Pilgrim's Theatre    Irkutsk    Siberia

'AVE' is a rock mystery about the life of the Virgin Mary and is dedicated to the saviour of human souls. It takes place in an abandoned Siberian village on the shore of Lake Baikal and is a story of hope and belief in the power of resurrection.

All this is gathered from the programme as the performance is in Russian with a little Latin, occasional speeches are translated in to English. Not being able to understand I was able to concentrate on the vocal sounds and the music. With some movement there was always something to focus on although the aural symphony would have been a joy in itself. A couple of numbers sounded like the pealing of bells.

Vladimar Sokolov, is a graduate of the St Petersburg Conservatory, his music is a combination of classical and ethnic cultures. It is like nothing I have hard before but would have no reservations in going to one of his performances again.

All the singers except one are female yet the range of sounds covered was vast. The final member of the company Alexander Glushkov plays the guitar.

The performance is so different I may never have a similar one and am glad I was able to be part of this one.

Venue;   Rocket  @  St John's Hall    V126

Dates;  4th to 23rd August (not 10, 17)

Times;    22.00   to   23.10

Fringe Programme Page  106