Sergey Nickolaevich Vladimirskiy is a musician, a singer, a composer, an ethnographer, a researcher of musical culture of different cultures of the world and a teacher. He is an extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Russia. He is extraordinary gifted, his talent lets him perform music in practically all musical instruments of the world. Sergey Vladimirskiy seriously researches the background and being of these instruments and the history of the countries they come from. Sergey is an author of numerous publications on instrument logy, and the world musical culture. The world of instruments and musical traditions of different peoples of Russia occupies a special place in his research. Sergey Vladimirskiy has created the cycles of lections dedicated not only to Russian folk instruments, but also to musical instruments of tartars, the people of Caucasus and indigents of Siberia. He also wrote about the Jewish and Gipsy influence on the Russian musical culture. In his research Sergey Vladimirskiy uses a rich practical base that is his own collection of musical instruments which he plays perfectly (the number of the musical instruments in the collection of Sergey Vladimirskiy now exceeds 600). To play all the 600 musical instruments which are in the Sergey Vladimirskiy’s collection would be necessary an orchestra, but here is only one person. No one on the planet can measure up the wideness of Sergey Vladimirskiy’s abilities. That is why international press calls him not a multi-instrumentalist, but a super-multi-instrumentalist.

At the same time, Sergey Vladimirskiy is not an odious showman. His art is available to his colleagues as well as to wide public who are really interested in culture. First of all, it concerns the young people. Concerts of Sergey Vladimirskiy and the ensemble “Grenada” which he heads is always an extremely interesting recite about multisided world culture. It is a unique possibility not only to listen to the world musical masterpieces, but also to look, to feel the many years’ warmness of musical instruments, and even try to play one of the instruments brought to a concert. It is not for a sudden that Sergey Vladimirskiy has a lot of disciples. They are from the little ones to the “difficult” teenagers, from “computer” students to the adults who thanks to Sergey decided to revive their dream of youth to play musical instruments.

Sergey influences the audience in a very good manner. This is why on television, where the wild rivalry prevails, the author’s program of Sergey Vladimirskiy “The Musician’s Adventures” exists already for four years. This program is transmitted on the preferred channel of the intellectual people – “Cultura” (Culture) channel. The program “The Musician’s Adventures” twice was nominated to the prestigious premium of Russian television “TEFI” and was marked with the special diploma of the Greek Embassy and National Greek Asossiation of Tourism as the best foreign TV program about Greece in the year 2001. It is remarkable that the video record of the program “The Musician’s Adventures” is actively used in the education programs by the students of many Russian high schools and universities.

It is very important to mention the teacher’s talent of Sergey Vladimirskiy. Thanks to it his unique cycle of lections “Musical Culture of Peoples of the World” is always of a great interest among Russian and foreign students. And it is of a great value for the young people. The vivid language and music, precise information, understandable explication is very necessary for a young person and is of great lack in the world. They trust this wonderful musician, attentive teacher and a fascinating person. And they are right.

Doctor of Historic Sciences, Professor,
Head of Department of the Lomonosov State niversity,
Director of the European University
E. I. Pivovar
  

         Vladimirskiy Sergey Nickolaevich – honored culture personality of Russia – is one of those musicians who make the Golden fund of Russian musical culture. The prominent abilities of Sergey Vladimirskiy let him know the secrets of practically all musical instruments and briefly obtain the skills to play these instruments. He shows his talent on the stages all over the world always with definite success. But what is no less important is that he passes his enormous passion for music and unique knowledge to the younger generation. The teacher’s talent of Sergey Vladimirskiy can be compared with his talent of a musician, and also an enlightener, promoter of Russian musical culture. Russian masters, who make the unique musical instruments for the prominent musicians of their own country and other countries of the world, are obliged to Sergey Vladimirskiy. The thing is that their instruments are not unknown anymore. At his concerts, which often have the instructive character, Sergey Vladimirskiy opens to the public the secrets of Russian traditional musical instruments and also represents its authors: Alexander Sharov (Balalayka), Vladimir Azhiculov and Alexander Voronov (Guitar), Vladimir Zaytsev (Vladimirskie Rozhki), Igor Emelianov (Domra) etc. Another surprising thing is that foreign masters make the musical instruments especially for Sergey Vladimirskiy. Among these masters is Jairo Parra (Columbia), Valeriano Bernal (Spain), Daniel Eckert (USA), Victor Torres (Bolivia), Stavros Tsandulis (Greece), brothers Sanabria (Paraguay), Samir Hamido (Alger), Juan Velorio (Uruguay), Emilio Coro (Argentina) etc.

Thus, at the concerts of Sergey Vladimirskiy people, and especially the young men, have an opportunity to touch the treasury of Russian and world musical culture.

Honored culture personality of Russian Federation,
Academic of International Academy of Informatization,
President of Russian Alliance of Masters of musical instruments
Alfred Karlovich Ginzburg
  

         The Russian land has always been famous for extraordinary musicians, prominent masters in the field of culture. Sergey Vladimirskiy is obviously one of these talented persons. His special gift to play fluently any musical instrument of the planet is merely a God’s gift. The Russian musical instruments occupy an especially important place in his musical arsenal. Nowadays, when it is more and more difficult to guard the national uniqueness of world’s cultures, Sergey Vladimirskiy skillfully represents the Russian music on different continents. Sergey Vladimirskiy is one of those thanks to whom the Russian youth does not forget it’s roots, and is one of those who follow fathers’ traditions in the best way.
At the concerts of Sergey Vladimirskiy in Russia and in other countries people not only appreciate the marvelous music, but also know the secrets of playing and get acquainted with the history of the instruments. Numerous and always successful tours of Sergey Vladimirskiy, his performances in prestigious concert halls is not only a victory of a Russian musician, but also a victory of Russian art.

The instrumental collection of Sergey Vladimirskiy always grows. His arsenal consists of practically all musical instruments of symphonic, wind brass bands and jazz orchestras, rock bands, folk instruments of wide geography – European countries, African peoples, Chinese, Indian, Arabic, Latin American instruments. In every place Sergey Vladimirskiy visits, not only common public, but also local musicians and masters who make musical instruments, admire his talent.
It is not for a sudden that the presents of the best musical masters of different countries, including Russia, are part of Sergey Vladimirskiy’s musical collection.

Head of Orchestra Conduction Department of
Gnesins’ Russian Academy of Music,
Actual Member of Academy of Education,
People’s Artist of Russia, Professor
S.M. Kolobkov
  

         Serghej VLADIMIRSKY - One-Man Band

MY MOSCOW" №2(3), NOVEMBER 1999
By Lyudmila BUKHARINA

Strange sounds are filling up the room, beats of the subdued but distinct rhythm are joined by the excited throbbing of the man's heart. The accelerating rhythm becomes more tense, one may hear someone's remote howl. Who is it? A wolf? And may be a man? There appears a melody which gives birth to severe and shoreless spaciousness - it is either a snow or space decent. But slowly the sounds melt, leaving a mysterious quietness after them.

It is Moscow, a usual town apartment and its owner Serghej Vladimirsky, the author of the composition that has just died down. And here is the history of its creation, which is, in my opinion, quite curious. During paleontological surveys a settlement of ancient men was discovered on shore of the Desna river in the Chernigov Region, and among many other finds there was a quite surprising one - it may seem strange but it was a whole "musical center" of mammoth bones. Paleontologists are meticulous people: they have determined that according to the nowadays classification of musical instruments these bones may be referred to the subgroup of selfsounding, not tunable, non-cavity and cavity instruments. And if they are instruments Serghej Vladimirsky has decided to try and restore their sounding, interlacing it into the fabric of his own musical composition.

It resulted in an absorbingly interesting thing. But everything is interesting in this home: hosts themselves, musicians Serghej and Tatiana Vladimirsky, the friendly and bland creature - dog Marcella, an unbelievable number of musical instruments, lying on shelves, standing on the floor, hanging on the walls, and they are so close to each other that one cannot discern the color of walls. This unique assemblage of over 400 most diverse, outlandish, most exotic instruments, nevertheless, has not been named a collection by the hosts. All these instruments are concert: they are full-fledged participants of the "Grenada" group headed by Serghej. The group is a laureate of multiple contests, two world festivals of students and youth - in 1978 in Cuba and 1985 in Moscow, the possessor of the Arthur Bekker Gold Medal (Germany). In recent years the group recorded two disks: Bird-Troika, Songs of Eastern Slavs and Songs of Russia.

A year ago its musicians marked Grenada's 25-year anniversary. During the period the composition of the group changed many times (now it consists of 7 musicians); only virtuosity of its participants and the principle of selecting the repertoire - music of world nations have remained unchanged. All songs are performed in original languages and with national instruments; several dozens of instruments are usually used during a concert. That is the answer to the question: why does Serghej Vladimirsky need so many musical instruments? But there appears another question: where from? It turns out that all of them have appeared in this home in a different way. Some were just bought in shops, some were presented by craftsmen who made them.

And finally one more quite numerous group of instruments was won by Serghej at concerts during tours around the whole world. Prior to "Grenada"'s arrival in a town there appears a rumor that the Russian group is headed by a musician who after an attentive look at an instrument unknown to him can play it in the presence of the astonished public but subject to the condition that if he manages to do it the instrument will remain in his possession. Everybody likes to see and hear such a miracle. Each musician and craftsman wishes to be the first to whom the Russian musical polyglot would lose. Till now such a thing have never happened.

The proof of it is the abundance of rarest folk instruments in Serghej's assemblage such as a Brazilian quika, Australian didgeridu, Cuban chekere, Indian shankhaj, Chuvash tudut, Touvinian toschpulur. For Serghej each musical instrument is a unique time machine, helping to comprehend the grandeur of the history and culture of a people, the soul of the craftsman who created such an instrument. For "Grenada" members the perception of continuous connection of times is very important. May be because 13 years ago they set up a children's studio attended now by over 150 youngsters of all ages. One can see how their faces transfigure when they just step over the threshold of their club. The "Grenada" musicians give lessons to children every week in one of their rehearsal days and free of charge. The principle of selection for the children's studio is simultaneously very simple and very complex.

Children are accepted to the studio irrespective of the presence of an ear for music, the feeling of rhythm and other necessary (from the point of view of other educators) qualities: their desire is the only condition. If it is present, then children together with their senior colleagues - musicians are capable to work wonders. On coming back home I decided to listen through the compact disk with instrumental recordings, the majority of witch were composed by Serghej. The music caused me to smile blissfully. Yes! This is what I long wished but never knew where to find it. I heard both familiar favorite melodies and melodies I heard for the first time: they touched such fine cryptic soul strings that it seemed that the sounds recited the life - mine and yours too.   

         Musician says: Bring me your instrument, and I will play it

Lochaber News, May 22, 1999

A RUSSIAN record-breaking musician has set a challenge to instrumentalists throughout Lochaber. Listed in the Guinness Book of Records, as being able to play 374 diffrent musical instruments, Sergei Vladimirsky will be visiting Lochaber and Nairn as part of a cultural exchange organied by the council's culture and leisure services department. And he confidently says that he can play any instrument anyone brings to him.

In the summers of 1997 and 1998 groups of athletes, dancers, pipers, traditional musicians and craftspeople ventured forth from Lochaber and Nairn to take part in the Highland Games and Scottish/Russian Folk Festival held in Moscow. The visit in 1998 of the traditional musicians and craftspeople from Lochaber was assisted by the the cultural and leisure service department of Highland Council in Lochaber.

As a result of this exciting visit to Russia and a development of this cultural link between the two peoples, a group of musicians and dancers from Moscow will be coming to Nairn and Lochaber during this year's Highland Festival in May.

The Moscow Folk Ensemble or Moscow Family group, as they also like to be called, are internationally known and are far from a typical folk group. Although they emphasise Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian songs, the group also perform traditional music from around the world. Sergei Vladimirsky, the group's leader, is already something of a legend in Russia.

"I challenge the audience to test my ability to play any instrument they might bring", he says. Surely a challenge to the people of the Highlands!

The group are expected to bring about 50 instruments with them from balalaikas and guitars to rare Russian Folk instruments like the Sharkunki and Treshotki. The Moscow Family group and dancers will be performing in Marco's Leisure Centre in Fort William, Thursday May 27 - _4/3 and in Mallaig Hall in Mallaig, Friday, May 28 with the Scottish Stepdance Company, _5/4. Both performances are at 8pm with free entry to children under 15 years of age.
The group will also be travelling to Inverie in Knoydart for a special outdoor performance on Saturday May 29 at 2 pm For further information on the group contact Helen Semple, Cultural and Leisure Services on 01397 702102.