The Washington Balalaika Society presented Peter Omelchenko in an interesting concert at the Lyceum. He plays the domra, an instrument that sounds rather like the ukulele. A member of the Moscow Osipov Balalaika Orchestra, he began the program with classical works by Bach and Kruglov, playing clear through to modern American Jazz, which he obviously loves.
As a matter of fact, his presentation of “Tiger Rag” was so exciting I had a terrible time not joining in. His accompanist, Jonathan Laird, got so interested in Tiger Rag that I distinctly heard him saying “Hold that tiger!” in the background. The artist also played one number, the “Bulgarian Fantasy,” of which he was the composer. The audience was particularly struck with the “Legend of Misirlou” as arranged by Omelchenko. “Carnival of Venice” by Paganini was an exciting number, as was “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov, during which the artist pretended to catch the bee in his fingers. At another point, Omelchenko joked to the audience, asking,” Who do you think is the best known Russian composer?” When the audience said “Tchaikovsky”, he answered, “Darn it, he always wins!”
The last number, “Opus 1” by Sy Oliver and Tommy Dorsey, seemed to take us to New York’s numerous night clubs on 42nd St. in the 1940s.
Omelchenko taught at the National Association of the Balalaika and Domra Society of America, and has been the guest conductor of the Washington Balalaika Society. Laird is the director of music at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, and is accompanist for the Manassas Chorale.
The event was well attended by members of the Washington Balalaika Society.