Nekrasov Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments (Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments) |

Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments

A coeval of the Great Victory, the Nekrasov Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments in 2020 will celebrate 75 years since its founding.

In December 1945, a group of front-line musicians led by Pyotr Ivanovich Alekseev, a talented musician, famous conductor and public figure, received the task in a short time to create a team whose main activity would be to work on the radio. From that moment (officially – from December 26, 1945) the remarkable history of the Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments of the Radio Committee of the USSR began, now the Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company, an orchestra that bears the name of a wonderful musician and outstanding conductor Nikolai Nekrasov.

The founders of the collective understood that the Radio Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments is an orchestra that will be listened to by millions of people throughout our vast Motherland, and therefore its sound should not only be a kind of standard for all orchestras working in this genre, but also largely determine the artistic the level of music broadcasting both in our country and abroad.

Very little time passed, and the All-Union Radio Orchestra showed itself as a team with great creative potential: interesting various programs were prepared, the repertoire gradually expanded, which, in addition to arrangements of Russian folk songs, included arrangements of Russian and foreign classics, music by modern composers. Many letters came to the music editorial office expressing gratitude and gratitude for the Russian art that the orchestra promoted.

The skill of the team was polished by many hours of studio work; everyday work at the microphone is the key to the unique sound that still distinguishes the Academic Orchestra of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.

Amazing musicians have always worked with the orchestra – conductors, singers, instrumentalists, who were the pride of Russian musical art. Each of them left a piece of his soul and skill in the orchestra.

From 1951 to 1956 the orchestra was led by V. S. Smirnov, a talented and versatile musician who directed all his efforts to attract such masters as A. Gauk, N. Anosov, G. Rozhdestvensky, G. Stolyarov, M. Zhukov, G. Doniyakh, D. Osipov, I. Gulyaev, S. Kolobkov. Each of them prepared and conducted several live programs. Professional composers began to bring their compositions to the Radio Orchestra: S. Vasilenko, V. Shebalin, G. Frid, P. Kulikov, and later – Y. Shishakov, A. Pakhmutova and many others.

From 1957 to 1959 the artistic director of the group was N. S. Rechmensky, a well-known composer and folklorist at that time. Under him, several conductors worked with the orchestra for two years: Georgy Daniyah – artistic director of the Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments. V. V. Andreeva from Leningrad, Ivan Gulyaev – head of the Novosibirsk Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments, which at that time (as well as the orchestra named after V. V. Andreev) was part of the All-Union Radio system, Dmitry Osipov, who at that time was the head State Orchestra named after N. P. Osipova.

In 1959, an inspired musician, talented conductor Vladimir Ivanovich Fedoseev became the head of the orchestra. The subject of special attention of the new artistic director and chief conductor was the sound quality, the balance of the sound of the groups. And the result was amazing: all the groups sounded together, harmoniously, beautifully, the orchestra had its own individual and unique style. With the advent of V. I. Fedoseev, the concert activity of the group intensified. The best halls of the capital opened before him: the Grand Hall of the Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the Kremlin Palace, the Column Hall of the House of Unions, which for many years became a favorite meeting place for the orchestra and its listeners.

Creative activity has also intensified in other areas: recording on radio and television, participation in radio and television programs, touring around the country. Thanks to the foreign trips that had begun, the orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Central Television was recognized and loved by listeners in Germany, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Spain and Portugal.

V. I. Fedoseev and his orchestra were always very sensitive accompanists, which attracted the attention of the most famous singers of that time, such as I. Skobtsov, D. Gnatyuk, V. Noreika, V. Levko, B. Shtokolov, N. Kondratyuk , I. Arkhipova. Concerts with S. Ya. Lemeshev became a special page in the orchestra’s creative life.

In 1973, the All-Union Radio and Central Television Orchestra was awarded the honorary title “Academic” for its great contribution to the development of the musical culture of our country. In the same year, V. I. Fedoseev accepted the proposal of the leadership of the All-Union Radio and Central Television to head the Grand Symphony Orchestra of VR and TsT.

In the autumn of 1973, at the invitation of V. I. Fedoseev, Nikolai Nikolayevich Nekrasov came to the orchestra of Russian folk instruments of the All-Union Radio and Central Television, who by that time was already the conductor of ensembles widely known in our country and all over the world – this is the orchestra of the Choir named after Pyatnitsky and the Orchestra of the Folk Dance Ensemble of the USSR under the direction of I. Moiseev. With the advent of N. N. Nekrasov, a new chapter began in the history of the team.

N. N. Nekrasov received in his hands a “splendidly polished diamond” sparkling with all colors – this is exactly what the well-known American music critic Carl Nidart spoke of the orchestra at that time, and it was an extremely difficult task for the new artistic director to preserve and increase this wealth. The maestro gave all his experience, strength and knowledge to the new work. The high professionalism and skill of the orchestra musicians are of decisive importance. This made it possible to successfully implement the most complex performance tasks.

The band’s performances in the Column Hall of the House of the Unions, which at that time was one of the venues for the USSR State Radio and Television, were especially popular. Magnificent acoustics and delightfully beautiful decoration of this hall, as well as the participation of outstanding vocal masters of world renown, made these concerts truly unforgettable, a kind of “historical”. Real stars performed with the orchestra: I. Arkhipova, E. Obraztsova, T. Sinyavskaya, R. Bobrineva, A. Eisen, V. Piavko, E. Nesterenko, V. Noreika, L. Smetannikov, Z. Sotkilava, A. Dnishev. Thanks to the broadcast of these concerts on Central Television and All-Union Radio, each of them became a notable musical event not only in Moscow, but throughout the country.

The professional skill and creative spirit of the team have always attracted the attention of composers, many of whose works began their lives and became classics of the genre in the Radio orchestra. N. N. Nekrasov and the orchestra gave a “start in life” and helped the formation of many composers, including V. Kikta, A. Kurchenko, E. Derbenko, V. Belyaev, I. Krasilnikov. With gratitude they dedicated their works to their first performer, Maestro N. N. Nekrasov. Thus, the orchestra replenished its repertoire with talented and professionally written original compositions. The “golden” repertory fund also includes arrangements, instrumentation, arrangements and transcriptions made by talented musicians of the orchestra. It is impossible to calculate how many hours, days and nights of tedious work, how much mental strength and health were given by these selfless workers for the benefit of the prosperity of their beloved team. All of them, no doubt, earned great honor and respect with their work, these are Alexander Balashov, Viktor Shuyakov, Igor Tonin, Igor Skosyrev, Nikolai Kuznetsov, Viktor Kalinsky, Andrey Shlyachkov.

Maestro N. N. Nekrasov managed not only to preserve, but also to increase the glory of the Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, and grateful admirers, musicians, everyone who is somehow connected with the orchestra, began to call it “Nekrasovsky”. After the death of the Maestro on March 21, 2012, by order of the General Director of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Oleg Borisovich Dobrodeev, the orchestra was named after him in memory of the remarkable musician.

The Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments named after N.N. Nekrasov of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company today is a creative union of professional musicians, people who sincerely love their team, worry about it, and are endlessly devoted to the common cause, real enthusiasts. At the podium of this illustrious orchestra stood a student of Maestro N. N. Nekrasov, his follower – Andrey Vladimirovich Shlyachkov, who not only continues the best traditions, but is also constantly in creative search. The leadership of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company decided to appoint Petr Alekseevich Zemtsov, Deputy Director of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company “Culture”, director of the “Directorate of Creative Groups and Festival Projects”, thanks to whom the orchestra for the first time in the last 12 years went on foreign tours in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where everyone The concerts were held with full halls and great enthusiasm of the audience.

The orchestra takes a permanent part in the television project of the TV channel “Culture” – “Romance of Romance”, various festivals: the name of N. N. Kalinin in Volgograd, “White Nights” in Perm, the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Moscow Autumn”, “Constellation of Masters”, “Music of Russia”, took part in the opening of the Year of Culture 2014 in Russia, held several author’s evenings of contemporary composers who write music for the orchestra of Russian folk instruments. The orchestra plans to create new programs, record broadcasts on the Radio, carry out educational work among children and youth, record and release several new CDs and DVDs, participate in various festivals and charity events.

The Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments named after N.N. Nekrasov of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company is a unique phenomenon of the multifaceted Russian culture. The memory of generations lives in it, the best traditions are preserved and developed, and what is especially pleasing is that talented and receptive young people come to the team, who will have to carry these traditions further.

Press service of the orchestra