Translated material
The "voice" of the people
Summing up the results of the Voice project that ended on Channel One, the singer Pelageya said that this was a revolution. And she is right: the Voice project launched a wide Russian audience - at least temporarily - to live television and to high -quality music.
Talking about whether there is life on domestic etheric TV, it is necessary to distinguish between socio-political broadcasting and entertainment programs (the Channel “Culture” is a separate topic). The first one can say that the patient is more dead than alive, and this is natural: when the discussion leaves public policy in connection with the degradation of the latter, it leaves traditional media. News, most of which occupy the first -person’s body movements are not news. The polemic surrogates on the air is also not counted, because the tendential selection of experts and propagandists-leaders depreciate the polemic. The resources of television production, thus, flow into the sphere of entertainment, where a capable person can still frolic. Since such people on television did not translate, sometimes quality content is obtained. As this happens, explained the multi -part film “Thaw”: an artist moving an innate need for creativity and naturally focused on success, is able to issue a talented product even in conditions of censorship. Therefore, the leader of the artistic and entertainment broadcast remains the most resource first channel. “PROVORTORISHILTON”, “YESTERDAY LIVE”, “Evening Urgant”, good adaptations of the classics, an unlucking smart game “What? Where? When? ”, Clones of Western television shows, like“ Dancing with stars ”or“ Voice ”, is a high -quality show. And even if some of these programs were produced by independent production companies, they brought their product here to the first button.
So “Voice” was living television: live vocal, genuine excitement of performers and support groups, roughness of intonation during execution, tears of joy or disappointment when declaring the decision of mentors or television audience ... The mentors themselves, in a fit of emotions, jumping up from their chairs. The harsh, but sentimental city, “eyes-on-mock-some” Pelageya, childish bilan, restrained Agutin, sometimes forgetting about his restraint ... The unpredictability of the result added a feeling of authenticity, just as the unpredictability of the elections becomes the basis of their legitimacy. I would like to believe that everything was honest, without favoritism, although strange decisions of mentors took place. For example, Dima Bilan unjustifiably, in my opinion, knocked out of the Maltese Ahmed Shamrah, who was both stronger and more interesting than Jacqueline Migal; Gradsky is not clear why he was the squeaky Svetlana Feudulova, who failed the “Memory” Lloyd Weber’s aria and in a duet with the confident Aset Samrailova looked like an inexperienced pileary singing notes; It is a pity that Pelagia did not give a chance to the bright Artsvik Harutyunyan, who was more than good in a duel with Mathr Andrei Davidyan.
But these examples of taste can be explained by the fact that the project was alive and therefore in detail depended on the subjective choice of mentors, in particular, on the choice of musical material: a well -chosen song could bring a less strong vocalist in the next circle and force a talented singer to fight indistinguishable material. The living atmosphere of the competition was not very harmful even by the deliberate dramatic surroundings, characteristic of a television show and pumped by the presenter Dmitry Nagiyev: fighting terminology, languid pauses before the decision ... The only person who violated the atmosphere of authenticity is the moderator of the hall, which controls the applause. Here he wanted, if not to beat him, then isolate from society to the end of the project. This invisible Claker did not really allow you to listen to a single number: the beginning of the chorus is applause, the vocalist went in a voice up - applause, a beautiful melodic phrase - again applause. This Olukh launched the claps of the hall even during dramatic pauses and false finals, killing the impression of especially soulful numbers. So in the sitcoms they put Laugh Track , telling people in which place you need to laugh.
Now about quality. Already at the stage of blind listening, it was clear that the composition of the participants in the second season of the Voice would be unusually strong, because the first season showed: a beautiful face is good, but we must own a voice. Realizing that strong vocalists went around, the mentors spoiled by the quality of the material did not even turn to very worthy performers. As a result, teams were formed, where almost everyone - either a professional scene, or a person with serious vocal experience. More and more participants are able to sing in English without an accent or with a weak accent that does not cut the ear.
Many of the contestants are widely known in narrow circles: the wonderful Soul singer Alena Toymintsev at the age of 21, the laureate of this and this, even in America, she has her own group, of course, in Moscow, but who knew about it? The exquisite Anton Belyaev has also his own group and also in Moscow, Elena Maksimova on the track record has the main role in the musical “We Will Rock You” and performance with Sting. And who had heard the enchantingly gifted Tina Kuznetsova before? There are many talented musicians in Russia, but they are not in a wide media space for two reasons.
The first is the same in which the alternative is not represented in Russian politics: this is a monopolism. Media culture suggests that if you are not on the TV, then you are simply not. But the broadcast and the stage are divided between producing producer-director clans, and the entrance fee is too high. Television braids the same trimmed deck of performers who, it seems, will not leave the screen, even when sand begins to pour out of them. The second reason is the format and state of social taste. Once Faina Ranevskaya explained to Elena Kamburova so the reason for her very modest popularity: "This is because you, dear, do not sing: cheers, cheers, in the ass of a hole." Tomintsev and Belyaev, with all their talent, are niche musicians, and you can’t imagine that they instead of “Hit the Road, Jack” (the best number on this “voice”, it can be reviewed endlessly) sing “Dolphin and Mermaid”, well, perhaps for jokes or on a dispute. They feel confidently on the venue of Channel One, but their element is clubs, maybe they will be better preserved as musicians there (although, I admit that their niche will expand greatly after the “voice”). “Dolphin and the mermaid” are not ready to give their place on the air, and the mass audience is still happy to listen to three or four chords, and the fifth is already too much. However, Anton Belyaev is a better opinion about the potential of the audience: “People themselves think that they are not ready for new music. First of all, they need to stop believing in it. ” The Voice project can help in this, because he, as one Internet commentator wrote, opens the stars of the new formation for a freely chanson Russia: “Urraa !!! There is someone to listen to Made in Rasha now. ” Another commentator adds: “How many more votes are needed so that we hear the rest of the talented musicians of Russia?! And they are! They cannot but be !!! "
It is worth agreeing with Alexander Gradsky, who said about the Voice project: “We influence the audience so that it listens to better music.” Since the project is Western, it is logical that it represents the Western musical standard to the Russian public, which is quite high. For example, a couple of years ago in the United States, the sales leader was the next album of the Dave Mathew's Band group, which would be considered purely elitist, and in the States it was almost a mainstream. In a sense, the “Voice” was the competition of two song crops: Western and Russian-Soviet. Moreover, most vocalists, paradoxically, felt more freer in Western music. (“The only thing I had to go for and what was really with difficulty was to sing in Russian for the first time,” Anton Belyaev admitted ). The English -speaking hits are generally more melodious and more blessed for execution than a monotonous musical letter of the modern Russian stage. Therefore, it is no coincidence that on the “voice” the songs of Soviet composers were more likely to sound than modern Russian: in terms of melodism, Soviet giants-songwriters-Arkady Ostrovsky, Babajanyan, Frenkel, Tariverdians and others-will give a hundred points ahead of the present (however, after the film “The Thaw” I can call the composer Konstantin Meladze a full-right heir captivating song melodism of the Soviet years). It is now clear why the audience gave the victory in the project to Sergei Volchkov with his Ariya Mr. X, one of the most melodic in the world pop classics. So, not belittling the merits of the vocalist, in many ways it was the victory of Imre Calman and a calculating choice of the work.
The phenomenon of Volchkov, as well as the “Gelamania” incomprehensible to me (that is, fanaticism about the participant and finalist of the Gela Guralia project), is the phenomenon of the audience. While the decisions depended on the mentors, they were generally predictable, because they relied on professional criteria. When the audience got the possibility of SMS voting, there was immediately a shift from a professional-objective criteria for the statistical choice of an audience determined by the mass taste, from the evaluation of vocals and artistry of the performer-to the assessment of the melodism of the work and some extraneous things (such as, for example, the pseudo-ore image of the Guralia, whose falsetz is slightly in the entire range-in all its accessible range- The only vocal paint that he exploited).
It can be assumed that, listening to Volchkov, whose rich velvety timbre vaguely resembles the baritone of George Ozza, the country nostalgic for the great Soviet baritones - Magomaev, Hilya, Nizh, Kibkalo, even the young Kobzon, and with them subconsciously - according to Soviet stability, friendship of peoples and gazrovka for 3 kopecks. In this sense, the mass taste is subjective and control. So instead of the pretty academic pedant of Volchkov, “Voice” - by the totality of criteria - others could well have won. The people were slightly not enough tolerance to win the shaved and tattooed, but more vivid and artistic Uzbek from the USA Nargiz Zakirov, and a little lack of taste to defeat the incredibly original and talented Tina Kuznetsova.
But in general, the audience of “Voices” pleased me with just tolerance: to languages, nationalities, appearance, accents, country of origin, skin color and eye section. Power periodically resorts to playing the national map in order to distract attention from large failures in politics and economics. But the “Voice” showed that our people are non -malicious and responsive when they meet truly human, with culture and talent, otherwise where does such love for vocalists with Georgian and Armenian surnames and enthusiasm about the Chechen Malip Umkhanov? If you remember, two Tatars reached the final of last year’s “Voice”, some of them - Dina Garipova - became a winner and went to Eurovision (the composition “What if” in her performance is a full -fledged European hit). Let them beat on a face in Russia, and not according to the passport, but also love for the voice, and not for the fifth column.
The Voice showed an important thing: two decades after perestroika, Russia managed to integrate into Europe de facto-in a specific cultural sense and reservations, but this happened, and contrary to official anti-Westernity and despite the grunt of national-Bolshevik Eurasianism. I almost did not believe my ears: the New Year's Eve on Channel One at least half consisted of an English -language repertoire, and the graduates of the Voice gave fire to this night show, therefore, the channel producers caught the trend. For comparison: at “Russia-1” at the same time they showed a typical New Year's Naftalin: Basque, Igor Nikolaev, Leontyev and Petrosyan, who joined them.
Another important question: what's next? Where are the winners of the “Voice”? Of the last year’s project participants in my city, I saw only Sevara and Dina Garipova concert posters. Few of the best participants in the past Voice received a wide broadcast. The swamp flickered, the quagmire was smacked, and a large chanson trinity of Mikhailov-Ralevs-Vaenga still dominates the TV. Or maybe it’s even good that the talented participants in the Voice returned to their academies, nightclubs or vocal studios, and the large screen will not have time to corrupt them. Far from the Jupiters and the fanfar of personality, it is easier to preserve. Moreover, the “anti -format” revolution called “Voice”, judging by the stunning ratings, nevertheless took place. It is important that this turn is captured in the mass consciousness at least until the next season of the project, and it will be easier there. Perhaps, after a few seasons, the already grown taste of the audience will begin to determine the quality of musical broadcasting on TV. In short, take care of Ernst.