In the new soundtrack, Zemfira put the mobilization on an alarming note

They plunged “Cactus” into the strings of the soul

The merger of Zemfira and Renata continues. This time, Renata “sings” in Zemfira’s voice about eternal love, and the audience demands more. The Paris show of the new performance stirred up impressionable souls.

Zemfira released the soundtrack to the new play by Renata Litvinova as a separate disc – Cactus. The soundtrack format implies that each composition can and should be perceived as a self-sufficient piece of music. In fact, a set of undeniably beautiful, but very short (one and a half minutes) musical phrases came out, listening to which creates a feeling of cacophony. Melodies containing voice information, of course, stand out and are remembered more strongly, in particular “Radio” – a cut from information messages on the radio about partial mobilization in Russia, sounding in many languages. Of course, in isolation from the action taking place on the stage, it is not possible to give any assessment of the appropriateness of this, and the MK correspondent failed to hit the road in a quick way to Paris for the weekend …

It remains to consider the video clip and cuttings on YouTube that caused a resonance. Against the backdrop of a slight musical confusion, a relatively voluminous composition “Love” stands out from many small sketches, combining Zemfira’s signature march composer style and the melodic charm of romantic French music of the 70s and 80s of the last century. The French speech that sounds against this multifaceted background in a conversation between a man and a woman creates the atmosphere of a cozy European cafe with its simplicity and elegance… does not fit the depth and volume of the sound.

Zemfira’s specific nervousness is conveyed through the piano rush of the composition “Castles”, which, apparently, is intended to symbolize the throwing of the heroine. But since the description of the content of the performance is not attached to the disc, the listener can only guess about what is happening on the stage. And finally, the only song with Zemfira’s voice, actually “Cactus”, is provided with video support – a clip from the frames of the performance. Renata in a long black dress, bathed in spotlights, stands by a fake cactus and smokes one by one, while periodically opening her mouth to Zemfira’s soundtrack. Every now and then, a hand resembling a man’s hand appears in the frame, giving a cigarette or taking it back. That’s all the action. In principle, Renata loves plotless compositions, consisting of a state of being, in which the actor simply exists in the frame or on the stage. We observe such a familiar existence of Renata within the framework of Zemfira’s music. On the eve of the premiere of the performance in Paris, Renata Litvinova wrote in her blog: “It is such a pleasure to get carried away with my work even more than it deserves – I just prove something to myself every day.”

In the photographs illustrating what is happening, Renata Litvinova still does not change the once chosen strategy for reproducing the images of actresses of the 30s and 40s of the twentieth century. In some pictures it is impossible to distinguish her from Greta Garbo, in others it seems as if Lyubov Orlova came to life in one of her roles. Judging by the fragments of the rehearsals that Renata shared, in addition to her, dressed in unimaginably puffy dresses with ruffles, a man in a bird costume and a man in a green suit with needles on his face participate in the performance, apparently, this is a cactus. She has already called Zemfira’s song for this performance “her favorite” and periodically quotes lines from it.

Apparently, it is worth reminding the creators of the record that the soundtrack is needed so that the listener can hear the whole composition, which was included in the film or performance with only a small edge. Yes, the music is impressive, but there is so little of it that the listener leaves in bewilderment hungry, with a teased appetite. Although, perhaps, it was precisely this feeling of slight hunger, with which it is customary for aristocrats to get up from the table, that was the calculation of two creative entertainers and girlfriends who can decorate even the simplest thoughts, feelings and reflections with lace of utter significance …