On Friday, September 20, Ne Prosto Orchestra performed at the Bishkek’s Philharmonic. Ne Prosto Orchestra (The Not Just an Orchestra) is based out of Almaty, Kazakhstan. They are a group of young musicians that specialize in playing movie soundtrack scores. Originally put together by a few recent college graduates trying to figure out how to make a living with their music degrees, the group now hosts a few dozen performers who travel widely within Eurasia and perform successfully within the grey zone of high art and pop culture.
Their Bishkek performance was based on the Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean series. The performance consisted of an orchestra and choir set to match selected clips from both movie series. To break up the two series, there was an intermission halfway through the show. Highlights from all films spanning both series were used. Just as you would have at any performance, there was an encore at the very end. Since the movie montages has already reached their conclusion, the encore was a short clip of the Matrix, specifically the part where the protagonist must pick the red or blue pill. With all of the clips that were played being famous American films, this served as a reminder to me as to how pervasive American pop culture is worldwide. The most interesting thing about seeing these movie clips in another country was that portions of the movies were dubbed in Russian, played over the sound of the orchestra.
I personally enjoyed the performance very much because it combined a few of my interests – live orchestras, a choir, and American movies. In all honesty, I have not seen all of the Harry Potter movies or Pirates of the Caribbean. The Matrix was the only movie included that I had seen. Despite this, I was surprised that I still recognized some of the scenes from Harry Potter. I enjoyed the way that the music was set to film and thought that it matched the scenes very well, particularly when there were moments of suspense. It was radically different than anything I had ever experienced before. It also piqued my interest in setting aside time to watch these American movie series.
In total, the performance ran about two hours. It did, however, start a half an hour late because some of the performers arrived late.
The general entrance fee for this performance ranged anywhere from 1200 soms to 1700 soms ($18-$25). Tickets can be bought both online at ticket.kg or in person at the venue. However, since one of the other SRAS students has a host mom that works at the Philharmonic, we were invited to attend for free and even had a backstage tour.
The Philharmonic building itself is in Bishkek’s city center and is one of its biggest architectural attractions. In front of the white-marbled building is a large statue of the Kyrgyz national hero, Manas, with smaller statues of Kanykei, Manas’s wife, and Bakai, his spiritual advisor, at its base. The institution was dedicated to composer Toktogul Satylganov, an improviser and poet who set his words to music. He remains one of the most influential figures in Kyrgyz arts, and is considered to be one of the founders of Kyrgyz literature.
We entered through the back door with our private guide and walked past the stage and saw some of the dressing and green rooms. On one of the upper-level floors, my friend’s host mom showed us her classroom. Her specialty is the violin. She introduced us to what we would see that night by showing us videos online of a Ne Prosto Orchestra performance in Russia.
We then went to the seating area. The Philharmonic has a main level and an upper level. The performance was not sold out and we were easily able to find seats on the main level. The inside of the Philharmonic is equally as magnificent. The Philharmonic was recently renovated and now the white marbled walls on the outside match the inside and there is red carpet in the main hallway leading to the auditorium. Electric chandeliers, both big and small, light the venue. This may be one of the fanciest buildings in all of Kyrgyzstan, aside from those used by the president.
As it does not have its own performing group, performances are held sporadically at the Philharmonic. It does not operate its own website either. Thus, the easiest way to find a schedule is by looking at tickets.kg. Attending a performance at the Philharmonic is a great way to experience both local culture and art within Kyrgyzstan.
You Might Also Like
Animal Jazz / Animal ДжаZ
Animal Jazz (normally written as Animal ДжаZ) is a Russian alternative rock/pop group based in St. Petersburg. Since their founding in 2000 the group has released 11 full-length records, including four acoustic albums, as well as 16 singles and four DVDs. They have also played a number of important festivals, including Invasion, Wings, SKIF, Megahaus, and Kubana. The […]
Guf / Гуф
Guf (Гуф) is the stage name of Russian rapper Aleksei Sergeevich Dolmatov (Алексей Сергеевич Долматов) . Guf was a founding member of the seminal hip hop group Centr (Центр), has had an extremely prolific solo career, and founded the labels ZM Nation and Tsao (Цао) Records. Guf entered the rap world in 2000 as part […]
From Folk to Future: Localizing Sound in Modern Ukraine
In the decades since Ukraine gained independence, music has played a vital role in shaping and expressing a modern sense of national identity. This has been especially visible in the creative ways artists have drawn from the country’s folk traditions—adapting village songs, instruments, and motifs into new genres that resonate with contemporary audiences. Whether through […]
Alsou / Алсу
Alsou is a Russian singer of Bashkir and Tatar descent. Born in Tatarstan, the USSR, in 1983, she has lived in Siberia, Moscow, New York, and London and holds dual Russian and British citizenship. Professionally, she is known only by her first name. Her full name is Alsou Ralifovna Abramova. Her father, Ralif Rafilovich Safin, […]
Alina Pash: Ukrainian and Rusyn Experimental-Folk Music From the Heart
When asked to describe herself, Alina Pash proudly declares that she is “100% Bitanga” (a word from the Rusyn language meaning “Hooligan”). True to that characterization, she often pushes boundaries through both her personal style and the content of her music. Not wanting to conform to anyone else’s agenda, she even created her own music […]
Related posts:
An Evening at the Primorskaya Regional Philharmonic in Vladivostok
All Prokofiev Concert in St. Petersburg
XVI International Winter Festival in St. Petersburg
Four Examples of Russian Music in American Popular Culture
