these guys were a real hoot to watch perform
played some quite serious music in a comical way
they obviously knew about the art of entertainment
presumably honed after 21 years on the road
including several prior trips in womadelaide
most visually striking was the huge bass balalaika
closely followed by the wild hair of the piano accordian player
most songs featured his head madly bobbing from side to side
in time to the music and causing his long hair to flay wildly
their country of origin is russia and gypsy/folk music is their style
they also mixed in some recognisable classical pieces
presumably tchaikovsky as advised in the program
the program also mentioned their high esteem on the world circuit
having performed with the likes of womad man peter gabriel
and also such other stars as nigel kennedy and led zeppelin
they very much reminded me of another russian group
huun huur tu who made a big impression as last year's festival
4 similarly attired gents on traditional instruments
playing largely traditional tunes but mixing it up
to provide a spark of familiarity in their show
in this case terem quartet hauled out a tune
from their vase repertoire of over 200 songs
that had the crowd go into overdrive with delight
it took me a minute or 2 to recognise the tune
one of those ones where you know it but can't place it
in this case it was the theme from get smart
played with great precision but with a lot of fun
it really was the highlight of their much varied set
which upon conclusion had 4 very happy musicians
and a crowd on their feet providing a standing ovation
another brilliant womadelaide concert
