Why is the music of folklore groups inspiring to a person? The use of national traditions, spiritual fulfillment and a return to the roots allow listeners and spectators to penetrate with the whole depth the creativity of such folk groups. We offer a brief overview of the most famous and most interesting ensembles.
Characteristics of the folklore group
The folk ensemble differs from any other musical group in the implementation of the creative traditions of its indigenous people, but there are exceptions. The main characteristic features are the use in the repertoire of works of folk (or author's, stylized for such) creativity, the inclusion of rare national instruments, as well as traditional costumes and other elements.
In this article we will talk about the most famous folklore groups in Russia. We will also conduct a brief review of the most visible and significant folk groups of other countries.
Kuban Cossack Choir
The folklore group with which I would like to start the narrative is the famous Kuban Cossack Choir. This is a truly unique ensemble, because its continuous work has been going on since 1811. Of course, many generations of participants have been replaced in more than 200 years of the choir's existence, but the collective is still faithful to the traditions of Cossack songs and dances.
The artistic director and chief conductor of the ensemble, which includes 130 professional dancers and singers, has been the People's Artist of Russia Viktor Gavrilovich Zakharchenko since 1974.
Kalevala
This team was formed in Moscow in 2007. The repertoire of Russia's most famous folklore group playing in the style of rock consists of Cossack folk songs, reworked Slavic motifs, and compositions created on the basis of the translation of the Karevala national Karelian-Finnish epic, after which the musicians named their collective. The permanent instrumental composition of the group includes a guitar, keys, drums, a harp, a bass guitar and a button accordion, and periodic - a bagpipe, flute, wheel lyre and cello.
Above you can see the group’s clip for the song “I Will Sing the Best Song for You,” which was composed of excerpts from the Kalevala epic.
"Buranovskie grandmothers"
The folk ensemble "Buranovskie Granny" was founded in 2000 by ordinary talented elderly women, native Udmurts from the village of Buranovo. Their repertoire includes folk vocal works, as well as classical rock and pop compositions of the world stage translated (most often freely) into the Udmurt language. The performance of the folklore group at the Eurovision 2012 contest in Baku, where the representatives of Russia took the second place, brought worldwide fame to Buranovsky grandmothers. You can see the famous performance below.
"Gaigi Weigel"
Another historical folk group, famous for many years of history, is the ensemble "Gaigi Weigel", which in translation from Mordovian Erzya means "Voiced voice". This acapelical female music choir was founded in 1953. To this day, he preserves the national culture of the Mordovian ethnic group called the Erzyans. An interesting fact: two singers from the very first line-up take part in the "Gaigi Weigel".
"Gold ring"
One of the most famous contemporary folk groups performing in the pop genre is the Nadezhda Kadysheva ensemble "The Golden Ring", which has existed since 1988. The repertoire includes both folk compositions and original ones created in a pseudo-folk style. In 2001, the group received a prize in the nomination Folk Band of the Year at the Russian Ovation Music Prize.
"Ivan Kupala"
One of the very first neo-folklore groups in Russia was the Ivan Kupala group, combining electronic dance music and real folk texts and tunes taken from materials from ethnographic expeditions of the 70-80s. The compositions of the Kostroma, Kolyada, Eyebrows and Svatoka groups gained mass popularity. The homeland of the team is the city of St. Petersburg.
The ensemble of Dmitry Pokrovsky
The folklore ensemble, created in 1973 by experimental musician Dmitry Pokrovsky, still remains a unique project, equal to which simply does not exist in terms of professionalism and depth of penetration into the original Russian musical traditions. Russian composer Anton Batagov described the creative heritage of the team:
If someone from another country who has never been here needs to be explained what Russia is (not about elections and sausages, democrats and communists, but essentially), you can just let Pokrovsky’s ensemble listen to the disc and say nothing more.
Dmitry Pokrovsky himself, who was the main ideological inspirer, artistic director and conductor, passed away in 1996, but his ensemble continues to exist under the direction of Maria Nefedova and Olga Yukacheva.
Krinitsa
Of the 20 talented artists, each of whom is both a musician, vocalist and dancer, is the relatively young Cossack music ensemble Krinitsa, founded in Krasnodar in 1994. The group’s repertoire includes exclusively authentic folk Kuban and Cossack songs, as well as related dances and elements of the game show. The instrumental component of “Krynitsa”: two solo balalaikas, double bass, two accordions and various percussion and percussion instruments.
"Yelling Vidoplyasova"
Another folklore group in the rock genre, without which this list would not be complete, is the Soviet-Ukrainian group Vopli Vidoplyasova, which has existed since 1987. Under the direction and creative beginning of the permanent leader of the group Oleg Skrypka, this ensemble became the first of those performing rock music in Ukrainian. The repertoire of “Vopley Vidoplyasova” includes both Ukrainian folk compositions and original ones, stylized as folkloric sounds.
"Russian song"
Another popular folklore ensemble of the genre under consideration is the Russian Song musical theater, the soloist, leader and leader of which is the national artist Nadezhda Babkina. The team was founded in 1974. The creative direction of the “Russian Song” is a vocal, often akapelny performance of folk and stylized compositions, accompanied by simple dance sketches and theatrical elements.
Above is a video with the performance by Nadezhda Babkina and the ensemble "Russian Song" of the song "That is not the wind that bends the branch."
"Azure color"
Among the children's folklore groups of Russia, this unique ensemble, created in Voronezh in 1999, stands apart.
The composition of the “Azure Color” includes five groups of performers: preparatory (not performing, age under 6 years), younger (6–9 years), middle (10–13 years), older (14–17 years) and youth (18– 20 years). The team’s creative repertoire consists of authentic songs, ditties and carols, as well as author’s compositions based on folk verses.
Siberian folk choir
Founded in 1945 in the Novosibirsk region, the folklore group The Siberian Folk Choir is the oldest of those founded in Russia (after the Kuban Cossack). The ensemble consists of 80 people. These are professional musicians, vocalists and dancers, performing exclusively folk Russian songs in both authentic and authorial orchestral processing. The participants and leaders of the Siberian Folk Choir themselves describe their activities as follows:
Preservation of centuries-old harmony through the development of Russian traditional art and the broadcast of its best examples in the modern community.
You can watch the brilliantly performed musical choreographic composition "Sartlansky Perevit" performed by the Siberian Choir in the video below.
Baba yaga
Not just a folk folk group performing Russian folk music in rock processing, but the international ensemble Baba Yaga. It was founded by Russian, Irish and Hungarian musicians on the island of Sicily in 1989. The harmonious use of the most unusual ethnic instruments, as well as the Irish and Hungarian view of the familiar Russian melodies make the Baba Yaga ensemble a unique phenomenon in the world of international folk culture.
Volga folk choir
Along with the Kuban Cossack and Siberian, the Volga folk choir occupies an important position in the territorial branch of the general concept of Russian folk folklore. The team was founded in Samara in 1952. The repertoire of the Volga choir includes full-fledged theatrical programs, including a plot combination of various folk songs, original Volga art and authentic dances.
Zdob și Zdub
Another folklore group playing in the rock genre is the group Zdob si Zdub, founded in Chisinau (Moldova) in 1994. Performing author, folk and mixed-type songs in a combination of Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian and English languages, this collective is an excellent example of an appropriate multicultural intricacies. This is similar to the way folklore itself, being passed from mouth to mouth, is modified, transmitted from one language to another and becomes an element of not national but international folklore.
The no smoking orchestra
The No Smoking Orchestra Serbian team, which completes this list of the most interesting folk ensembles, is interested in the active participation of Emir Kusturica, the famous Yugoslav director. The group was founded in 1980. The No Smoking Orchestra's repertoire includes folklore and original compositions, arranged exclusively in the style of Balkan and Yugoslav folk music. The songs are performed in Serbian and English, but with periodic Russian inclusions.