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THE TEREM
QUARTET
Musical expression
of the Russian genius
Andrey Konstantinov (domra soprano)
Alexey Barshchev (domra alto)
Andrey Smirnov (bayan-accordéon)
Mikhail Dzyudze (double-bass balalaika)
(QuickTime. Size: 11,7 MB Lenght: 6' 56")
(QuickTime. Size: 5,6 MB Lenght: 3' 20")
When Peter Gabriel’s
studio, Real World, wanted to present Russian musical culture to listeners,
they invited the Terem Quartet to make a recording. When the President
of Russia, Vladimir Putin, wanted to show the German Chancellor, Gerhard
Schroeder, real Russian musicians, he invited the Terem Quartet to perform.
When the Russian film director, Sergei Mikhalkov, the winner of an Oscar,
wanted to surprise the demanding audience of the Festival of Russian
Cinema in Cannes, he invited the Terem Quartet. When 120,000 pilgrims
from all over the world gathered on St. Peter’s Square at the
Vatican to meet the Pope and Mother Teresa, the Terem Quartet was there
to represent Russian national culture at the concert. During the 200th
anniversary celebrations of the great Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin,
in St. James’ Palace in London, at the invitation of Prince Charles,
the Terem Quartet gave a solo concert as part of a gala evening.
Over the 17 years of their existence, the Terem Quartet has often acted
as an ‘envoy’ of St. Petersburg and Russian culture. The
Russian press calls the ensemble ‘St. Petersburg’s calling
card’, bracketing the Quartet together with the Hermitage, the
Mariinsky Theatre and the Russian Museum (Business Panorama, November
2001)
The Terem Quartet is an unusual and unique occurrence in modern musical
culture. The musicians convincingly overcome barriers of genre, making
the ensemble’s performances hits both in famous philharmonic halls,
and at jazz and world music festivals. The musicians have a natural
artistry, captivating listeners of any nationality and eliciting unfailing
ovations at the end of their performance. Every musical composition
performed at their concerts is converted into ‘instrumental theatre’.
The ensemble changes our perception of contemporary concert music, sensing
the atmosphere of an audience and almost improvising their compositions
to form dialogues with their listeners. Their repertoire includes over
200 compositions – original transcriptions and paradoxical fantasies
based on popular musical themes of Bach, Mozart, Rossini, Bizet, Rimsky-Korsakov,
Tchaikovsky, Schedrin, Piazzolla, Rota, etc. The Terem Quartet presents
its listeners with a new, modern view of world classical music. Their
creativity is a musical expression of the uniqueness of the Russian
soul, its sensitivity to ideals and the spirit of other national cultures,
which the writer Fyodor Dostoevsky called the ‘exclusive property
of the Russian genius’. The ensemble’s achievements make
for impressive reading: the Terem Quartet is the Prize-Winner of the
XIII World Festival of Youth and Students in Pyongyang, the winner of
the Gold Ostap prize in the ‘Humour in Music’ category (1993),
holder of the title of 1997’s ‘Group of the Year’
from a poll of the Russian ‘Musical Review’ newspaper. The
Terem Quartet’s solo performances at the Edinburgh Festival (1998)
were pronounced one of the best shows of the festival and were awarded
five stars by the Scotsman newspaper. In 2002, the ensemble became the
winner of the Gold Book of the Fatherland for outstanding achievements
for the good of Russia.
The best albums
1992 - The Terem Quartet - Real World, Virgin CDR W23
1994 - Classical - Real World, Virgin CDRW49
1999 - No, Russia cannot be perceived by wit - Intuition INT
3273 2c
2001 - Giubileum Terem Quartet - CDMAN 071-01
2002 - Russian Passion - Manchester Russia
2004 – 2000th concert LIVE
2004 – Valdimir Chernov & Terem Quartet
2004 – Terem Quartet and his friends
PRESS RELEASE
"Love, hatred, irony, more philosophical feelings, all of these
are mixed in the Terem-Quartet’s Russian music, it’s very
spiritual ..." (The Independent, November 11, 1994)
"The Quartet’s flawless musicality shines like an ancient
manuscript with colourillustrations" (The Independent, November
11, 1994)
"The Russian Terem Quartet from St. Petersburg mixes folk, classical
music, pop shock andlate Romantic pathos " (Der Spiegel, 39/1993)
“I presume that even people with a sophisticated knowledge of
music, from surprisebordering on delight, stare like stuck pigs and
open their mouths in astonishment at Terem Quartet’s performances.
Aside from the completely virtuoso knowledge of their instrumentsand
the unrestrained riot of musical fantasies, the recital reminds you
of an expressive pantomime. And you can’t understand why your
heart is filled with obscure delight...” KirillRein (Komsomolskaya
Pravda-Petersburg, August 14, 2001)
“The main thing isn’t the statistics on their concerts or
prizes, but the amount of optimism,sadness, humour, creativity, kindness,
irony, which together with their music the fantastic foursome infuses
in their audience and listeners. Terem has become what you call a nationalasset.
Not an appointed asset, but a genuine, natural asset, and therefore
loved sincerely and deeply.” Alexander Ures (Nevskoye Vremya,
November 24, 2001)
"The Terem Quartet, clearly not troubled by piety before the inviolable
values of academicism, bravely experiment with genres and styles, turning
the actual format of anacademic concert into a jolly game, a skoromokh
performance, appealing to people’s genetic memory, to their specific
humour, to those susceptible to all sorts of spoonerisms andwitticisms...
This is where the source of the international, truly blind and unreasoning
love for them lies” Gulyara Sadykh-zade (Vremya MN, January 17,
2000).
Press
Release 1
Press
Release 2
Press
Release 3
