The Andreyev Balalaika Ensemble - Play, My Balalaika

 

The Andreyev Balalaika Ensemble - Play, My Balalaika

released on LP

The repertory for this recording ranges from the very old tunes like Koribushka and Stariny Vals (Old Waltz) to the ubiquitous Those Were the Days (actually an old Russian tune by Boris Fomin called "The Long Road") and the relatively new "Lara's Theme."

In addition to the family of balalaikas, the domra holds an important, in fact, intrinsic part in any Russian ensemble. The alto-domra has a warm, seductive sound which is a perfect complement to the balalaika. For the benefit of the non-aficionado the balalaika is known by its triangular shape and the domra by its rounded face in varying sizes.  (from the liner notes)

I found this LP recently while browsing in some thrift store. This looked like something worth adding to my collection. The performances are quite good. I admit I am not familiar with Russian trad. music though. There seems to be a lot of grime and dirt on track 6 "Kalitka" that makes it sound distorted. Sorry there's not much I can do. The rips of the rest of the tracks sound fine.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1.  Tsiganka (Gypsy Girl)  {2:31}

2.  Lara's Theme from the movie ''Dr. Zhivago''  {3:08}

3.  Troika (Russian Dance)  {2:29}

4.  Stariny Vals (Old Waltz)  {3:00}

5.  Russian Medley  {4:31}
a) Haida Troike (Russian Dance)
b) Proshchai Ty Staraya Derevnya (Farewell, Old Village)
c) Buran (Snowstorm)

6.  Kalitka (Little Gate)  {3:20}

Side Two

1.  Those Were the Days  {3:15}

2.  Korobushka (The Peddler's Box)  {2:09}

3.  Crimean Sketches  {3:29}

4.  Kokhanochka (Dance)  {3:24}

5.  Espana  {2:00}

6.  Two Songs from the Soviet film ''Birobidzhan''  {3:27}
a) Lyrical Song
b) Fisherman's Revery

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