Russian Folk Ensemble “Russia” officially opened the first platform for the comprehensive promotion of Russian folk art online space “VCC” (Virtual Cultural Center) on June 29.

The ensemble held a concert in a new format — live on its updated official website. The concert host, artistic director and conductor of the ensemble Dmitry Dmitrienko greeted the audience for the first time in the recording studio, where the creator of the ensemble Lyudmila Zykina worked for many years.

“The concept of the new project is to give the audience the opportunity to visit this unique place, to see the studio and the memorial office of the singer, where, unfortunately, it is impossible to invite the audience. The VCC was created to promote Russian national art and unite all Russian song lovers” – said Dmitry Dmitrienko.

“Turn on the ensemble! — – the name of the concert is a call to the listeners of the collective and, in general, the fate of the project…” – says director Vyacheslav Kornichenko.

The concert was attended by: The winner of the International Competition “Romansiada” Irina Krutova, soloists of the Lyudmila Zykina Russia Ensemble: Valery Matryashin (domra), Olzhas Nurlanov (Bayan), Vladimir Dunaev (Balalaika), Luisa Nurieva (Domra), Alexey Abramenko (Russian harps), Vladislav Afanasyev (Domra), Anastasia Zakharova (Domra). The conductor and presenter is the Artistic Director of the collective Dmitry Dmitrienko. The sound engineer is Andrey Zhiltsov. Directed by Vyacheslav Kornichenko.

In the near future, the organizers will announce the following streams. You can follow the updates on the ensemble’s website.

Special thanks to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for supporting the project, we thank our partners: the Theater TV Channel and CDN-video.

“The Russian song is sung with the heart” concert program is dedicated to the release of the album by the state academic Russian folk ensemble “Russia” named after Lyudmila Zykina and the outstanding Opera performer Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov (tenor), released by the world-famous music label Universal music.

The ensemble Russia has a long creative professional friendship with Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov. “The Russian song is sung with the heart” – an album dedicated to the memory of the soloist’s mother. The reason to create it was the childhood memories of Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov about how his mother performed Russian songs in the circle of relatives. Listening to these songs, he fell in love with music. There the love for the Motherland is born, which goes deep from the heart of every person.

The concert program “Zdes’ Khorosho” is dedicated to the release of the album by the state academic Russian folk ensemble “Russia” named after Lyudmila Zykina and soloist of the Mariinsky theatre Olga Pudova (soprano). The concert program includes the best romances created by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

This program and the album are an experimental project that combines the sound of a folk instrument and academic opera singing. Thanks to this combination, the ensemble achieved a symphonic sound, while not losing its uniqueness. And the voice of the outstanding opera singer Olga Pudova sounds deep, sensual and dramatic.

The ensemble was recorded for Wes Anderson’s film “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, performing all the parts composed by Alexander Desplat for folk instruments. In 2015, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was awarded the Academy award “Oscar”, winning in the category “Best soundtrack”.

In 1968 Lyudmila Zykina, national USSR artist, was touring over the USA. This is where the ensemble first started. There Lyudmila met impresario Sol Hurok. Being impressed by her performance, impresario advised Lyudmila to create her own team. Later on the idea was supported in Moscow, where the first crew was formed, with the help of musician Roman Matskevych. Their debut tours took part in the USA. The musicians performed over 40 times in different parts of the country, including the famous Carnegie Hall in New York. 

This journey became the first ensemble’s event and decided their future. Now the goal for Lyudmila Zykina was to create a constant mobile group, performing folk music.

“Sorochinskaya fair” is a performance based on the novel by Nikolai Gogol, a participant of the special program of the international theatre festival in Avignon “Avignon Le OFF” (France).

In this musical and dramatic project of the ensemble “Russia”not only the musicians are engaged, but also theatre and cinema actors. The play “Sorochinskaya fair” was created in the tradition of folk theatre. Actors as buffoons, breaking the boundaries between the audience and performers, immerse the audience in the semi-fantastic reality created by Gogol.

The main expressive matter of the performance is music, which is played live by the soloists of the ensemble. The Russian folk melody, intertwined with Gogol’s poetic language, makes the performance look like a fervent song. Bright musical language combined with expressive theatricality opens up new meanings of the story of the Russian classic and surrounds the viewer with the atmosphere of a fair festival.

The play was performed 15 times and got included in the international theatrical program of the Avignon festival. It was highly appreciated by the professional community and the general public.

The premiere took place on July 16, 2013 at the Theater 3 soleils (Avignon. France) as part of the festival “Avignon Le OFF”.

In 1977, in the work book of Lyudmila Zykina, an entry appeared: “01.09.1977 – State Republican Russian Folk Ensemble “Russia”. Soloist, vocalist, artistic director, director”.  

Now the singer has not only her own singing destiny in her hands, but also the fate of a whole team of outstanding musicians and rare professionals playing Russian folk instruments, gathered in one Ensemble from all over Russia. Viktor Gridin, a virtuoso accordion player, composer and arranger, was appointed conductor of the Rossiya Ensemble. As soon as it started its activity, the Ensemble “Russia” became one of the most popular groups both in the USSR and abroad. Greece, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Canada, USA, Algeria, Tunisia, Japan-the whole world applauded the Ensemble “Russia”. The last stage of the singer’s creative life, which lasted more than thirty years, is connected with the activities of the Ensemble” Russia”.

In 2016, the Zykina’s state academic folk ensemble “Russia” and the Cosmonautics Museum launched the annual experimental laboratory for composers under the leadership of the outstanding contemporary composer Dmitry Kurlyandsky. The project is called “Open space”. 

The project “Open space” was created with the aim of developing modern musical art and supporting the creativity of Russian composers.