"White Day" was formed in 1990 at Moscow's famous "Gnessins' Musical Institut" (later re-named Russian National Music Academy) while all the members of the ensemble were still students there. The ensemble consists of bayan, vocal and percussion as well as the balalaika and domra (traditional Russian folk string instruments). They have taken part in two international competitions for folk ensembles: 1991 in Turkey and 1994 in Castelfidardo, Italy where they become Laureates. Since then, they have been invited to perform internationally many times, taking part in the Colorado Springs International Youth Festival (USA) where they had standing ovations and were often televised, and have toured to Germany, Denmark, Taiwan, Switzerland and Italy. White Day has wide repertoire consisting of light classical tunes as well as popular evergreen and entertainment numbers, all performed on typical, enchanting Russian folk instruments, creating a unique sound. Imagine country, dixie-land and rock 'n' roll music performed on the combination of bayan, domra and balalaika!!! When I first received this CD, I thought to myself "Oh my God, what's this?!", but after I listened to it I absolutely love it!!! Not only is their performance entertaining but their stage appearance is interesting and fun. What I especially liked is that they perform such well-known tunes with REMARKABLE CLASS. It is obvious that they are educated musicians who have great style and are a pleasure to listen to. |
