Unit 20 translation Nekrasov Academic Russian Orchestra of Radio and Television, Moscow

Artistic Director and Chief Conductor - People's Artist of the USSR, professor Nikolay Nekrasov.

Academic Russian Orchestra of Radio and Television works in the staff of Russian Radio and Television (RTR). This high professional orchestra performs music of different styles and genres.

The Orchestra performs with the soloists of The Bolshoy Theatre of Russia, Novaya Opera Theatre, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich - Danchenko Musical Theatre, and other theatres; with world - class instrumentalists on the domra, balalayka, bayan (russian accordion), accordion, violin, violoncello, saxophone, piano.

Its repertoire consists of more than 9000 compositions: Russian and foreign classical music, world folk music - Russian, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Greek, Finnish, Hungarian, American, Turkish, Japanese, modern and popular music. The orchestra successfully plays compositions by Glinka, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Sviridov, Purcell, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Sibelius, Debussy, Gavrilin, Kikta, Krasilnikov, Rybnikov. A great number of interesting compositions the orchestra records on Russian Radio and Television.

Great part in the creative activity of the orchestra occupy philharmonic concerts in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, participating in music festivals, master-classes. The orchestra's concerts and tours achieve great success in many Russian cities, in the USA, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Japan, Turkey and other countries.

Thanks to the unique timbre of the Russian folk instruments the Orchestra has beautiful fluent sound. It makes music with the skill and the expressiveness of symphony orchestra, mentions "The Philadelphia Inquirer". " A Russian Miracle" is how American newspaper "The New York Times" headlines its review!

In 2005 the Orchestra plans to celebrate its 60-th Jubelee. Among the plans of the

Orchestra there are new concert programmes, preserving old traditions and in-tune with our time.

Write your own review of any other band or orchestra. Use the above example.

Unit 21

Interview

Jane: How long have you been a singer, Andy?

Andy: About six years now.

Jane: How did you start?

Andy: I had a band with some friends when I was at school.

Jane: Did the other members of the band go into pop-music too?

Andy: No, they didn't. But I still see them sometimes. I saw them last month. I was giving a concert in London and they came to see me. We had a good jam-session together.

Jane :What does a jam-session mean?

Andy: A spontaneous get together of sidemen freely improvising on pop tunes.

Jane: What do they do?

Andy: They all work in offices in London.

Jane: When did you make your first record?

Andy: That was two years ago.

Jane: Did it do very well?

Andy: No, it didn't, but the next record reached number one. It was a success.

Jane: Does your voice ever crash on you?

Andy: All the time, but still I have never cancelled a show. A lot of people are canceling shows. I've done a lot of concerts where I've had no voice.

Jane: Is your downtime mainly spent in the recording studio?

Andy: In the studio, or trying to get an acting gig. I'm always working. I have never taken a vacation and I never think about it…(fakes a crying voice) now you've planted the seeds and I wanna vacation! (laughs). At five-thirty until eight in the morning is my downtime.

Jane: What are you doing at the moment?

Andy: I'm writing a song.

Jane: When will we hear the song?

Andy: When we record it.

And what will you do after the song?

Andy :I'll take a holiday. It's been a busy year.

Fill in the gaps:

Andy ___ a singer for six years now. He ____ when he ____ at school. He ___ a band with three friends. His friends ____ into pop-music, but Andy still ___ them sometimes. He ___ them last month. He ___ a concert in ___ and his friends ___ to see him. They all ___ in offices in London. Two of them ___ in banks. Andy ___ his first record ___ years ago. It ___ very well, but his next record ___ number one. He___cancelled a show. His downtime ___mainly spent in the recording studio. At the moment Andy___ a song. We ___ it after they record it. And what about the future for Andy? It ___ a busy year for him so he ___ a holiday.