The balalaika is easily recognized by its triangular shape, flat soundboard, long fingerboard (neck) and three strings. The originally Russian instrument was further developed by Vassily Andreyev into an instrument family consisting of six members. The strings are played with a plectrum: a small plate with which the strings are strummed. A balalaika orchestra was founded in 1919. Performances with
… this orchestra were often given in the gardens of the Moscow hermitage. Nikolai Ossipov was put in charge of this orchestra in 1940. Together with his brother Dmitri, he made the orchestra flourish. Classical orchestral repertoire was arranged and new works were composed especially for this line-up. Since 1979 the orchestra has been in the hands of conductor Nikolai Kalanin. Two CDs of the orchestra were released. s in which the possibilities of the orchestra come into its own. The first CD is filled with adaptations of classical works by Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov and Shostakovich (afx1527). The second CD goes back to the origins of the instrument: folk music with a recording of "Russian folk music". (LW) _more