Zingaresca
With Vadim Kolpakov
ZINGARESCA consists of Oleg Timofeyev, the pioneer in the revival of the Russian seven-string guitar, and the celebrated Russian-Romani (Gypsy) virtuoso Vadim Kolpakov.
The Italian word “Zingaresca” means “in a Gypsy style”: the ensemble interweaves the written Russian guitar heritage with the best traditions of the Russian Gypsies, thus blending the sophistication of classical music with the fiery vitality of folk musical expression. For their current projects, Oleg and Vadim use a great range of musical resources, such as rare guitar publications of Mikhail Vysotsky (1791-1837), virtuoso arrangements of Sergei Orekhov (1936-1998), and the original compositions of Vadim’s celebrated uncle Alexander Kolpakov. But since the ensemble’s goal is to bridge an array different musical styles, their success mostly depends on their own imagination as music arrangers and performers. At times, such as in Vysotsky’s compositions, it takes a sensitive ear to distill and exaggerate the Gypsy element from otherwise classical musical fabric. Alternatively, Vadim and Oleg are incorporating folk tunes into classical structures, creating a colorful and enjoyable experience.
Russian Soul
With Anton Belov
Anton Belov and Oleg Timofeyev joined forces in 2019 to explore the world of the Russian romansy,Romantic songs from the 19h and early 20h centuries. The voice of baritone ANTON BELOV has been called “rich and mellifluous” by the New York Times, while the Philadelphia Inquirer described him as “an emerging star.” RUSSIAN SOUL has toured Oregon and Iowa, and is ready to tour the world.
The Czar’s Guitars
With John Schneiderman
The unique guitar duo The Czar’s Guitars was founded in 2004 by the well-known lute and guitar virtuoso, John Schneiderman and Oleg Timofeyev, the expert on the Russian seven-string guitar. The musicians joined their forces to revive the legacy of the Russian guitar, the instrument that unlike it’s Western-European cousin is only now gaining the respect and recognition it deserves. Since then, The Czar’s Guitars released 2 CD albums on Sono Luminus, and in 2016 came up with a grand 7-CD Box Set “The Russian Guitar” (Brilliant Classics).
The Dashkova Ensemble
With Bineta Diouf, Ingrid Matthews, and Olena Zhukova
THE DASHKOVA ENSEMBLE is dedicated to the little-known early repertories of Russian music, from the 18th to the early 20th century with a special focus on Russian women composers. Its founding members are the German mezzo-soprano Anna Bineta Diouf, who happens to be historically-informed singer fluent in Russian, and Oleg Timofeyev, who dedicated decades of his life to the revival of Russia’s forgotten treasure, the Russian seven-string guitar. On this recording they are supported by Olena Zhukova, a harpsichordist from Kyiv (Ukraine), and one of the leading Baroque violinists in the US, Ingrid Matthews.
Lutenist, guitarist, musicologist, and documentary film director, Oleg Timofeyev was born to a musical family that gave the world several generations of professional musicians. In 1999, Timofeyev defended his Ph.D. dissertation “The Golden Age of the Russian Guitar: Repertoire, Performance Practice, and Social Function of the Russian Seven-String Guitar, 1800-1850” at Duke University under the supervision of Prof. Peter Williams. Dr. Timofeyev has recorded more than twenty of solo and ensemble albums to great critical acclaim worldwide. He has taught at the universities and conservatoires in the US, Germany, Norway, Russia, and Ukraine.
Mezzo-Soprano Anna Bineta Diouf was born in Cologne to a music loving family. After piano and music lessons in her child- hood and musical experience in various choirs. She studied music at the renowned Hochschule für Musik Detmold and at the Musikhochschule Hanover. Among her teachers were Charlotte Lehmann and Janet Williams. After having graduated she be- came a member of the opera studio Hanover and since then she has been performing various roles including Flosshilde (Rheingold), Monteverdi’s Ottavia (L’Incoronazione) and Carmen. She has been working at the theatres of Hanover, Bremen, Detmold and Annaberg-Buchholz among others. She is a much acclaimed concert and Lied singer. Born to a polyglot family, Anna Bineta Diouf is fond of languages and her Lied repertoire includes the German Kunstlied as well as French melodies, the Scandinavian, Spanish and Russian art song repertoire. She is very dedicated especially to the latter and therefore, she really enjoys giving her voice to forgotten or lesser-known gems of the Russian vocal repertoire.
А Ph. D. in Musicology from the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kyiv), Olena Zhukovais one of the most successful Ukrainian harpsichordists of her generation. At the Academy she studied harpsichord and historical performance with Svitlana Shabaltina, and modern piano with Igor Ryabov and Valeriy Kozlov. Over the years, Olena took harpsichord masterclasses with Berngard Billiter, Carole Cerasi, Ketil Haugsand, Wladislaw Klosewicz, Christopher Stambridge, Jacques Ogg, and others. Ms. Zhukova is a winner of several international competitions, including the prestigious Wanda Landowska Harpsichord Competition (2014, First Prize). She actively tours in Ukraine, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Ingrid Matthews is well established as one of today’s most respected baroque violinists. A graduate of Indiana University, where she studied with Josef Gingold and Stanley Ritchie, Matthews worked with numerous North American period-instrument ensembles, including Philharmonia Baroque of San Francisco, Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble of New York, and the American Bach Soloists of San Francisco, before founding the Seattle Baroque Orchestra in 1994 with harpsichordist Byron Schenkman. Among the most-recorded baroque violinists of her generation, Matthews has won international critical acclaim for a discography which ranges from the earliest solo violin repertoire through the great Sonatas and Partitas of J.S. Bach. Of the latter recording, the critic for American Record Guide writes “this superb recording is my top recommendation for this music… on either modern or period instruments.”