Ancient Russian chronicles tell us that, even in distant antiquity, the Eastern Slavs had their own string, wind and percussion instruments. The craftsmen were the common people and they worked with materials which were easily accessible Ч birch bark for the Zhaleyka, a horn with a wide mouth belonging to the clarinet family; reed for the svirel, resembling the "Pipes of Pan"; wood for the brelki, similar to the modern oboe, and the kugikli, five pipes each with a characteristic whistle; wooden spoons as the basis for a percussion instrument, the lozhki, which is often embellished with small bells, becoming a kind of Russian castanet.
The best known stringed instrument is the balalaika, whose name is Tartar in origin, reminiscent of the invasion of the Mongols, notably Ghengis Kahn in the 13th century. The word denotes "jabbering," indicating that the instrument lacked much sound perfection at its genesis. The balalaika is thought to he the descendant of the Asian domra, which, in turn, can be traced hack to the gusli, an ancient two-stringed instrument. The early balalaika had only one string, then two, three, and even four. The bodies were round, oval or triangular. The most common today is the three-stringed variety, with a three-corncred body. Modern Russian orchestras generally use six sizes of the instrument, the largest being the octobass, which stands the full height of the player.
Refore 1880 the balalaika had no musical stature but acquired recognition through the efforts of Vasili Andreyev, who formed an ensemble of seven balalaika players and successfully demonstrated the instrument's many possibilities. In the late 1890's Andreyev organized the Great Russian Orchestra of Folk Instruments and, after his death, his work was continued by Boris Troyanovsky, a prominent balalaika virtuoso. In 1919 Troyanovsky, with domra player, Pyotr Alekseyev, formed Moscow's first professional folk orchestra which is now known as the Nikolai Osipov State Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra. Since 1919 many other fine balalaika ensembles have been formed in the Soviet Union.
In 1988 a new and most exciting ensemble was created on the initiative of the State TV and Radio Corporation of the USSR (Gostelradio SSSR). A professional conductor with great experience, lgor Oblikin was invited to found the ensemble, lgor Oblikin was the chief conductor of the folk orchestra of the Piatnitsky State Russian Choir. He also composed and arranged much of the music that orchestra performed. Oblikin chose to create an ensemble of compact, almost chamber music like properties. He felt that the optimum number of musicians would be no more than 13 people and that the ensemble should be an ensemble of virtuosos Ч musicians who would often play one or more folk instruments, sing and dance. These were difficult qualities and requirements for each of the musicians needed to be good in all aspects of folk music. Many professional musicians auditioned for Oblikin and the best were chosen for the new ensemble. The new ensemble was named The Feenist Balalayka, named after the Russian tale "Feenist Bright Falcon", defender of the down-and-out, poor, and forgotten. He was courageous, loved his native land and its people, believed in self-sacrifice and philanthropy, and was totally unselfish. The band was to represent all that was best in Russian culture and its people.
Igor Oblikin and the members of the orchestra assembled many rare instruments. Oblikin arranged and created new music for the ensemble. The domra became a principal instrument of The Feenist Balalaika. It is a small stringed instrument with a rounded soundboard. Three and four stringed domras are quite common. The domra is plucked and strummed by means of a plectrum. In the hands of these experts it produces some unusual effects. Its most characteristic sound is not dissimilar to that of the mandolin. Vladimir Shepherd's horns are perhaps the most fascinating of all the instruments in the orchestra. For several centuries they have been used by shepherds in the ancient Vladimir district of Russia who composed and played melodious calls, covering its two octaves. Only a few craftsmen remain who can create these instruments with the idiosyncratic sound. The gusli, a kind of psaltery with five to 14 strings tuned diatonically dates back to the 6th century. The bayan is a Russian accordion, introduced in 1907, with a chromatic keyboard and chord buttons. The bryolka, zhaleyka and rozhok are pastoral single-reed instruments made of willow or elder, about 15cm long. The kugikli (or sometimes, kuvikli) are panpipes consisting of two to five stopped reed pipes of the same diameter but of various lengths. Dance tunes are usually played on the kugikli with five pipes, while those with three or four pipes are played in ensemble as accompanying instruments.
Additionally, the orchestra also uses the ocarina and a Russian hen-tin-whistle. In the past these instruments were used in Russian ritual ceremonies. Sometimes women and children played the whistles and men played the balalaikas. When they all played together, the result was a cacophony, and a new word was born "svistopliasca" (or "Devils' sabbath"). The volynka are bagpipes from the Volyn district of Kiev's Russia. Sound-making instruments are common in Russian folk orchestras. The Feenist Balalaika ensemble use rattles, spoons, bells, firewood and even washboards. Complementing the other instruments, these percussion instruments add to the unusual sound of the orchestra.
Joining The Feenist Balalaika are two very fine singers Ч Anna Litvinenko and Evgeni Polikanin. Anna Litvinenko has performed in over forty countries and is recognized at home and abroad as one of the finest singers of her generation. After one of her concerts with The Feenist Balalaika one newspaper commented: "The fascinating voice of Anna Litvinenko together with the great mastery of the orchestra under the direction of Igor Oblikin is like a diamond in a platinum arbor." Baritone Evgeni Polikanin also has toured widely and has recorded. One newspaper critic wrote: "He performs Russian folk songs and operatic music with equal success. His baritone voice is perfect in all registers... One can't help admiring his voice and wishing to hear it again and again..."
The instrumental miniatures performed by The Feenist Balalaika and composed by lgor Oblikin are perhaps some of the most distinctive features of the ensemble. Based on Russian folk themes, and in general on dance and song themes, all these compositions are colorful and entertaining, lgor Oblikin utilizes the ensemble's instrumental color to underscore the inherent beauty of each of the Russian folk tunes.
Listening to the provocative rhythm of the first miniature, "Poidu L' ya, vyidu L' ya" (I'll Go Out) one envisions a large and noisy holiday. You are amidst a crowd, where on all sides of you surrounded by people dressed in brightly colored costumes, you are hearing the sounds of a bazaar. The entire town square is filled with merrymaking Ч young people are participating in a round dance, the shepherd is playing a small horn... Listen! You, too, arc a participant!
"Za gribami v les devitsy" (Maidens in the Woods) paints a musical picture of young maidens leisurely picking mushrooms and singing songs. This miniature even has the sounds of the birch trees, birds singing and even an occasional gust of wind through the forest. We imagine the grass moist with dew during the morning in the cool forest. And somewhere amidst the trees in this forest we hear the sound of a lonely balalaika.
"Van'ka-vstan'ka" is part of lgor Oblikin's new suite Russian Toys. Van'ka-vstan'ka is the Russian version of Jack-in-the-Box. Push him down and up he pops again! Van'ka's stubbornness is wonderfully imparted by the shepherd's horn. And his simple and unpretentious conversation with the other toys is heard as the instruments of The Feenist Balalaika ensemble call one another.
The ancient Russian romance of Alexander Varlarnov (1801-1848), "Krasnyi Sarafan" (The Red Sarafan, or Dress) achieved tremendous popularity. The text of the song is dramatic. The young woman is pleading with her parents not give her hand in marriage. In lgor Oblikin's instrumental version, the music is very lyrical and poetic.
The miniature "Podai balalaiku" (Give Me a Balalaika) is based on a the Siberian folk song of the same name. The balalaika is not only a symbol of Russia, but also the most popular Russian folk instrument. From the beginning, in the introduction, it sounds as if someone is saying: "Take the balalaika! Sit down and play with us!"
"Akh ty, dushechka" (Oh, You, Dear Maiden) is probably best known in its vocal version and has been recorded by many of Russia's finest singers. In his instrumental version, lgor Oblikin manages to impart to us the love of a youth for a lass.
The concluding composition, "Slavny byli nashi dedy" (Glorious Ancestors) is a potpourri of popular Russian soldiers' songs from the time of the 1812 war and folk dance music. This music paints a picture of an army of grenadiers, on a bright and sunny day marching through a village. We imagine a crowd gathering, colorful costumes, merrymaking... But in the background a horn call is heard and the soldiers must once again go to battle. Of course, the village sees them off and the holiday ends.
Notes by Serge Drouzhinin.
Translated and edited by Victor Ledin. Copyright 1991.
