Volga Mixes 12th-Century Songs With 21st-Century Instruments

In the half-light of the stage, the initial chords are played as a video shows up behind musicians. As Angela Manukyan begins to sing, her voice as well as the songs send out the audience into a state near to trance. This is an efficiency by the group “Volga” that blends old songs with contemporary instruments.

At the heart of “Volga’s” songs are melodies composed by Manukyan as well as done in the ethnic practices of various regions of Russia. Some product is supplied by Sergei Starostin, a specialist in Russian ethno-music. Angela Manukyan very carefully researches old Russian messages, collections of Russian mythology, documents, and other resources. She is likewise proficient in various singing methods indigenous not just to Russian people practices yet also to the ethnic practices of the Tuva and Altai republics, Central Asia, and the North Caucasus.

The musical group was formed in 1997 at the initiative of the Moscow manufacturer Andrei Borisov. An artist with the very same surname, Alexei Borisov, explained exactly how the team started: “He presented me to vocalist Angela Manukyan, who during that time was attempting to record songs based on Russian mythology. We agreed to begin work with a joint cd at the workshop of the truly prominent Russian audio designer as well as producer Nick Artamonov. I invited Roman Lebedev, a multi-instrumentalist, and also Yuri Balashov, an artist as well as an author of the distinct instrument ‘sukozvuk,’ which is driftwood with a string extended across it.”

In different periods the group has actually worked together as well as taped the Spies Boyz, Nikolai Nebogatov, Igor Kolesov, and Lazyfish. Borisov calls working together with other musicians on stage or in the recording studio “an excellent custom” that “Volga” is now understood for.

Currently, the core of “Volga” is Angela Manukyan (vocalist) and Roman Lebedev (multi-instrumentalist). In 2020, Yuri Balashov, who had played in all the team’s performances and also recordings and also developed the team’s cds, passed away. Alexei Borisov remains to collaborate with the team as a multi-instrumentalist.

” The songs of ‘Volga’ is the result of collective improvisations, which at some time appear ended up and become tunes,” Alexei Borisov said.

” Volga” is pagan psychedelia, shamanism, authentic tunes, and also lyrics from Russian texts of the 12th to 19th centuries, combined with modern electronic music. They play a synthesis of numerous music customs– ethnic, digital, commercial, ambient as well as sound songs– on numerous string and also various other tools. At shows, the group improvises relying on each details circumstance. The efficiencies of the cumulative are bet the backdrop of videos developed by Moscow video musician Roman Anikushin.

The group has already generated more than 10 cds, and they carry out throughout Russia as well as in Germany, Finland, Slovenia, France, Estonia, Norway, and also various other countries. The group commonly does at celebrations, like the AWAZ music event recently kept in Kazan.

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