How to create an orchestra

The “polite refusal” was played at the Gorky Gorky Group “Polite Refusal”, which suspended the concert activity three years ago, celebrated the 20th anniversary (or, more precisely, the 21st birthday) with a large performance, which brought a number of surprises and proved that the team was in excellent shape.

“A polite refusal”, perhaps, was never and did not seek to be like a rock band in the usual sense, although the main backbone - guitar/vocals, bass, drums, keys - should indicate the opposite. It is even more difficult to attribute him to jazz, despite the abundance of improvisations. The Moscow Art Theater was a very suitable platform for the “refusal”, highlighting its theatrical essence. This became clear already during the introduction: the drummer Mikhail Mitin cut off the march that the composer Pavel Karmanov picked up, the rest of the concert participants entered the stage and lined up in the line. The last leader of the group, a guitarist and a vocalist, as well as the chairman of the Khryashchevsky state farm in the Tula region, Roman Suslov, who shaved a village beard and a limping (production injury - a horses hoof) appeared. He waved his stick, like a conductor, and in response who blew in a wind instrument, who simply yelled. Everyone immediately disappeared, leaving only two on the stage: a bass player, and in the past of the main vocalist of the group Dmitry Shumilov and the first keyboard player, the author of the name and several early songs of the team of Peter Polinsky. Under the piano, Shumilov, a characteristic, almost opera voice sang the old-old hooligan parody of “missiles” from the first album, which was called “Opera-86”.

Although Suslov in an interview with Gazeta admitted that the most late period of the “refusal” is most valuable for him, all periods were presented to one degree or another. Many famous songs created in the eighties were sounded: “I am stealing”, “Assistant”, “Hey!”, “Letargic sleep”, as well as a rare “middle of winter” all with the same “opera”. “A polite refusal”, who always lived according to his own laws and did not obey either fashion or the traditions of show business, nevertheless decided for the anniversary idea of how often they do, to invite people who collaborated with the group in the past. A veteran of Soviet rock often appeared on the stage, violinist Sergey Ryzhenko, a number of parties on the piano were performed by the keyboard player Maxim Trefan. The tribute of the memory was also given the tribute when the “refusal” concerts included the performances of the poets: the mentioned Plavinsky, putting on the sheepskin and ear, read poems from the nursery, according to him, books called “matches, razors and medicines”.

It is important to note that, despite a large number of instruments and people, a feeling of overload or thrust for gigantomania, which can be inherent in a group with similar experience, did not arise. It simply became clear that if a “polite refusal” and looks like some kind of musical team, then only to the orchestra, and the orchestra of soloists, in which both the conductor and each participant plays his own, important role. The orchestra that is able to convincingly combine solemnity, mockery and sadness: an example of this and the ten -minute shamanic “dense”, where Suslov focused focused on his crazy “ara, ara, Aray, Saporus, Yaharei”, and the majestic “Icarus” with the words “ah, fly like“ Ikarus ”and a ballad about the lion of Nikolai Tolstoy. This is possible, first of all, thanks to the simultaneous and emotional leader at the same time, but also other musicians to match him. Trubach Andrei Soloviev selflessly whistles in the tragicomic song “Cabinet”, and pockets on the piano inserts a quote from the screensaver to “Good night, kids!” To the final of the song "I am studying." In general, the group did not grow old at all and demonstrated not only the highest executive level, but also a readiness for new experiments - evidence of this organic inclusion of the violin and flute in the ensemble. There is reason to hope that Suslov will really bring new ideas to mind and, together with the “refusal”, will please the lovers of the group with something unexpected and interesting. It is unlikely that he only joked, saying goodbye: "See you!"

03/27/2006 / Grigory Durnovo Material published in the "newspaper" No. 52 dated 03/28/2006.