The sun., 1909-11-14
ALL LONDON RUSSOPHILE
A REMARK ABLE ORCHESTRA
ONE RECENT VISITOR.
Made Ip OF Players on the BaIalaIka, o
sirInsed Instrument Formerly Used
only by Peasants Prince and Actress
VIE 10 Give q season Of Plays.

about eighteen months ago IL ~ lJs nelghL
ms, now Russian dancers continue to be
features" at most OF the music halls.
Russian music il much played and sung
a, concerts and though Russian operas.
which have achieved such success in Paris
have not been tried in London yet. there
are rumors that next season some such
t.parture will be made. In the mean
time. Tschaikovsky. Glinka. Rimsky-
Korsakoff and Glozonoff are composers
almost as familiar and beloved In England
ms in their own country
At the Colosse um an orchestra of bala-
laika players is crowding the house at
every performance. Their work is won
derful. In their hands the simple instru-
ment becomes possessed OF magic power
and produces exquisite strains.
Mr.. Andreef. the organizer and conduc-
TOR OF this orchestra which has so en-
thralled London, comes Of a noble family
in Russia. In his boyhood he learned to
play the balalaika. which was at that time
an instrument relegated entirely to the
peasants, though an old family servant.
As he grew older he commenced to see the
possibilities of this despised balalaika
and insisted Upon playing it in drawing
rooms among people OF his own class.
who speedily became Interested in it.
Then he started to improve upon the
primitive model Of the peasants.
The national balalaika Of the central
district OF Russia was made from ordinary
deal. The accords were OF catgut. five
To seven in number. arranged in diotonic
order for the greater part Of the ma jor
scale. When the musician played the
n
then tuned the instrument to the minor
scale. Mr. Andreef had the instruments
made OF finer material. which brings out
the tone far better; he had them regularly
shaped with dimensions of parts and
q neck or finger board. previously absent.
with permanent metal sccords in chro-
= matio order. The balalaikas as seen in
Mr.. Andreef's orchestra have but three
strings and range in size from small ones
not unlike a mandolin in form to those
as large as bass viols.
As soon as Mr.. Andreef had succeeded
In overcoming the prejudice against
the instrument he commenced to give
lessons and form orchestras.
Soon all musical st: Petersburg joined
with him in this work. and then Russia
recognized the instrument as a remark
able one and to-day is very proud OF it.
Mr. Andreef's present orchestra ID
composed OF about thirty musicians
or these all but two play the balalaikas,
These two play a sort OF accompani-
ment on instruments which seem to be
a crude form OF piano.
All the members OF the orchestra are
finished musicians and their ensemble
is perfect. The effect is rich. soft and
capable Of the greatest variety OF light
and shade. The plaintive tone OF the
Instruments is Of course peculiarly fitted
to the distinctively Russian music Of the
PEASANTS, so although they include Shu-
mann, Chopin. Bizet. and Grieg in their
repertoie the folk songs are those which
have most appealed to their English
audience. Indeed all London Is obsessed
with these and huns the haunting mel
odies OF -Oh. my garden, my garden
and the Song OF the Boatmeu on the
Nolga" with great zest.
Russian literature too is having its day
in England. Tolstoy and Gorky have al
ways had a certain popularity. Tur-
geniev and Dostoievsky have been read
BY few. but now at libraries all these
are being ask ed for almost daily. while
even Gogol's -Taras Bulba" and some
poems of Pushkin. Lermontoff and
koltzof are becoming known.
Hitherto the production OF Russian
plays has been chiefly releg ated 20 the
stage society who have presented Tur-
genievs Bread OF Others" Maxim
Gorky's "The Lower Depths and Tolstoy &
The Power OF Dark ness. while Russian
actresses have not ventured to tempt
fate by an English appearance. London
has not had a Nazimova to admire and
discuss. Now this is to be changed.
Prince and Princess Bariatinsky. q
Russian playwright and his famous
actress wife. have been in London recon-
noitring. as il were, and have decided
that the time is ripe for England to see
Russian plays presented by a Russian
company.
Prince Bariatinsky comes Of one OF the
oldest and proudest families in Russia. He
deeply wounded the susceptibilities OF his
relatives when he decided to become jour
nalst several years ago and he wounded
them still more deeply when he married
the actress Lydia Yaworskaja. However
the couple have been very happy despite
family prejudices. The Prince has written
several plays for his wife and she has
acted for some time in her own theatre
In ST. Petersburg. producing there pieces
by Dumas. Tolstoy. Rostand. Lermontoff
and the historic dramas and satiric
comedesof her husband.
The Prince and Princess have spent
the last few months in England getting
IN touch with drama and literature here.
Incidentally society has approved OF
them and they have been widely enter
tanned
They have decided to take a theatre
here within a short time. Though they
both speak English perfectly their plays
will be produced in Russian entirely.
The Princess will make her debut in
Camille" which is her favorite part.
She has rather different conception
OF the character from the ordinary one.
and Dumas fils so far approved of it
that he sent her fine edition Of his novel
addressed to Mime. Yavorskaja qui
anne tant ct qui represente ri bien La
Dam" aux Camelias.' The edition con-
taned also the photograph OF Alphonsine
du Piesss the woman who inspired the
book
After Camille Nine. Yavorskaja will
produce sTheNResurrection' @CriTnA and