The Balalaika Society Serenades PVCC
The Washington Balalaika Society (WBS) performed at PVCC on Sunday, March 31. The WBS was founded in 1988 and is comprised of local musicians who play the music of Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe on traditional Russian folk instruments. Although seated like a traditional orchestra and directed by a conductor, that is where the similarities end. What makes this orchestra unique is how the instruments are utilized to make their music.
The balalaika is a guitar-like instrument with a three-sided body. These were situated on the front middle and front right of the stage. The domra, another guitar-like instrument, has a rounded body. These were on the left of the stage. The balalaika and domra can vary in size. The wind section in the back. It held instruments that most people are more familiar with, such as the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. The bayan, an accordion-like instrument, was in the back, and finally, the gusli was in the center of the stage just in front of the conductor. The gusli is similar to an autoharp in concept but looks like a table with piano keys controlled by the left hand and strings controlled by the right.
The orchestra members came on stage wearing glistening red outfits with gold accents. The men wore tunics with gold striping traveling down the left side of the torso with a gold cord wrapped around the waist. The women wore dresses with white sleeves and collars with the rest of the dress mimicking their male counterparts.
Before the performance, Peter Kleeman introduced the orchestra and shared a few words with the audience saying they would play a “mixture of classic, folk, modern, and some surprises.” The WBS started the performance with the Military March and the Balalaika Waltz. Olga Orlovskaya, a soprano opera singer, came on stage to sing two songs with the orchestra. After Orlovskaya left the stage, Aaron Mott, one of the orchestra’s Balalaika soloists, led “Play, My Bagpipes.”
The orchestra then played a medley of Russian music before Peter Omelchenko, a Domra soloist, took center stage. Omelchenko led Russian Dance from “Swan Lake,” “Csardas,” and “Flight of the Bumblebee.” At the end of Omelchenko’s songs, the audience stood and applauded before Omelchenko returned to his position with the rest Domra players.
Two more songs were played before Orlovskaya returned to the stage to perform “Silva” and “My Lips Kiss so Warmly.” After Orlovskaya left the stage, Andrei Saveleiv, the Balalaika Concertmaster, took center stage to lead two songs, “I Met You” and “Hungarian Rhapsody #2.”
The orchestra performed “Time to Say Goodbye” to close the event. Orlovskaya joined the orchestra on stage for this final performance. As the song ended, the crowd rose from their seats and applauded. Kleeman gave a few closing words and said, “This is something that binds us all together.” The WBS website, www.balalaika.org, has information on upcoming performances and the history of the society.
