Last Tuesday, the Davis Auditorium stage was graced by the famous Russian folk music group Zolotoj Plyos or “Golden Pool” in Russian. The trio performed Gypsy music, Russian popular music and Jewish music using a variety of traditional and modern instruments in addition to their vocals.

The event, free and open to the public, was sponsored by the Marsico Visiting Scholars Committee and the Department of Languages and Literature; the trio was composed of performers Alexander Solovov, Elena Sadina and Serguei Gratchev.

“[Our goal was] to introduce DU’s students of Russian to the world of Russian folklore,” said Russian professor Yevgeny Slivkin. “I believed it was important since Russian culture is steeped in folklore beliefs and folk songs, which are often the underpinnings of Russian literature.”

Slivkin discovered Zolotoj Plyos when he taught at the summer school of Russian at Middlebury College in Vermont.
“[The performers] were musicians in residence there,” said Slivkin. “I immediately appreciated their talent and potentials.”

This was Zolotoj Plyos’ first Denver performance, although they had previously participated in a series of U.S. tours during the years of 2000-2010, during which they gave a concert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. In addition, the ensemble worked as music teachers for 13 years at the private liberal arts Middlebury College in Vermont.

Corresponding with their musical genre, the Zolotoj Plyos ensemble was dressed in traditional attire – the men in tunics, black tights and knee-high boots, while Sadina bore the image of a high-borne lady of the Middle Ages in a long-sleeved overcoat with full-length dress and a golden crown atop her head and a white veil tucked around her neck.

The tune was upbeat, the performers tapping their feet in contagious enthusiasm. Next, they sung a solemn, nostalgic tune without instruments, harmonizing as a chorus, alternating solos and ending powerfully on a lengthy, unified note. Afterwards, the ensemble proceeded to raise the tempo with a wedding song titled “Steam Bath,” or Banya, referring to the ancient Russian custom that requires a bride to visit the steam bath before attending her wedding ceremony.

Throughout the performance, Solovov encouraged listeners to participate by teaching them a simple chorus, making the concert an interactive and inclusive experience. Solovov also educated his audience, introducing each of his group’s instruments by name and describing its regional history, making the performance as informative as it was entertaining.

Some playful instruments included a series of large wooden bars connected by a long string that hung from Gratchev’s back while Solovov beat against the planks with percussion sticks in the manner of a xylophone. At one point, Solovov and Sadina lent their zhaleika and balalaika to the accordion-playing Gratchev so that he was performing on three instruments simultaneously in a feat of musical accomplishment.

Throughout the hour-and-a-half-long performance, Solovov produced new instruments, most flat and about the size of your palm, one-by-one from his boot like a card from a sleeve, manifesting the magic of each musical object.

This emphasis on entertainment was evident in the trio’s animated gestures and stomping dance, punctuated by spirited rhythmic yelps. The performers often stopped in the middle of the song to voice a Russian narration, speaking to the audience with lit eyes and charismatic smiles. This performance not only displayed excellent technical skill, but also exhibited a storytelling aspect that invited the viewers into the scenario unfolding on the stage.

Indeed, during the final song, the audience members lost their shyness, joining in with clapping and singing.

Despite the intimate auditorium’s modest attendance which filled about half of the auditorium, Zolotoj Plyos expressed an appreciative level of high energy and passion equal to that of any grand performance. At the end, three students emerged from the audience to demonstrate their gratitude by gifting each of the performers with a large bouquet of roses, which the trio graciously accepted before dancing its way off the stage.