Aquarium International

Boris Grebenshchikov, leader of Russian rock band Aquarium, is coming to show his new project in Kyiv. One of the founding fathers of Russian rock, Grebenshchikov will perform in a company of 10 musicians from the USA, England, Ireland, India and Poland. The new extended band will be called Aquarium International. Musicians play Aquarium’s classical songs and new compositions written for the next album, which they are currently being recorded in the London studio Livingston. They use unusual instruments, such as Irish Uilleann pipe, ancient Polish violin and Indian sitar and Chinese erhu.
Aquarium International first performed in the Royal Albert Hall. Then they played in the Dublin Olympia Theatre in Northern Ireland. After playing in Kyiv, musicians will move on to Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Milan and Vienna.
As a surprise for fans, bass guitarist Alexandr Titov, who is from the band’s first lineup but who hasn’t played with the group for the last 12 years, will join Aquarium International onstage.
The concert in Kyiv will be charitable. All funds collected from the concert will be given to Korostyshevska Boarding School for children with mental disorders in Zhytomyr Oblast.
The history of Aquarium dates back to 1972, when Grebenshchikov and his childhood friend Anatoliy Gunitskiy founded the band together. After a performance at a rock festival in Tbilisi in 1980, Grebenshchikov was kicked out of the Komsomol (an organization for all “decent” Soviet youth) and the Institute of Sociology, where he worked as a researcher. Aquarium was banned officially. Times have changed and, in 2003 Grebenshchikov celebrated his 50th birthday with a big concert in the Kremlin.

NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE (50 Volodymyrska, 279-1169). Oct.14, 8 p.m. Tickets Hr 100 to Hr 5,000

Oksana Faryna for "Kyiv Post"