Zimbel-Duo Honovitsch
From Classic to Folklore
reviewed by Gary Levinson
Multicultural societies are unquestionably more interesting than homogeneous societies. In spite of the recent increase in the appearance of reactionary “the American way is the best way” groups, the “ethnic cleansing” of certain political groups, and - probably the most extreme - the “pure Islam or death” Taliban group, other cultures have tastes, smells, sights, and sounds that enrich one’s own cultural experience. Unfortunately in the West we live in a society that embraces the predominantly American commercial pseudo-culture, limiting our exposure to other cultural groups. To limit the blandness of this culture, one can seek out small, little publicized events, and sometimes doing this, find a real gem of a concert and an embellishing cultural experience. The “From Classic to Folklore” concert by the Zimbel-Duo Honovitsch was one such gem.
This concert performed on the Belorussian dulcimer, or tsimbali, by Nicolai Schmelkin and Vladimir Zykunov, and accompanied on piano by Irene Wittermann was a captivating introduction to the Belorussian national folk instrument. The tsimbali is a stringed instrument, a type of dulcimer, that is played in Belarus, Hungary, and other places in Central Europe. This multifaceted instrument can be used to play a range of musical styles from folk to tango to waltz to classical, and has developed from a simple folk instrument to an instrument that is completely worthy of the concert hall. This virtuoso duo plus accompaniment played White Russian folk songs, as well as songs from Liszt, Brahms, Strauss, tangos and other types of folk music. A real eye-opening concert, this 2-hour tsimbali sampler, was the perfect antidote to the ever-droning white noise of the dominant culture.
reviewed by Gary Levinson
http://www.zimbelduo-honovitsch.de/
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