Customer Reviews

Our Musical Heritage Series: Russian Folk Music [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While the music content was fair, it was not as complete in depth as I would have expected. The quality of the photograpy was very poor,as the lighting was inadequate.

Reminiscent of a 6th grade Social Studies film, a humdrum view of village singers and a few scenes of dancing, but nothing like I was hoping for. Picture quality was not as good as on most professionally recorded video tapes.

Russian folk music and dancing can offer ten times the excitement that this tape shows. At 22 minutes long I might have said it should have been longer, but then I would have probably fallen asleep.

I really loved this short introduction to Balalaika music as it is practised in the United States. The music is great and it really made me want to join the BDAA (Balalaika and Domra Association of America) and learn to play all this wonderul music! Yes the film quality is not Hollywood special effects but hey, it's "folk" music.

Hi, This is my second posting to this review. Other reviewers have said the lighting is somewhat dim on this VHS tape. That is true. I own a copy of the 16mm print which was the original format (1973). The film is NOT dim. Whoever did the film-to-VHS transfer did not care enough to maintain the lighting levels. Still, the video is worth viewing. It gives an interesting and very quick review of folk music in Russia as it used to be played.

I still rate this a 5 because of the caliber of the musicians depicted. However this is a short (less than 30 minutes), documentary style film. If you are looking for a lush, in-depth, production look elesewhere. If you want an interesting thumbnail sketch about Russian village, church, cabaret, and russian-gypsy music from a seventies prespective looking backwards, this may be just right.

One final note: Steve Wolownik was the musical advisor-consultant for this movie. He was a major force in starting new Balalaika Orchestras accross the US in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. He was a cofounder of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America. (BDAA) No history of the Balalaika in the US in the latter half of the twentieth century would be complete without refereng to him.