Multimedia Show "Night Streets"

While getting education in classical music Denis Shapovalov was very much interested in rock since his youth. The first led him to the victory at the Tchaikovsky International competition and invitations to perform all over the world. The latter resulted in the search for new forms of expression and composer's experiences.

Creation of the multimedia show based on his own music - is the new stage. The project "Night streets" - it is a classical musician's vision of light music and at the same time - a young man's attitude to classics. Original compositions include different styles: rock, pop, jazz, avant-garde, psychedelics. Shapovalov combines the sound of classical and electronic instruments - solo cello, instrumental ensemble (4 cellos, keyboards, electronic guitar, bass-guitar and drums) and electronics (computer samples).

The project format is typical for shows and rock-concerts which use light-effects and video. More than 12 original compositions as parts of one history merge into a spectacular display. During the whole show each music theme blends in with the others. The cellist demonstrates the abilities of his instrument, which appear truly boundless: in some compositions his melodious classical sound easily changes into hard rock sounds and the other way around. In the dialogs of the cello with guitar, trumpet, in combination with different keyboard timbres the classical instrument appears in unexpected new perspectives. The cello-group plays the back-vocal role. The show is named after one of the central jazz-rock compositions of the concert "Night streets", where the solo cello together with the "Miles Davis style" trumpet create the image of gloomy night streets.  

The show was presented at the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Performing Arts in 2007 and was highly successful. Interlacement of classical music, rock, jazz, meditative music combined with video was immediately named a new genre by most of the critics. Shapovalov's creativity was highly valued by the audience and press.

Denis Shapovalov:

- The uncommon feature of my project is the mere fact that the language I speak is easily comprehendible to my contemporaries while being based on classical traditions. (From the interview to the magazine "Faces", 2007)