Terem Quartet
Encyclopedia
Terem-Quartet is a musical ensemble from Saint Petersburg
, Russia. The ensemble playing in the genre of Crossover
was created in 1986. Since that time, Terem-Quartet has released 17 CDs, and its repertoire includes more than 500 musical compositions of classical and modern music.
Terem-Quartet has performed more than 2,500 concerts in more than 60 countries. The ensemble is regarded as a symbol of Saint Petersburg because it has represented its native city in many cultural events all over the world.
The recent line-up includes: Andrey Konstantinov (soprano domra), Andrey Smirnov (bayan-accordion), Mikhail Dzudze (double bass balalaika) and Alexey Barshev (alto domra)
students: Andrey Konstantinov (soprano domra), Andrey Smirnov (bayan-accordion), Mikhail Dzudze (double bass balalaika) and Igor Ponomarenko (alto domra). At one time the students were called up for military service. After the first year of this service they were transferred to the local army ensemble which consisted of orchestra, choir and ballet. Some time later an idea to create a new ensemble was born and this one was called "Russian Souvenir". At this time it consisted of a big number of participants and many of them were not able to read musical notes that it why musicians tried to find a special language: they picked out some well-known music pieces and combined them with folk melodies. Then the first line-up of Terem-Quartet was formed: Andrey Konstantinov, Andrey Smirnov, Mikhail Dzudze and Igor Ponomarenko.
The first concert took place on November,26 of 1986 on the stage of music teachers training college. According to Andrey Konstantinov at the end of the performance the audience stood up and musicians understood that their choice was right. Since that time November, 26 is considered to be the birthday of the ensemble.
In 1988 Terem-Quartet was invited to take part in "White Nights" festival in Hamburg
. Here musicians performed with Mariinsky Theatre
soloist Vladimir Chernov, ballerina Lubov Kunakova and pianist Pavel Egorov. Also in that year director Igor Vladimirov proposed to write music for performance "Love till Death" (Lubov do Groba).
In 1989 Melodiya
released the first LP record
of the ensemble - "Terem-Quartet". At this time Terem-Quartet began to cooperate with Saint Petersburg State Academic Capella. Besides the ensemble began to give performances abroad: in Germany
, Spain
, Sweden
, Italy
and People's Republic of China
. This year musicians received diplomas of higher education in music.
. Within the bounds of this event musicians performed on one stage with Peter Gabriel
, Sinéad O'Connor
, Suzanne Vega
and Led Zeppelin
. At Peter Gabriel's instance Real World Records
recorded the first CD of the ensemble - "The Terem". This Cd was released in 1992. Allmusic Guide gives 4.5 stars to it: "The Quartet's eccentric approach transforms everything it touches into shades of humor and delight". In the next years Terem-Quartet repeatedly performed on Womad.
In 1994 Pope John Paul II
invited Terem-Quartet to Vatican. Here at the "Family Day" holiday they gave concert to 120-thousand audience. Among the listeners was Mother Teresa
who blessed the musicians and presented them medallions. This year two cds were released: "Classical" and "1000 concert" (1000-й концерт). The first one was released by "Real World Records" and received its name after Mozart
's, Schubert
's, Glinka
's and Chopin
's pieces in it. The second is a recording of the 1000 concert in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia
and it was released on Terem-Quartet label.
In 1998 Terem-Quartet performed on Edinburgh
festival and solo concerts of the ensemble received the highest mark of "Scotsman" newspaper. This year Terem-Quartet took part in performance of Anton Chekhov
's work and this one was awarded the highest theatrical prize "Golden Soffit" (Zolotoy Sophit).
In 1999 within the bounds of Alexander Pushkin 300-anniversary celebration Terem-Quartet played Alexander Chaikovsky's opera in St. James's Palace
. Among the listeners was Prince Charles
. This year two Cds were released: «No, Russia cannot be perceived by wit» ("Intuition" Label) is awarded 4 stars by Allmusic: "These classically-trained musicians exhibit masterful technique at their tools. The sounds they make seem to arise from an ensemble much greater than a quartet. Subtle, inventive, and gifted with a sense of humor, their gypsy turns thrill and enthrall". The second - "Flea Waltz" (Sobachy Vals) was released by Bomba-Piter and mostly consists of classical compositions adapted by the ensemble.
shooted a film about Terem-Quartet.
In 2001 the ensemble celebrated its 15-anniversary. For this occasion a great Russia-tour (50-concerts) and release of "Jubillenium" cd were organized.
In 2002 Bomba-Piter released a 3 cd compilation: "Anthology I", "Anthology II" and "Anthology III". Besides the "Russian Sufferings" album was released.
In 2003 Terem-Quartet organized its own world music festival in Saint Petersburg. It comprised five concerts: Dora Shwarzberg (Austria), Sexteto Canyengue (Netherlands), Boris Berezovsky, Martin Frost (Sweden) and Ural Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dmitry Liss. The next year the second festival was set up. This one comprised four concerts: Vladimir Chernov, Sexteto Canyengue, The Real Group
(Sweden), Richard Galliano
and Michelle Portal (France). The third festival took place in 2005 and comprised three concerts among which one was of Swingle Singers.
In 2004 3 cds were released: "Terem-Quartet and Friends" (featuring Remake ensemble, Vladimir Chernov, Joji Hirota, Svetlana Kruchkova, Dora Shwarzberg, Igor Sharapov, Arkady Shilkloper and Igor Dmitriev), "2000-th concert" (recording of the concert in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia in March,25 of 2004) and "Neapolitan Songs" (joint project with Vladimir Chernov).
In 2006 Terem-Quartet was invited to take part in several important political events: Russia-Singapore Forum in Singapore
and G8 summit in Saint Petersburg. On June,28 Terem-Quartet for the first time performed with ballet and in the perioud of November,24 - 27 the fourth world music festival was organized. During its long life the ensemble traveled a lot and in October 2007 the concert in the 60-th country (South Korea) was performed.
On April, 5 of 2008 Terem-Quartet organized Forum in which musicians all over the world represented their native countries: Great Britain
(Swingle Singers), France
(Bratch), Scotland
(Shooglenifty
), Sweden (Real Group), Iceland
(Diddú), Japan
(Joji Hirota) and Russia
(Yuri Shevchuk
, Igor Butman
and Pelageya Khanova). Also this year the «Diddu og Terem» was released. All vocal parts were recorded by Diddú.
In 2009 Terem-Quartet opened the Eurovision
second semi-final in Moscow. For this event musicians prepared 6-munute potpourri of songs-winners of this competition ("Waterloo" by Abba
, "Volare
", "Diva
" by Dana International
, "Believe
" by Dima Bilan
and Ding-A-Dong
by Teach-In
). This year dvd "Terem-Quartet or Imperceptibles" (Terem-Quartet Y Snova Neulovimiye) was released. It comprises compositions from popular Soviet movies, Charlie Chaplin
's ones and Mission: Impossible Theme.
In 2010 with the assistance of Saint Petersburg government and Ministry of Culture Terem-Quartet organized "Terem Crossover First International Music Competition" in Saint Petersburg.
In the "Creative Infantry" (Tvorchesky Desant) programme the musicians themselves spoke about their style: the instruments they play give wit to any genre that is why the ensemble turned to classical music, to jazz and to folk-rock but the basis lays in Russian culture, national customs and Russian original world-view. Meanwhile Andrey Konstantinov added that they take all the best from both western and eastern cultures.
The name of the ensemble resembles this attitude: "Terem" is a big house which unites musical currents all over the world.
Sometimes musicians called their style "Terem" but then the appropriate word was found - "crossover". Andrey Konstantinov explained that this genre implies the combination of different styles in order to express music content in a more interesting way.
Terem-Quartet was invited to various festivals, it participated in jazz, classical, rock and even punk ones.
Nikita Mikhalkov
said that it was important for him to find a wonderful combination of professionalism, musicality, mischief and root structure in the ensemble.
Yuri Shevchuk
after the joint performance with the ensemble said that his band DDT
and Terem-Quartet will be friends. For 20-anniversary he presented the notes of his songs in a hope that Terem-Quartet sometime will perform one of them. Terem-Quartet took part in recording of 3 songs form DDT's "Beautiful Love" (Prekrasnaya Lubov) album.
Current line-up includes 4 members:
, accordionist Yasuhiro Kobayashi
, pianist Andrey Kondakov, composer Hughes de Courson
, Leszek Lukas Barwinski (Universal Music), composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky and Yorrick Benoist (Run Production). During the competition workshops and concerts of the jury were held. Award ceremony and gala-concert took place on March,28 in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia.
Terem-Quartet participates in charities, giving concerts for benefit of cultural funds which are in charge of Russian art revival.
Terem-Quartet organizes competition for gifted children "TeremOK". In 2007 about 1000 children participated in it. After that "TeremOK" album with songs in Russian and German was released. The winners were lucky to sing to the accompaniment of Terem-Quartet during the concert in Saint Petersburg State Academic Capella.
In 2010 Terem-Quartet took part in Long Night of Museums
. The excursions showing musician's costumes, rarity photos, posters, awards, prizes and presents were held in ensemble art-center. One of this excursions was held by Andrey Konstantinov.
Terem-Quartet regularly records ensembles in its own studio in Saint Petersburg.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia. The ensemble playing in the genre of Crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
was created in 1986. Since that time, Terem-Quartet has released 17 CDs, and its repertoire includes more than 500 musical compositions of classical and modern music.
Terem-Quartet has performed more than 2,500 concerts in more than 60 countries. The ensemble is regarded as a symbol of Saint Petersburg because it has represented its native city in many cultural events all over the world.
The recent line-up includes: Andrey Konstantinov (soprano domra), Andrey Smirnov (bayan-accordion), Mikhail Dzudze (double bass balalaika) and Alexey Barshev (alto domra)
1980s
The ensemble was created in 1986 as a project of four Saint Petersburg ConservatorySaint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
students: Andrey Konstantinov (soprano domra), Andrey Smirnov (bayan-accordion), Mikhail Dzudze (double bass balalaika) and Igor Ponomarenko (alto domra). At one time the students were called up for military service. After the first year of this service they were transferred to the local army ensemble which consisted of orchestra, choir and ballet. Some time later an idea to create a new ensemble was born and this one was called "Russian Souvenir". At this time it consisted of a big number of participants and many of them were not able to read musical notes that it why musicians tried to find a special language: they picked out some well-known music pieces and combined them with folk melodies. Then the first line-up of Terem-Quartet was formed: Andrey Konstantinov, Andrey Smirnov, Mikhail Dzudze and Igor Ponomarenko.
At this time we promised each other that just the ensemble will be the main thing for all of us. We have already understood that we are interesting only when we are together. Out "Terem" is not just a beautiful building. There are no chiefs for us, everyone does his bit and it formes what we are building. In our music we unite different genres under one roof. Terem is opem for guests, we are always glad to see them (Andrey Konstantinov)
The first concert took place on November,26 of 1986 on the stage of music teachers training college. According to Andrey Konstantinov at the end of the performance the audience stood up and musicians understood that their choice was right. Since that time November, 26 is considered to be the birthday of the ensemble.
In 1988 Terem-Quartet was invited to take part in "White Nights" festival in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Here musicians performed with Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
soloist Vladimir Chernov, ballerina Lubov Kunakova and pianist Pavel Egorov. Also in that year director Igor Vladimirov proposed to write music for performance "Love till Death" (Lubov do Groba).
In 1989 Melodiya
Melodiya
Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"...
released the first LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
of the ensemble - "Terem-Quartet". At this time Terem-Quartet began to cooperate with Saint Petersburg State Academic Capella. Besides the ensemble began to give performances abroad: in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. This year musicians received diplomas of higher education in music.
1990s
In 1991 Terem-Quartet was invited to take part in WomadWorld of Music, Arts and Dance
WOMAD is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.-History:...
. Within the bounds of this event musicians performed on one stage with Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. At Peter Gabriel's instance Real World Records
Real World Records
Real World Records is a record label started in 1989 by Peter Gabriel to record and produce world music.-Overview:The label grew up alongside the success of the WOMAD festivals and Peter Gabriel's exploration of music from other cultures, and helped push world music into the general public's...
recorded the first CD of the ensemble - "The Terem". This Cd was released in 1992. Allmusic Guide gives 4.5 stars to it: "The Quartet's eccentric approach transforms everything it touches into shades of humor and delight". In the next years Terem-Quartet repeatedly performed on Womad.
In 1994 Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
invited Terem-Quartet to Vatican. Here at the "Family Day" holiday they gave concert to 120-thousand audience. Among the listeners was Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
who blessed the musicians and presented them medallions. This year two cds were released: "Classical" and "1000 concert" (1000-й концерт). The first one was released by "Real World Records" and received its name after Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's, Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's, Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
's and Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's pieces in it. The second is a recording of the 1000 concert in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia
Saint Petersburg Philharmonia
Saint Petersburg Philharmonia is a music society located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and is the name of the building where it is housed. The Bolshoi Zal of this building is one of the best known music halls in Russia. Also there is another one building of Saint Petersburg Philarmonic Society:...
and it was released on Terem-Quartet label.
In 1998 Terem-Quartet performed on Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
festival and solo concerts of the ensemble received the highest mark of "Scotsman" newspaper. This year Terem-Quartet took part in performance of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's work and this one was awarded the highest theatrical prize "Golden Soffit" (Zolotoy Sophit).
In 1999 within the bounds of Alexander Pushkin 300-anniversary celebration Terem-Quartet played Alexander Chaikovsky's opera in St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
. Among the listeners was Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. This year two Cds were released: «No, Russia cannot be perceived by wit» ("Intuition" Label) is awarded 4 stars by Allmusic: "These classically-trained musicians exhibit masterful technique at their tools. The sounds they make seem to arise from an ensemble much greater than a quartet. Subtle, inventive, and gifted with a sense of humor, their gypsy turns thrill and enthrall". The second - "Flea Waltz" (Sobachy Vals) was released by Bomba-Piter and mostly consists of classical compositions adapted by the ensemble.
2000-2010
In 2000 the line-up suffered changes: Igor Ponomarenko was replaced by Alexey Barshev. This year National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
shooted a film about Terem-Quartet.
In 2001 the ensemble celebrated its 15-anniversary. For this occasion a great Russia-tour (50-concerts) and release of "Jubillenium" cd were organized.
In 2002 Bomba-Piter released a 3 cd compilation: "Anthology I", "Anthology II" and "Anthology III". Besides the "Russian Sufferings" album was released.
In 2003 Terem-Quartet organized its own world music festival in Saint Petersburg. It comprised five concerts: Dora Shwarzberg (Austria), Sexteto Canyengue (Netherlands), Boris Berezovsky, Martin Frost (Sweden) and Ural Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dmitry Liss. The next year the second festival was set up. This one comprised four concerts: Vladimir Chernov, Sexteto Canyengue, The Real Group
The Real Group
The Real Group is a professional a cappella group from Sweden, consisting of five members: Emma Nilsdotter, Katarina Henryson, Anders Edenroth, Morten Vinther Sørensen, and Anders Jalkéus....
(Sweden), Richard Galliano
Richard Galliano
Richard Galliano is a French accordionist.-Biography:He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his father Lucien, an accordionist originally from Italy, living in Nice.After a long and intense period of study Richard Galliano (born December 12, 1950,...
and Michelle Portal (France). The third festival took place in 2005 and comprised three concerts among which one was of Swingle Singers.
In 2004 3 cds were released: "Terem-Quartet and Friends" (featuring Remake ensemble, Vladimir Chernov, Joji Hirota, Svetlana Kruchkova, Dora Shwarzberg, Igor Sharapov, Arkady Shilkloper and Igor Dmitriev), "2000-th concert" (recording of the concert in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia in March,25 of 2004) and "Neapolitan Songs" (joint project with Vladimir Chernov).
In 2006 Terem-Quartet was invited to take part in several important political events: Russia-Singapore Forum in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and G8 summit in Saint Petersburg. On June,28 Terem-Quartet for the first time performed with ballet and in the perioud of November,24 - 27 the fourth world music festival was organized. During its long life the ensemble traveled a lot and in October 2007 the concert in the 60-th country (South Korea) was performed.
On April, 5 of 2008 Terem-Quartet organized Forum in which musicians all over the world represented their native countries: Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(Swingle Singers), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(Bratch), Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(Shooglenifty
Shooglenifty
Shooglenifty are an Edinburgh-based six-piece Celtic fusion band that tours internationally. The band blends Scottish traditional music with influences ranging from electronica to alternative rock...
), Sweden (Real Group), Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
(Diddú), Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(Joji Hirota) and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk , born 16 May 1957, is a Soviet and Russian singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachev in 1980. Shevchuk was born in Yagodnoye in Magadan Oblast and raised in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR, though he now resides in St. Petersburg, Russia....
, Igor Butman
Igor Butman
Igor Butman is a jazz saxophonist born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1961. He is considered to be a virtuoso saxophonist, and a skilled bandleader. American saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. was instrumental in introducing Igor Butman to American audiences by featuring the Russian saxophonist on...
and Pelageya Khanova). Also this year the «Diddu og Terem» was released. All vocal parts were recorded by Diddú.
In 2009 Terem-Quartet opened the Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
second semi-final in Moscow. For this event musicians prepared 6-munute potpourri of songs-winners of this competition ("Waterloo" by Abba
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
, "Volare
Volare (song)
"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
", "Diva
Diva (song)
"Diva" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 performed in Hebrew by Dana International representing Israel. The music was composed by Tzvika Pick, and the lyrics by Yoav Ginai. It totalled 172 points in the polling.The song became the last entry entirely in a language other than...
" by Dana International
Dana International
Sharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...
, "Believe
Believe (Dima Bilan song)
"Believe" is the winning Russian entry for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest sung by Dima Bilan. The song was composed and written by Jim Beanz & Dima Bilan. On 20 May 2008 Bilan sang in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, and the song was voted into the final by public vote...
" by Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
and Ding-A-Dong
Ding-A-Dong
Ding-A-Dong was the title of the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975...
by Teach-In
Teach-In
Teach-In was a Dutch band, best known for winning Eurovision Song Contest 1975 with the song Ding-A-Dong. The band was founded in 1969 and parted in 1980. Throughout this time there were several changes in lineup.-History:...
). This year dvd "Terem-Quartet or Imperceptibles" (Terem-Quartet Y Snova Neulovimiye) was released. It comprises compositions from popular Soviet movies, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
's ones and Mission: Impossible Theme.
In 2010 with the assistance of Saint Petersburg government and Ministry of Culture Terem-Quartet organized "Terem Crossover First International Music Competition" in Saint Petersburg.
Style
In 1991 Peter Gabriel called the ensemble style "Teremism" by analogy with "communism". In European terminology Terem-Quartet's style is known as "World music".In the "Creative Infantry" (Tvorchesky Desant) programme the musicians themselves spoke about their style: the instruments they play give wit to any genre that is why the ensemble turned to classical music, to jazz and to folk-rock but the basis lays in Russian culture, national customs and Russian original world-view. Meanwhile Andrey Konstantinov added that they take all the best from both western and eastern cultures.
The name of the ensemble resembles this attitude: "Terem" is a big house which unites musical currents all over the world.
Terem is not only a house. It is a place where everything is fine. When creating the ensemble if we had set our goal to make money we wouldn't have become Terem. We always have had a sublime goal - to create contemporary music on the basis of national one so that it was clear and public. So that it excited us and the audience (Andrey Konstantinov).
Sometimes musicians called their style "Terem" but then the appropriate word was found - "crossover". Andrey Konstantinov explained that this genre implies the combination of different styles in order to express music content in a more interesting way.
Terem-Quartet was invited to various festivals, it participated in jazz, classical, rock and even punk ones.
Critics
The Quartet's immaculate musicianship shines like an illuminated manuscript...(Independent)
Mozart, Chopin and Bizet as you've never heard them before - classical music become theatre. (The Scotsman)
Love, hatred, irony, more philosophical feelings, all of these are mixed in Russian music, it's very spiritual. (Independent)
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a Galitzine princess...
said that it was important for him to find a wonderful combination of professionalism, musicality, mischief and root structure in the ensemble.
Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk , born 16 May 1957, is a Soviet and Russian singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachev in 1980. Shevchuk was born in Yagodnoye in Magadan Oblast and raised in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR, though he now resides in St. Petersburg, Russia....
after the joint performance with the ensemble said that his band DDT
DDT (band)
DDT is a popular Russian rock band founded by its lead singer, Yuri Shevchuk , in Ufa in 1980...
and Terem-Quartet will be friends. For 20-anniversary he presented the notes of his songs in a hope that Terem-Quartet sometime will perform one of them. Terem-Quartet took part in recording of 3 songs form DDT's "Beautiful Love" (Prekrasnaya Lubov) album.
Members
- Andrey Konstantinov (SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
domraDomraThe domra is a long-necked Russian string instrument of the lute family with a round body and three or four metal strings.-History:In 1896, a student of Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev found a broken instrument in a stable in rural Russia...
) - Andrey Smirnov (Bayan accordionBayan (accordion)The bayan is a type of chromatic button accordion developed in Russia in the early 20th century and named after 11th-century bard Boyan.-Characteristics:The bayan differs from western chromatic button accordions in some details of construction:...
) - Mikhail Dzudze (Double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
) - Alexey Barshev (AltoAltoAlto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
domra)
LP
| № | Name | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terem-Quartet | 1989 | Melodiya Melodiya Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"... |
Compact Cassettes
| № | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terem-Quartet (double album) | 1989 |
| 2 | Russian-German music | 1992 |
| 3 | Anthology I | 1994 |
| 4 | Anthology II | 1999 |
| 4 | Flea Waltz | 1999 |
CD
| № | Name | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Terem | 1992 | Real World Records |
| 2 | Classical | 1994 | Real World Records |
| 3 | 1000-th concert (1000-й концерт) | 1994 | Terem-Quartet |
| 4 | No, Russia cannot be perceived by wit | 1999 | Intuition |
| 5 | Умом Россию не понять (Russian edition of No, Russia cannot be perceived by wit) |
1999 | Terem-Quartet |
| 6 | Flea Waltz (Собачий вальс) | 1999 | Bomba-Piter |
| 7 | Jubillenium (Юбилениум) | 2001 | Bomba-Piter |
| 8 | Anthology I | 2002 | Bomba-Piter |
| 9 | Anthology II | 2002 | Bomba-Piter |
| 10 | Anthology III | 2002 | Bomba-Piter |
| 11 | Russian Sufferings (Русские страдания) | 2002 | Bomba-Piter |
| 12 | Terem-Quartet and Friends (Терем-квартет и его друзья) | 2004 | Bomba-Piter |
| 13 | 2000-th concert (2000-й концерт) | 2004 | Terem-Quartet |
| 14 | Vladimir Chernov and Terem-Quartet "Neapolitan Songs" (Владимир Чернов и Терем-Квартет "Неаполитанские песни") |
2004 | Terem-Quartet |
| 15 | Teremok (Теремок) | 2006 | Bomba-Piter |
| 16 | Teremok on German | 2008 | Terem-Quartet |
| 17 | Diddu og Terem | 2008 | Sögur |
DVD
| № | Name | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terem-Quartet or Imperceptibles | 2009 | Terem-Quartet |
Other activity
Since 2003 Terem-Quartet organizes world music festivals in Saint Petersburg. In 2010 the ensemble set up "Terem Crossover First International Music Competition" which took place from March,22 till March,28. 71 ensembles participated and jury was formed from famous people: Terem-Quartet musicians, founder of "Real World Records" Thomas Brooman, saxophonist Igor Butman, clarnettist Giora FeidmanGiora Feidman
Giora Feidman is an Argentinian-born Israeli clarinetist who specializes in klezmer music.-Biography:Giora Feidman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his Bessarabian Jewish parents immigrated to escape persecution. Feidman comes from a family of klezmer musicians...
, accordionist Yasuhiro Kobayashi
Yasuhiro Kobayashi
Yasuhiro "Coba" Kobayashi is a Japanese musician, accordionist, composer and arranger. His music has sold over 1,000,000 CDs. Yasuhiro started playing accordion when he was nine...
, pianist Andrey Kondakov, composer Hughes de Courson
Hughes de Courson
-The Malicorne years:Hughes de Courson is best known for being on all of the albums by Malicorne. He played electric guitar, bass, crumhorn, percussion, recorder, positive organ, piano, elka, synthesiser, glockenspiel and Hammond organ. He was producer on some of the albums. His most original track...
, Leszek Lukas Barwinski (Universal Music), composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky and Yorrick Benoist (Run Production). During the competition workshops and concerts of the jury were held. Award ceremony and gala-concert took place on March,28 in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia.
Terem-Quartet participates in charities, giving concerts for benefit of cultural funds which are in charge of Russian art revival.
Terem-Quartet organizes competition for gifted children "TeremOK". In 2007 about 1000 children participated in it. After that "TeremOK" album with songs in Russian and German was released. The winners were lucky to sing to the accompaniment of Terem-Quartet during the concert in Saint Petersburg State Academic Capella.
In 2010 Terem-Quartet took part in Long Night of Museums
Long Night of Museums
The Long Night of Museums or the Night of Museums is a cultural event organized together by multiple museums and cultural institutions in a location during which the establishments remain open late into the night...
. The excursions showing musician's costumes, rarity photos, posters, awards, prizes and presents were held in ensemble art-center. One of this excursions was held by Andrey Konstantinov.
Terem-Quartet regularly records ensembles in its own studio in Saint Petersburg.