Drukh I. Pickaninny Plays the Balalaika. Piano score and part

Igor Druch was (*1966) in St. Petersburg. Graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatoire. Attended the international mastercourses and seminars in Darmstadt (Paul-Heinz Dittrich), Berlin (Mark Kopytman), Stuttgart (Helmut Lachenmann). In 1994–1996 was in the circle of Edisson Denissov, together with the latter wrote sound-track to the famous movie “The Tsar’s Hunt”. In 1995 was awarded the Grand-Prix at the UNESCO Competition in Paris. Chamber music of Igor Drukh was performed by the famous “Arditi” and “Mozarteum” String Quartets, ensembles “Musica Da Camera” (Russia) and “Aleo” (USA). Member of the Russian Composers’ Association (since 1995) and “Brandenburg Collegium of Contemporary Music” (Germany, since 1993). Music of Igor Drukh was performed at the various contemporary music festivals in Russia and abroad. Creative art of Igor Drukh combines the most refined achievements of contemporary European music with Jazz and Russian church and traditional influences.

In 1989 young musicians Victoria Tabachnikova and Evgeni Belov asked me to write for them a new musical piece. Evgeni plays balalaika, which is a folk Russian stringed musical instrument played by plucking. In Russian folk music orchestras and ensemles balalaikas play a role of “first violins”, but solo balalaika repertory is not numerous. So I tried to combine here Russian folk tones and jass elements and that's why entitled it Pickaninny Plays the Balalaika. 

I wanted balalaika to play in this musicnot only itself but also a bit banjo.

The suite consists of 3 parts: Waltz, Blues and Ragtime. Its duratian is about 8–9 min.

I. Drukh