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Oksana Dragan
The United States boasts at least several dozen balalaika orchestras - ensembles that feature the triangular, three-stringed lute-like Russian folk instrument. Today on new American Voices, we introduce you to Svetlana Nikonova, a young Russian musician from St. Petersburg who conducts the Washington Balalaika Society orchestra.
You don't have to be Russian to play the balalaika. Svetlana Nikonova says that most of the members of her orchestra are Americans who simply enjoy playing Russian folk music on Russian folk instruments.
"The Washington Balalaika Society orchestra is a unique orchestra in the world, I guess. Mostly Americans play in this orchestra. I can count only two or three Russian-educated people who play. It's an orchestra of 45 people or more -- I say or more because the people don't always come to a concert, because most of them work, or are busy with career and travel. But mostly it's Americans, and they play Russian folk instruments - it sounds unusual, it's really unique - and the Russian audience who is present at our performances also amazed how the American people can feel the emotion of Russian folk melodies, how they can perform and feel the right way to do it."
Russian folk melody
Forging a cohesive musical ensemble out of amateur musicians playing unfamiliar folk melodies on old-world folk instruments can pose a special challenge. Ms. Nikonova has developed an approach that seems to work.
"I know they are not professional, I know they come to play and have fun. So I try to do two things together. I try to make it fun for them, and I try to get a good result from the music. I know just only one thing, that people who come every Wednesday and Saturday to rehearsals should go back home with a good emotion and a good feeling. And they need to feel that they want to come back again, and play again. They are doing this, and I hope they will continue doing this (laughs)."
Svetlana Nikonova grew up in St. Petersburg. She attended the prestigious Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, where she studied conducting, and mastered a number of instruments, including the domra - another lute-like folk instrument, but with a rounded body - and the piano. After the fall of communism she spent ten years concertizing throughout Europe with her husband, also a professional musician. Then, at the suggestion of a musician friend who had immigrated to the United States earlier, Ms. Nikonova was invited by the Washington Balalaika Society to serve as its conductor -- on a trial basis.
"Two years ago they invited me for two months, to prepare a program, to rehearse, and then to make a concert, and see what I can do, what kind of knowledge I have, and how I can communicate with the Americans [in the orchestra]."
The leadership and the members of the Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra were sufficiently impressed with Ms. Nikonova's musicianship and communication skills to offer her the job of conductor on a permanent basis. But bringing her to the United States required overcoming a lot of obstacles.
"They go through many, many difficulties to organize visas for me, for my husband, and for my two children, so that our whole family can come, that we won't be separated. So we're lucky to be here with all our family."
Now, after a year in the United States, the whole family appears to have acclimated well to life here. Svetlana Nikonova says she is amazed at how quickly her children, aged six and eleven, have picked up English. They do well in school and have many new friends. Ms. Nikonova somewhat ruefully points out that little six-year-old Varvara has already forgotten the names of her best friends in St. Petersburg.
The family lives in a small, sunny two-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., which they share with a collection of instruments: a balalaika, of course, and a domra, a piano, 11-year-old Zakhar's cello, and the bayan, or button accordion, that Ms. Nikonova's husband, Vladimir, plays. Ms. Nikonova says she feels at home in America.
"I like the way how people live, I like the way people can work and live as they want, that they can choose their own way, I like the freedom. I like that they can travel everywhere, I like that they can say what they want, and not ask permission from somebody else. I like the way they smile, but not smile as in just to give a smile, but smiling with their eyes, it says something more than only a smile."
In addition to conducting Washington's balalaika orchestra, Ms. Nikonova, along with her husband and a friend who is a balalaika virtuoso, have formed the St. Petersburg trio, which is building a reputation in the Washington area as a professional Russian folk ensemble. But her plans for the future center primarily on Washington's balalaika orchestra.
"More members in the orchestra. We're always trying to find more members interested in playing Russian music, to increase the orchestra to 55 members, then 65, and make it a really great orchestra in America."
Balalaika Melody
The Washington Balalaika Society orchestra, under the baton of Svetlana Nikolova.
注释：
balalaika orchestras俄式三弦琴协会
triangular three-stringed lute三角形的三弦琵琶
melody [5melEdi] n. 悦耳的音调
forge [fC:dV] v. 形成
cohesive [kEu5hi:siv] adj. 有结合力的
musical ensemble 音乐剧团
amateur [5AmEtE(:)] n. 业余爱好者
St. Petersburg圣彼得堡（苏联城市）
prestigious [7pres5ti:dVEs] adj. 享有声望的
Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory李姆斯基－柯萨可夫音乐院
domra 多姆拉琴（起源于古印度的一种长颈弹拨乐器坦布拉琴）
lute-like adj. 象琵琶的
rounded [5raundid] adj. 圆形的
concertize [5kCnsEtaiz] v. 表演
trial basis 试行
rehearse [ri5hE:s] vt. 排演
musicianship [mjU:`zIFEnFIp] n. 音乐才能
permanent [5pE:mEnEnt] adj. 永久的
obstacle [5CbstEkl] n. 障碍
acclimate [E5klaimit] vt. 使适应新环境
pick up 获得，学会
ruefully [5ru:fEli] adv. 悲伤地
cello [5tFelEJ] n. 大提琴
baya 巴扬（俄国键钮式手风琴）
button accordion 按纽式手风琴
virtuoso [vE:tju5EuzEu] n. 艺术品鉴赏家
St. Petersburg trio 圣彼得堡三重唱
reputation [7repju(:)5teiFEn] n. 名誉
baton [5bAtEn] n. 指挥棒 |