Tambourine, gusli and IT balalaika: unique folk instruments in the Department Store at the RUSSIA EXPO
Arctic tambourines infused with the energy of forests and
lakes, the famous Tula accordion and balalaikas made according to ancient
Russian traditions. Folk musical instruments of the highest quality from all
over the country can be found in the Department Store.
Shopping at
the RUSSIA EXPO can be quite comparable to going to a museum: guests are
welcomed with real works of art from the best folk craftsmen from all over the
country. Musical instruments are especially interesting. For example,
Nenets "Chum Tambourines" will be a great gift, even for someone who
has no musical experience. It is not difficult to master such an instrument,
and the main thing is that tambourines have incredible energy. After all, they
are made of natural materials in the traditional way: in special chums
(raw-hide tents) in the Arctic.
The
balalaika, which is familiar to everyone, can also be a surprise. Unique
instruments, whose history dates back to the 2000s, were brought specially for
the Department Store. It was then that the future masters learned during an
ethnographic expedition in the Ulyanovsk region that a rare art of balalaika
making had been preserved there. It is based on the traditional technology of
"knitting in the handle". This is a complex joining of body plates,
thanks to which the instrument acquires exceptional properties of strength and
acoustics. For many years this method was considered lost due to its labor-intensive
nature, but it has been restored by adding modern high-tech IT solutions to
produce a high-class instrument.
In
addition, the Department Store presents famous accordions from Tula, which have
long been famous not only in our country, but also abroad: in France and
Switzerland. You can also buy a unique harp from Alania and author's
seven-stringed gusli (Russian harp).
Sergei Yursky and Natalia Tenyakova are a rare example of a couple who managed to preserve both love and creative partnership.
The workshop "Toy for the City" took place on July 4 at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the educational programme of the exposition "The Birth of Scale".
