Sunday morning music

While I was in hospital last week, a reader sent me the link to a new music video by Russian trio (and occasional quartet) Silenzium.  They appear to be a living definition of “Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle” (or, in this case, “Don’t sell the music, sell the sexy!”).

I’d never heard of them, so I looked them up.  Last.fm says of them:

Silenzium was created in 2004 by young musicians from Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society. Silenzium is a classical string quartet with the addition of a contrabass and a drum set, which breaks all the stereotypes about a traditional sound of a string band.

There’s more at the link.  Interesting reading.

They certainly have a varied and eclectic musical repertoire.  I’ve selected three of their pieces, including the one sent to me.  To begin, here’s one they call “Storm”, based on Vivaldi’s music.  They say of it, on their Russian-language Web site (courtesy of Google Translate):

We present to your attention our new clip – Silenzium – Storm (Vivaldi cover)! Currently, there are many versions of this classic masterpiece, but we could not pass by without showing the world our vision of this music. For us, the Storm is about nature … women! Women are free, passionate, beautiful and happy in their freedom!

Next, here’s a more reflective performance they call “Moment of Peace”.

Finally, here’s their cover of Depeche Mode‘s “Enjoy the Silence“.

Interesting performances, although less musically than aesthetically, I suspect!  Still, they have quite a following.  You can see and hear more of their work on their YouTube channel.

Peter

8 comments

  1. The string quartet known as "Bond" does a lot of good work, and are all good-looking and female as well.

    And have a look at the "Harp Twins" sometime.

  2. The art was nicely done, and the artistes are easy on the eyes, but one thing puzzles me – where are the soundboards on the instruments? Are theses some kind of new-fangled 'electric strings'? I don't think I've ever seen anything like them before.

  3. Bob Gibson – Electronic instruments, not the traditional strings and wood. Makes it much easier to record without a studio. As far as I know, there are electronic versions of every stringed instrument.

  4. It should also be noted that for some videos, 'stunt doubles' are often used for traditional instruments. The aforementioned Lindsey Stirling has a couple violins she uses when there's a danger of damage.

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