State Russian Concert Orchestra of Saint Petersburg

Orchestra

Russian Folk Classic Orchestra is a classical orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments, as far as its cast is concerned, an ensemble of 32 soloists-virtuosi, mainly, the Saint Petersburg Conservatoire.

This is the only body of such kind in the city giving concerts and keeping up the traditions of the famous V. V. Andreyev orchestra in the period of its intensive concert activities till 1941.The Russian concert orchestra was organized in 1991.

All the instruments of a traditional national Russian orchestra established in Petersburg at the end of the XIX century are represented in it: balalaikas, domras of all kinds – from «piccolo» to «conrabass», psalteries, accordions, pipes, horns, different percussion instruments and other folk ones.

The orchestra possesses its own manner of performance, which is typical of «Petersburg» strictness, reserve and greatness of tone with no snow-off or rudeness. Concerning its style of performing concerts, concerning its attitude towards the national music, this is an academic body of philharmonic type, which is manifested in the musicians clothes — tail-coast and concert dresses. The programmes of RCO’s performances are quite various.

These are concert shows with soloists-instrumentalists as well as outstanding maters of Russian vocal school participating, who are attracted by extreme softness of sounding and by warmth of timbre of this unique body.This orchestra has close artistic ties with the soloist of the Mariinsky opera, the leading singers of many theatres of the country (Z. Sotkilava, B. Minzhilkiyev, B.Shotokolov, E. Gorokhovskava, V. Noreika and others).

In the repertoire of this body there are concert treatment of folk melodies, the arrangement of Russian and Western classical music, the works of modern authors and original compositions created by composers specially for the RCO.

The Russian concert orchestra of Saint-Petersburg has some audiorecording of its repertoire as well as some videocassettes.