Balalaika Orchestra Conductor

 

Oksana Dragan

The United States boasts at least several dozen balalaika orchestras - ensembles² that feature the triangular³, three-stringed lute-like Russian folk instrument. Today on new American Voices, we introduce you to Svetlana Nikonova, a young Russian musician from St. Petersburg who conducts the Washington Balalaika Society orchestra.
You don't have to be Russian to play the balalaika. Svetlana Nikonova says that most of the members of her orchestra are Americans who simply enjoy playing Russian folk music on Russian folk instruments.
"The Washington Balalaika Society orchestra is a unique orchestra in the world, I guess. Mostly Americans play in this orchestra. I can count only two or three Russian-educated people who play. It's an orchestra of 45 people or more -- I say or more because the people don't always come to a concert, because most of them work, or are busy with career and travel. But mostly it's Americans, and they play Russian folk instruments - it sounds unusual, it's really unique - and the Russian audience who is present at our performances also amazed how the American people can feel the emotion of Russian folk melodies, how they can perform and feel the right way to do it."
Russian folk melody
Forging a cohesive⁴ musical ensemble¹ out of amateur musicians playing unfamiliar⁵ folk melodies on old-world folk instruments can pose a special challenge. Ms. Nikonova has developed an approach that seems to work.
"I know they are not professional, I know they come to play and have fun. So I try to do two things together. I try to make it fun for them, and I try to get a good result from the music. I know just only one thing, that people who come every Wednesday and Saturday to rehearsals⁶ should go back home with a good emotion and a good feeling. And they need to feel that they want to come back again, and play again. They are doing this, and I hope they will continue doing this (laughs)."
Svetlana Nikonova grew up in St. Petersburg. She attended the prestigious⁷ Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory⁸, where she studied conducting, and mastered a number of instruments, including the domra - another lute-like folk instrument, but with a rounded body - and the piano. After the fall of communism she spent ten years concertizing throughout Europe with her husband, also a professional musician. Then, at the suggestion of a musician friend who had immigrated⁹ to the United States earlier, Ms. Nikonova was invited by the Washington Balalaika Society to serve as its conductor -- on a trial basis.
"Two years ago they invited me for two months, to prepare a program, to rehearse, and then to make a concert, and see what I can do, what kind of knowledge I have, and how I can communicate with the Americans [in the orchestra]."
The leadership and the members of the Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra were sufficiently¹⁰ impressed with Ms. Nikonova's musicianship and communication skills to offer her the job of conductor on a permanent basis. But bringing her to the United States required overcoming a lot of obstacles.
"They go through many, many difficulties to organize visas for me, for my husband, and for my two children, so that our whole family can come, that we won't be separated. So we're lucky to be here with all our family."
Now, after a year in the United States, the whole family appears to have acclimated¹² well to life here. Svetlana Nikonova says she is amazed at how quickly her children, aged¹³ six and eleven, have picked up English. They do well in school and have many new friends. Ms. Nikonova somewhat ruefully points out that little six-year-old Varvara has already forgotten the names of her best friends in St. Petersburg.
The family lives in a small, sunny two-bedroom apartment on the outskirts¹⁴ of Washington, D.C., which they share with a collection of instruments: a balalaika, of course, and a domra, a piano, 11-year-old Zakhar's cello¹⁵, and the bayan, or button accordion¹⁶, that Ms. Nikonova's husband, Vladimir, plays. Ms. Nikonova says she feels at home in America.
"I like the way how people live, I like the way people can work and live as they want, that they can choose their own way, I like the freedom. I like that they can travel everywhere, I like that they can say what they want, and not ask permission from somebody else. I like the way they smile, but not smile as in just to give a smile, but smiling with their eyes, it says something more than only a smile."
In addition to conducting Washington's balalaika orchestra, Ms. Nikonova, along with her husband and a friend who is a balalaika virtuoso¹⁷, have formed the St. Petersburg trio, which is building a reputation in the Washington area as a professional Russian folk ensemble. But her plans for the future center primarily on Washington's balalaika orchestra.
"More members in the orchestra. We're always trying to find more members interested in playing Russian music, to increase the orchestra to 55 members, then 65, and make it a really great orchestra in America."
Balalaika Melody
The Washington Balalaika Society orchestra, under the baton¹⁸ of Svetlana Nikolova.
注释：
balalaika orchestras俄式三弦琴协会
triangular three-stringed lute三角形的三弦琵琶
melody [5melEdi] n. 悦耳的音调
forge [fC:dV] v. 形成
cohesive [kEu5hi:siv] adj. 有结合力的
musical ensemble 音乐剧团
amateur [5AmEtE(:)] n. 业余爱好者
St. Petersburg圣彼得堡（苏联城市）
prestigious [7pres5ti:dVEs] adj. 享有声望的
Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory李姆斯基－柯萨可夫音乐院
domra 多姆拉琴（起源于古印度的一种长颈弹拨乐器坦布拉琴）
lute-like adj. 象琵琶的
rounded [5raundid] adj. 圆形的
concertize [5kCnsEtaiz] v. 表演
trial basis  试行
rehearse [ri5hE:s] vt. 排演
musicianship [mjU:`zIFEnFIp] n. 音乐才能
permanent [5pE:mEnEnt] adj. 永久的
obstacle [5CbstEkl] n. 障碍
acclimate¹¹ [E5klaimit] vt. 使适应新环境
pick up 获得，学会
ruefully [5ru:fEli] adv. 悲伤地
cello [5tFelEJ] n. 大提琴
baya 巴扬（俄国键钮式手风琴）
button accordion 按纽式手风琴
virtuoso [vE:tju5EuzEu] n. 艺术品鉴赏家
St. Petersburg trio 圣彼得堡三重唱
reputation [7repju(:)5teiFEn] n. 名誉
baton [5bAtEn] n. 指挥棒

1 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

2 ensembles   

整体( ensemble的名词复数 )； 合奏； 乐团； 全套服装（尤指女装）

参考例句：

• I love to play in all types of ensembles. 我喜欢参与吹奏各种各样的合奏曲。
• The 5th Brigade is now taking 895 Land Warrior ensembles to Afghanistan. 第五旅现在携带895套陆地勇士装备去阿富汗。

3 triangular   

adj.三角（形）的，三者间的

参考例句：

• It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。
• One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。

4 cohesive   

adj.有粘着力的；有结合力的；凝聚性的

参考例句：

• She sealed the parcel with cohesive tape.她用粘胶带把包裹封起来。
• The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.作者将这些片断巧妙地结合成一个连贯的整体。

5 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

6 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

8 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

9 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

10 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

11 acclimate   

v.使服水土，使习惯于新环境

参考例句：

• I help them acclimate to living in the U.S.我帮助他们适应在美国的生活。
• How much time does she need to acclimate?她需要多少时间才能适应？

12 acclimated   

v.使适应新环境，使服水土服水土，适应( acclimate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The rice has been acclimated in this area. 水稻已能适应这一地区的环境。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Have you become acclimated to Taiwan yet? 你已适应台湾的环境了吗？ 来自辞典例句

13 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

14 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

15 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

16 accordion   

n.手风琴；adj.可折叠的

参考例句：

• The accordion music in the film isn't very beautiful.这部影片中的手风琴音乐不是很好。
• The accordion music reminds me of my boyhood.这手风琴的乐声让我回忆起了我的少年时代。

17 virtuoso   

n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手

参考例句：

• He was gaining a reputation as a remarkable virtuoso.作为一位技艺非凡的大师，他声誉日隆。
• His father was a virtuoso horn player who belonged to the court orchestra.他的父亲是宫廷乐队中一个技巧精湛的圆号演奏家。

18 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。