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Join Ljova, Romashka, Tall Tall Trees, the PubliQuartet and special guests, for the CD Release performance of "Lost in Kino" at Lincoln Center on Thursday, December 22nd at 8:30pm. Admission is free, subject to capacity - arrive early! For details, click here. RSVP on Facebook.

"Lost in Kino" is the third album from composer and violist Ljova (a.k.a. Lev Zhurbin), focusing on his recent film works. The album's 24 tracks feature a wide range of textures and emotional states, from collaborations with the Gypsy band Romashka, the alt-indie-folk Tall Tall Trees, to cameos from the Hungarian cymbalom virtuoso Kálmán Balogh (playing a cue from Francis Ford Coppola's film "Youth Without Youth"), pipa player Wu Man, among many others, and of course featuring Ljova himself on viola, famiola and fiddle.

Download and order your copy of "Lost in Kino" today at http://ljova.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-kino. You can also purchase it on Amazon.com and iTunes.

Watch three videos, featuring music from Lost in Kino:
THE COUP - featuring footage by Charles Ludlam

RUSSIAN WINTERLAND - featuring film by Joseph-Louis Mundwiller

WAR THEN PEACE - featuring footage by Roman Khrushch

Thank you all! enjoy.

Pre-order Ljova's third album "Lost in Kino", and download four tracks today.

"Lost in Kino" is the third album from composer and violist Ljova (a.k.a. Lev Zhurbin), focusing on his recent film works. The album's 24 tracks feature a wide range of textures and emotional states, from collaborations with the Gypsy band Romashka, the alt-indie-folk Tall Tall Trees, to cameos from the Hungarian cymbalom virtuoso Kálmán Balogh (playing a cue from Francis Ford Coppola's film "Youth Without Youth"), pipa player Wu Man, among many others, and of course featuring Ljova himself on viola, famiola and fiddle.

Watch videos, featuring music from the album.

Pre-order CDs and downloads at http://ljova.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-kino,
or order an autographed copy, below:

Watch three videos, featuring music from Lost in Kino:
THE COUP - featuring footage by Charles Ludlam

RUSSIAN WINTERLAND - featuring film by Joseph-Louis Mundwiller

WAR THEN PEACE - featuring footage by Roman Khrushch

Thank you all! enjoy.

September 24 -- Barmaljova at SymphonySpace.

September 16 & October 25 -- Ljova and the Kontraband at Barbes (Brooklyn)

October 12 -- Alan Pierson & Brooklyn Philharmonic perform Ljova's score to "Only Love" on WNYC's New Sounds Live.

November 3 -- Alan Pierson & Brooklyn Philharmonic performs Ljova's music and arrangements as part of their season opener on Brighton Beach.

November 9 -- Ljova and the Kontraband at the Brooklyn Public Library's Dwecklectic series

For all details - see the schedule.


(photo via ScrapeTV)

Join us for the Ljova and the Kontraband's 5th Anniversary show!
Thursday, June 2 at 8pm
The JCC in Manhattan
tickets are $15 - buy them here

See you there!

Watch Lev Polyakov's award-winning short film "Only Love", with a score by Ljova - at Babelgum:

Ljova profiled in New York Times -- He Still Plays Weddings: A Musical Polymath’s Quirky Career by Allan Kozinn

Thank you to everyone who joined Ljova and the Kontraband at Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium last week, and filled the room to capacity for our anniversary show! We had a blast.

Below, enjoy "The Girl and Her Trust", D.W. Griffith's 1910 silent film, with a new score by Ljova and Clifton Hyde.
Recorded live at TunnelVision, inside Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue Tunnel.

(Above - photo of Ljova and the Kontraband performing the score to "Cupcake", live at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.)

A quick welcome to readers of the New York Times and new fans - thank you for stopping by!

Here's a brief recap of Ljova's recordings, where you can get them, and how:

VJOLA: WORLD ON FOUR STRINGS - Ljova's debut album, featuring compositions for multitack'ed violas, is available on Amazon.com iTunes, Bandcamp, and other merchants.

MNEMOSYNE - the debut album of Ljova and the Kontraband, is available at Amazon.comas well as iTunes, CDBaby.com.

Both "Vjola: World on Four Strings" and "Mnemosyne" are also available as mp3 downloads from iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, and many other websites.

SONGS WE SING TO BENJY -- the work-in-progress album of Inna Barmash and Ljova (a.k.a. BarmaLjova), is currently for sale via Bandcamp.com.

For reviews, please see here.
For Ljova's full discography, see here.

Sign up for Ljova's email list|| Follow Ljova on Twitter
Become a fan of Ljova and the Kontraband on Facebook

Thank you all!

stream and purchase all of Ljova's albums via Ljova's store on Bandcamp.com.
You can download the music in mp3, wav, flac, or just about any other audio format. Enjoy!

August 8: Ljova and the Kontraband perform at the American Museum of Natural History

August 10: Romashka at the JCC in Manhattan - Rooftop performance and screening of "Black Lamb", a feature film with a score by Ljova, performed by Romashka.

August 12: Ljova and the Kontraband make their Lincoln Center debut at the Rubenstein Atrium, as part of Target Free Thursdays - FREE!

August 14: Ljova and Clifton Hyde create a new score to D.W. Griffith's 1910 silent film "The Girl and Her Trust". Presented as part of Tunnel Vision, inside Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. (The event is now sold out.)

Join us!
For full details, see:
http://www.Ljova.com/schedule

Now streaming on Carnegie Hall's website -- a live recording of Ljova's song cycle, "Niña Dance", from its premiere on Carnegie Hall's Zankel stage.

Featuring: Sofia Rei Koutsovitis (vocal), conductor Alan Pierson, Ljova and a wonderful ensemble.

Click here to listen & enjoy.

Ljova and the Kontraband perform at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on three dates, as part of "Traveling the Silk Road" exhibition.

Join us May 2, June 6, June 13 and August 8, for 30-minute performances at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30.

For more information about tickets, see the Schedule.

BEER, BORSCHT & COMPANY
an evening of duets at The Ukrainian National Home Restaurant
featuring performances by:
BARMALJOVA (Inna Barmash & Ljova)
LUCÍA PULIDO & STOMU TAKEISHI
SXIP SHIREY & SARAH ALDEN
and a special guest!

Saturday March 13, at 7:30pm
Ukrainian National Home Restaurant
120 2nd Avenue (bet. 8&9 streets)
New York City:
Subway: 6 to Astor place, R/W to 8th Street
Tickets: $10 at the door

BARMALJOVA is the duet project of vocalist INNA BARMASH and violist/composer/arranger LEV 'LJOVA' ZHURBIN. Tonight, they will perform a set of folk songs from America, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Italy, France, and other lands. Some of these were arranged by Romantic-era composer Luciano Berio; others they found on their own.

LUCIA PULIDO is a Colombian singer with one of the richest voices on the international Latin American musical scene today. She has mined the musical traditions of her native Colombia and other Latin American countries in an ongoing search for a distinct, experimental style, and has participated in projects ranging from traditional Colombian music to jazz and "Nueva Canción" (New Song). Tonight, she performs with the eclectic bassist STOMU TAKEISHI.

SXIP SHIREY & SARAH ALDEN. will present 3 duets, a Moldavian number, a new piece for guitar and alternative tuned violin and an interpretation of a greek chorus from Euripides' Woman of Troy featuring voice, violin, melodica, reverse disc music box (the Mr. Christmas model), shruti box and color coded bells.

SPECIAL GUEST -- you'll have to come and find out!

(best enjoyed in full screen / HD)

MNEMOSYNE (It's autumn in the country I remember)
Music by Ljova (2007)
Lyrics by Trumbull Stickney (c. 1902)
Performed by Ljova and the Kontraband
featuring Inna Barmash (vocal)
and special guest, Frank London (trumpet)
Recorded by Peter Karl / Mixed by Anibal Kerpel / Mastered by Steven Berson
from the Kontraband's debut record album, Mnemosyne, available here.

Thank you to all of our friends and fans who made this double bill sell out in presales - not bad for a 9:30pm show on a school night, in the middle of two major Arts Presenter conferences!

We had a blast - see you next time! Thank you!

--Ljova [and the Kontraband]
P.S. We'll post a few videos from the show soon.
[UPDATE] videos from Joe's Pub 2010 have been added to the Kontraband's growing YouTube Playlist.

Our son, Benjamin Avram Zhurbin (or simply Benjy) was born on July 1, 2009 -- he wishes you a Happy Halloween, and wants you to check out his growing mini-slideshow.

Read an extensive interview with Ljova, at the website CompositionToday.

Aszure Barton & Artists
Directed and Choreographed by Aszure Barton
Music:Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin ("Less", from the album "Mnemosyne")
Lighting:Nicole Pearce
Costumes: Michelle Jank
DP & Editor: Kevin Freeman
Camera Operators: Aubrey Fernandez, Kevin Freeman

Ljova's score for Lev Polyakov's short animation "Only Love" won the "Best Original Score for Short Film" award at the 2009 Long Island International Film Expo.
Watch the 3-minute music trailer on YouTube.

Cynhops, for solo viola and dance.
Recorded at White Oak, Florida