Golden Masterpieces of Russian Music: Andreevsky Orchestra Reveals the «Soul of Russia»

A renowned group with more than a century of history - the State Academic Russian Orchestra named after V.V. Andreev completed his tour with the program «Soul of Russia» and performed at the Penza Regional Philharmonic on November 25, and on the stage of the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.D. Shostakovich on November 27.

This is the first professional group in world history in which national instruments were combined according to the principle of a symphony orchestra. The idea of creating the orchestra belongs to its founder, the outstanding Russian musician, composer and public figure Vasily Vasilyevich Andreev. Since its first concert performance on March 20, 1888, the Andreevsky Orchestra has been the pride and glory of Russian art and the pearl of world musical culture.

The orchestra already performed in Samara last year with a program dedicated to the 135th anniversary of its creation, and it is interesting that it was from this city that its ascent began: the first known performance of Vasily Andreyev with a balalaika took place in Samara in a divertissement after a performance staged by vacationers at the Annaevskaya dacha.

The visit to Penza was the first in the modern history of the group. The tour in this city last took place in 1938.

«This is our second time performing in Samara, and we really like everything here: the wonderful audience, the acoustics of the hall, the theatre itself. The concert turned out to be a great success. And we really hope that such performances can become traditional. This time we brought a fundamentally different program. Not a single number is repeated from the previous concert,» said the orchestra’s artistic director and chief conductor, People’s Artist of Russia Dmitry Khokhlov.

The concert «Soul of Russia» together with the Andreevsky Orchestra featured soloists of the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after D.D. Shostakovich, laureates of international competitions Svetlana Kashirina (mezzo-soprano) and Stepan Volkov (bass-baritone).

«The concert program is close and understandable to every Russian person: romances and songs in Russian, opera arias, instrumental music. But I would like to emphasize the peculiarity of the folk instrument orchestra: the same stringed musical instruments, but a different principle of sound production, in which each musical phrase can break through any shell, penetrates the very soul and reaches the very heart,» shared Stepan Volkov.

The program included iconic compositions from the ensemble’s golden collection and the legacy of great Russian composers, such as V. Andreev, M. Glinka, P. Tchaikovsky, A. Lyadov, M. Mussorgsky, A. Verstovsky, S. Rachmaninov, A. Dargomyzhsky, N. Zubov, B. Fomin, G. Sviridov.

The sounds of the balalaika, domra, gusli, plucked string instruments and other folk musical instruments create a unique sound that truly touches the soul of the Russian people.

The concert «Soul of Russia» became a real celebration of the soul for all music lovers, which is confirmed by the sold-out shows in Penza and Samara. The audience applauded standing up, calling on the band to play an encore, and did not let the conductor leave the stage, literally bathing him in applause.

The audience shared their emotions after the concert, noting the musical pieces that they remembered, such as, for example, «Kikimora» by A. Lyadov, spoke about the high professionalism, skill and technical precision that characterizes the orchestra, delighted with the performance of the theater soloists Stepan Volkov and Svetlana Kashirina, and some expressed regret that the Andreevsky Orchestra rarely performs in the regions of Russia.

The concert was a unique opportunity to hear the works that have become the hallmark of the group, to enjoy their impeccable performance, to immerse oneself in the atmosphere of Russian musical traditions, creating an atmosphere of celebration and unity, giving each viewer the opportunity to feel like an inseparable part of a single whole, which contributes to strengthening our cultural identity.

The orchestra's tour was supported by the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg.