Music and Song of Old Russia and the Russian Diaspora

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Music and Song of Old Russia and the Russian Diaspora. Legends of Russian immigration: Pyotr Lescenko, Russian Gypsy chanson performer Alyosha Dimitrievich, Russian Gypsy singer Zhenya Shevchenko, singer Gari Nova and Russian balalaika band "The Balalaika Russe", Bibs Ekkel and his group "Tziganka", singer Nikolai Massenkoff and other performers of Russian and Gypsy music ourside of Russia.

Russian singer Pyotr Leshchenko - "The King of Russian Tango" - was born on June 14, 1898 a citizen of the Russian Empire in village Isaeva. His father was a clerk, mother - illiterate. During the First World War, his mother and stepfather moved to Kishinev (now part of Moldavia) which was later annexed by Romania. As a result Leshchenko has been claimed as a national by Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. He sang almost exclusively in the Russian language. In his early childhood he sang in a church choir and learned how to play the balalaika and the guitar... read more, download mp3

Alyosha Dimitrievich (Dimitrievich Aleksey Ivanovich) was born on March 23, 1913 at the Northern part of Russian Imperia, at the DAL'NY VOSTOK, (close to CHINA) in Roma (Gypsy) family that made living by traveling from town to town, singing and dancing. Alyosha was the forth and the last child in the family. In the end of the Russian Civil War (about 1920-1921) Dimitrievich family with the Army of the General Kolchak moved from Vladivostok to Kharbin, running from the communists regime. They traveled from Hong Kong to Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, Birma (Barma) and Calcutta and many other places and countries. ... read more

Shevchenko Zhenya (Eugenia Pavlovna) - performer of Russian and Gypsy (Roma) songs and romances from New York City. She was born in Kiev in 1927, in 1942 immigrated with her family to Prague. She has a unique voice - deep contralto. In the United States she took voice lessons from L.F. Shalyapina. In Paris she was working as a singer and dancer in restaurant "Balalaika", where she learned a few songs from Gypsy chanson genius Alyosha Dimitrievich. For some time she was a makeup consultant for Jacqueline Kennedy. Zhenya likes swimming, photography and does fortune-telling professionally. In 1956 she was in the movie "Anastasia" with Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner - in restaurant scene she is singing "Moscow, the Gold Domed One..." ("Maskva Zlatoglavaya"). In 1992 she was touring in Russia where she recorded two compact disks titled "The Queen of Gypsy Song" ("Koroleva Tsyganskoi Pesni")... pictures, mp3 files

Born in 1946 in England of mixed Polish-English background, Bibs Ekkel is both musician and linguist. His career as one of very few outstanding professional balalaika players outside Russia has brought him much recognition worldwide, including in the balalaika's Motherland, where he has performed on radio and TV as well as at Moscow's prestigious "Hall of Columns" and "Tchaikovsky Hall".

In addition to concerts, cabarets, recordings, movie soundtracks, radio and TV he has had speaking and playing roles in many films and BBC-TV productions, where he has also worked as advisor on Romany or Russian music themes for movies such as: "The Man Who Knew Too Little", "The Saint", "Yasha the Liar".

He has lectured on Balalaika, Russian Gypsy music and language at a variety of US Universities, co-authored a BBC radio educational series and written and presented programs on another subject, the Russian singer Peter Lescenco, for BBC World Service. ... read more, mp3

Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian and Gypsy singer Nikolai Massenkoff born of Russian parents in the "White Russian" community in China.

At the age of three Nikolai was put in the St. Tichon Orphanage in Shanghai, China, established by St. Archbishop John (Maksimovich) of Shanghai, later of San Francisco. At the age of twelve Nikolai arrived in San Francisco, California, after staying two years on Phillipine Islands with other "white russian" immigrants.

In 1975, Nikolai founded the MASSENKOFF RUSSIAN FOLK FESTIVAL, a festival of russian music song and dance because of love for his Russian heritage... read more, pictures, mp3

GARY NOVA (voice and guitar) has been singing Russian and Ukrainian songs ever since he can remember, starting out as a youth in his native Ukraine, and picking up the guitar somewhere along the way. Known as "The Russian Crooner," he has made many appearances throughout the United States and Europe, in places such as Lincoln Center in New York City, and The Palace in Gstadd, Switzerland. His recording on the Armen label of "I Remember Russia," a fine example of his talent, has been extremely popular in the Russian emigre community in America... read more, pictures

ССЫЛКИ ПО ТЕМЕ:
Music and Song of Old Russia and the Russian Diaspora
Музыка и песни старой России и русского зарубежья
Russian singer Pyotr Leshchenko
"Король Танго" певец Петр Лещенко
Pyotr Leshchenko Club
Клуб имени Петра Лещенко
Russian Gypsy chanson performer Alyosha Dimitrievich
Russian Gypsy singer Zhenya Shevchenko
musician, composer and linguist Bibs Ekkel
Russian folk singer Nikolai Massenkoff
Singer Gary Nova and balalaika band "The Balalaika Russe"
RUSSIAN GYPSY MUSIC DANCE
Russian entertainment database
Russian music, dance and song ensemble "Barynya"
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