Olga Egorova

**mandolino maximus** · Sep-01-2011, 9:36am

Just viewed the new UTube over on the Women with Mandolin thread and didn't want to hijack that thread. Wow! With the new video and the previous ones, it's obvious she's not a one-trick pony.

So is there a way for us to sponsor Olga on a little appearance in the US for a symposium or tour or something? At least invite her and let everyone know? (She's does play bluegrass too.)

**Padre** · Sep-01-2011, 2:57pm

girls is amazing
she has better vids on her channel
the one on domra is pretty cool

**Ed Goist** · Sep-01-2011, 6:04pm

I've sent her a few messages through YouTube complimenting her playing and telling her about the responses her videos always get here on the Cafe.
The language barrier has made our correspondences somewhat of a challenge, but I can say that in her replies she has expressed a great deal of humility and gratitude that so many others are enjoying her art (as she puts it).
As I've said before, she's one of my favorites.

**Paul Busman** · Sep-01-2011, 7:15pm

Sacred feces!

**Steve-o** · Sep-01-2011, 8:41pm

Amazing talent. I love how she combines technical ability with emotion. It either inspires you, or makes you want to get a new hobby.

**mandobassman** · Sep-02-2011, 8:21am

I don't mean to be a downer here, but everyone is going just crazy over this girl's playing. While there's no denying her talent, I've seen a few of her videos and everything she plays (at least from what I've seen) is just frantic. A couple of people have mentioned her technical skill, which about 90% of the time seems fine. But she keeps on trying to play double time stuff that is just too fast for her. There's times when she sounds amazing and other times where she sounds sloppy. I personally think she would sound ten times better if she just slowed down a bit. My other issue is her tone. I have a real hard time understanding why someone would play a solo mandolin and use a pick-up and using a bunch of reverb. It is so un-necessary and doesn't allow the mandolin's natural tone to be heard. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying she is a lousy mandolinist. Far from it. I just think she needs to make sure her playing is clean before she performs this stuff live. Chris Thile plays this kind of stuff and I am completely engrossed in the music and the feeling. When I here Olga Egorova play it I feel like I am distracted by the lack of cleanliness and I'm paying attention more to her technique rather than music.

**mandolino maximus** · Sep-02-2011, 9:03am

Good to know, Ed. Please keep posting the videos.

I would attribute much of the artistic singularities about reverb, pickups and styles noted elsewhere above to the fact that she comes from a different place and does her own thing. I would also claim that Olga is getting more precise over time. No one's saying she is clearly better than our other personal favorites and choices for best ever. But she sure is musically and technically advanced enough for a US concert tour or spot in a symposium and otherwise deserving of support and even further development - as long as she plays her music and not someone else's. Something to be said for a robust style that isn't too lyrical and uses a lot of a different cultural influence.

**Mark Robertson-Tessi** · Sep-02-2011, 11:01am

Originally Posted by mandobassman

I have a real hard time understanding why someone would play a solo mandolin and use a pick-up and using a bunch of reverb. It is so un-necessary...

Creativity knows no necessity.

**Ed Goist** · Mar-08-2012, 8:38am

Fun video from Olga's band The Happy Penguins performing "You Are My Sunshine" in honor of International Women's Day today.

**Malcolm G.** · Mar-08-2012, 9:21am

Originally Posted by Ed Goist

Fun video from Olga's band The Happy Penguins performing "You Are My Sunshine" in honor of International Women's Day today.

That's cute!

Thank's Ed!

**Charley wild** · Mar-08-2012, 3:42pm

I'm a fan also! I love the idea that she is aggressive! Go for it, Olga!

**Pete Summers** · Mar-08-2012, 4:40pm

Originally Posted by mandobassman

I don't mean to be a downer here, but everyone is going just crazy over this girl's playing. While there's no denying her talent, I've seen a few of her videos and everything she plays (at least from what I've seen) is just frantic. A couple of people have mentioned her technical skill, which about 90% of the time seems fine. But she keeps on trying to play double time stuff that is just too fast for her. There's times when she sounds amazing and other times where she sounds sloppy. I personally think she would sound ten times better if she just slowed down a bit. My other issue is her tone. I have a real hard time understanding why someone would play a solo mandolin and use a pick-up and using a bunch of reverb. It is so un-necessary and doesn't allow the mandolin's natural tone to be heard. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying she is a lousy mandolinist. Far from it. I just think she needs to make sure her playing is clean before she performs this stuff live. Chris Thile plays this kind of stuff and I am completely engrossed in the music and the feeling. When I here Olga Egorova play it I feel like I am distracted by the lack of cleanliness and I'm paying attention more to her technique rather than music.

I don't know if her mandolin playing is as "clean" as Chris Thile's, but she sure looks a darn sight better doing it!

As for playing fast, I think the Albenis piece calls for speed. Once, I played a Chopin etude on the stereo for a girlfriend. She wasn't impressed. She said Chopin's music was too fast and used too many notes. Huh?

Well, to each his own, but I'm personally a hugh Olga fan. I think she's one of the best and most entertaining players I've ever heard, but what do I know? - I've been working on Old Joe Clark for 20 years.

**Pete Summers** · Mar-08-2012, 6:17pm

Originally Posted by Paul Busman

Sacred feces!

Funny. I like that.

**JCook** · Mar-09-2012, 8:46am

have a real hard time understanding why someone would play a solo mandolin and use a pick-up and using a bunch of reverb.

Hard to tell if she's using reverb on the mandolin or not. I think this was recorded using a mic in the room, maybe on a small recorder or the built-in mic on the video cam, but not directly through the house sound system. I think we're hearing the natural reverb of the room itself. The sound quality doesn't seem to be professional recording quality to me, although it's not bad (compared to most YouTube concert movies I've seen).

Jack

**Ed Goist** · Mar-14-2012, 11:11am

Here are some more recent uploads featuring Olga Egorova.

First, Whiskey Before Breakfast, performed by a trio version of "The Happy Penguins", with Olga on her Morris F5 accompanied by the Happy Penguins guitarist and banjo player.

And here's a video of two songs (different band), with Olga on her Morris F5 and also providing vocals on the second song (which starts at ~5:40)

Great stuff!

**Gregory Tidwell** · Mar-14-2012, 2:46pm

How strange. I just YouTubed this girl last night because I was wondering if she had posted any new material. I agree with the earlier comments that she may exceed her own abilities occasionally, but man, someone with that much enthusiasm and sweetness is hard not to watch.

**Pete Summers** · Mar-14-2012, 3:41pm

Let's face it, the girl is a fox. Love the outfit, too.

But what the devil is the instrument the fellow is playing in his lap? Looks sort of like an auto-harp. What ever it is, he sure can play it, and change pitch on the fly. Very interesting.

**Charlieshafer** · Mar-14-2012, 4:52pm

Thanks for posting those videos, Ed. The second one is great. That's an outfit that can easily tour. Not a lot of stuff to drag around, either. Just the drum machine, and pianos are easy to provide on the fly. The music is very inventive, and I'd book them in that configuration in a heartbeat. First step for her is to contact whatever performing arts support agency there is to hook her up with applications for all the necessary visa stuff, and hook her up with an agency that deals a lot with foreign performers on specific cultural arts tours. Once she does one of those, she can locate a full-time booking agent in the states. She'd do very well.

**Ed Goist** · Jul-02-2012, 9:00pm

Olga busking.
I love the European folk elements she incorporates into these fiddle tunes.
One of my favorite players.

**Beanzy** · Jul-02-2012, 10:25pm

It would be so cool to get her and her Happy Penguins over to Didmarton.

**Steve-o** · Jul-02-2012, 10:48pm

Man, I hope they weren't playing for their dinner! Not a single pedestrian stopped to listen. I agree with you Ed. I like her raw style, and her aggressive and rhythmic attack. A little reminicent of Sam Bush's inventiveness early in his career.

**Pete Summers** · Jul-06-2012, 3:55pm

Olga is a member of that other mandolin site (which dare not speak its name). She's been posting a lot of videos over there lately. The more I see and hear of her, the more I like her. The kid on the fiddle in the above hallway videos is darn good too.

I too was amazed by the total indifference of the passers by and mentioned it in a comment on that other site. She laughed it off with good humor in her response, noting that they were all the people in Moscow who just don't like any music - even mandolin music.
Viva Olga!

**jannehh** · Jul-06-2012, 6:07pm

Originally Posted by Pete Summers

But what the devil is the instrument the fellow is playing in his lap? Looks sort of like an auto-harp. What ever it is, he sure can play it, and change pitch on the fly. Very interesting.

I think it is Russian gusli, closely related to Finnish kantele. Most of the time he uses his left hand to mute strings to make chords and arpeggios.