A special evening of music with Filipino artist Bayang Barrios and Russian singer Rumiya Niyazova
When I first heard about the concert featuring Bayang Barrios and Russian singer Rumiya Niyazova, I believed I was too unfamiliar with Russian music.
But then I realized, in reality, I had already been introduced to it in various ways through music from Russian composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who was behind favorite ballet classics Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
We can’t forget Sergei Rachmaninoff, the composer of the “Second Piano Concerto,” which is widely described as the greatest piano concerto ever written. It was used in the 1945 film Brief Encounter, starring actors Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey.
In contemporary times, there’s All the Things She Said by t.A.T.u., a Russian song released in 2002. While it is known as the only Russian track to make the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it became popular for its music video featuring the two female singers locking lips in the rain while wearing school uniforms.
Despite the limited exposure of Russian music in the Philippines, there exists a unique and fascinating world of melodies and rhythms that remain largely unexplored by local audiences.
Russian music, with its rich history and diverse influences, offers a distinct sound that differs greatly from the more familiar Western or K-pop genres. The intriguing blend of classical, folk, and contemporary styles has the potential to captivate listeners, shedding light on a musical tradition that has the power to transcend geographical boundaries.
For me, music, as a universal language, has the power to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers, connecting people across the globe through emotion, expression, and shared experience.
Beyond Borders: A Cultural Dialogue of Music, the concert that brings together the Russian singer and our very own Katutubong Diva Bayang Barrios, is a good start to appreciate Russian music, alongside our own local music. The concert will be held today, Jan. 22, at the Asia Pacific College Auditorium in Magallanes, Makati City.
Niyazova is an accomplished singer and theater actress and a resident performer at the LDM Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. She completed her studies at the Moscow Institute of Culture and the Arts. Niyazova was a three-time winner of the International Tatar Song Festival. She currently anchors a travel show aired by the Russian Travel Guide channel.
For the concert, the sultry-looking singer will perform the music of Tatarstan, an autonomous republic situated within Russia and home to the largest Russian ethnic group, the Tatars.
Their traditional music is a mixture of Turkic, Mongolic, and Finno-Ugric elements that bridge Mongolian and Hungarian music. Secular songs and sacred music are all part of Tatar music.
The Russian singer will perform with the String Fusion and Jerome Rico.
Meanwhile, Barrio uses her music to promote indigenous people’s rights, hope, peace, and environmental awareness. She started her career as the female lead vocalist in Joey Ayala’s ensemble Ang Bagong Lumad. She went solo in 1994 and established her own recording company, Mayumi Records. She released her albums Alon, Biyaya, and Sariwang Hangin, among others.
Bayang Barrios will perform her well-loved songs with her group Naliyagan and the Binan Folkloric Dance Troupe.
Beyond Borders is produced by Sandra Lim Viray and Faye Miravite of the Nadezhda Foundation, in cooperation with Asia Pacific College and JB Music.
Tickets are priced at P1,500, with cocktails at 6:00 p.m. The show is at 7:00 p.m. For inquiries, visit www.ticketmax.ph or call or text 09154979909.
