| B i o g r a p h y |
Terem Quartet (Russian: Терем квартет)
is a musical ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia known for its
virtuosity on Russian folk instruments. The group performs repertoire
from both folk and classical genres at a frantic pace and with humorous
attitude, sometimes reminiscent of cartoon soundtracks.
Members:
Andrey Konstantinov (Soprano domra)
Mikhail Dziudze (Double bass balalaika)
Alexei Barchtchev (Alto domra), replaced founding member Igor Ponomarenko
Andrey Smirnov (Bayan accordion)
The group was formed in 1986, playing first in Soviet state-sponsored competitions. They had their first paying jobs in 1987. Their first international touring began in 1988 in support of baritone singer Vladimir Chemov. After Chemov was sidelined by illness in 1989, Terem began solo concert tours.
In 1991, they met Peter Gabriel at the WOMAD festival. Gabriel helped the group to reach a wider audience in the western world by releasing their albums Terem and Classical on his label, Real World Records.