http://www.amazon.com/Dmitri-Hvorostovsky-Songs-Dances-Gergiev/dp/B00000418A

I met you, my love: Old Russian Romances
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Mar03/hvorostovsky.htm
http://www.amazon.com/I-Met-You-My-Love/dp/B00006DU10

[Olga]

Sergey Penkin (Сергей Пенкин)

Sergey Penkin`s amazing voice is included in the Guinness Book of Records for its incredible four-octave range, and it is often described as the Silver Voice of Russia.


The list of Penkin's songs

download the song "Feelings" (free)

click Запросить файл


http://www.peoples.ru/art/music/classical/penkin/

[GreyScales]

Russian Rock groups

Agata Kristy (Агата Кристи)

Shame on you Olga...   Linking a video with a man with no shirt...  no wonder you like that group

Their sound reminds me of the Pop/Rock I listened to when I was "younger".

G

[Olga]

Shame on you Olga...   Linking a video with a man with no shirt...  no wonder you like that group

Their sound reminds me of the Pop/Rock I listened to when I was "younger".

G

Agata Kristy is not my favorite group

This group was founded in 1988. I do not remember when the song "I'm on you like I'm in the war" was written... but some their songs are interesting. From album "Opium" (1995)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q-vt9b7LDos" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Q-vt9b7LDos</a> 
                 

[mendeleyev]

Natali Oblaka (Натали Облака) has a unique talent of blending the new contemporary sounds or Russian pop and Euro dance with the texture and feel of old traditional Russian songs. 


This is a funny video! She is quite a comedian.  And perhaps you will notice that often the titles of her songs have little to absolutely nothing what what she sings about! 

Наталья Бучинская - Душа

[mendeleyev]

This forum's Olga turns out to be a very accomplished video director!  Her work is excellent and very enjoyable.  Her work in editing and filming is very good.  I hope you enjoy her themes.


Holy Russia

The Nights of St Petersburg

Tver Angels

Russian Lacquer Art

Olga, you have excellent taste and talent.  We look forward to knowing more about your videos!

[mendeleyev]

It is rare for such a forum to have such wonderful talent present among us.  Olga is a gift.  And here is her production of Peterhof: