Last April, when my wife and I were in Paris, we saw a group of Russian musicians (a 12-piece band, actually) playing in one of the corridors at the Place de l' Opera metro station. Their music was wonderful. We stopped and listened for several minutes, and I put a few Euros in their bucket. There was a woman with them selling CDs of their music, and like an idiot, I didn't buy one. We're going back to Paris this April, and I am hoping that I can find them and buy one of their CDs. If they are no longer playing in the Metro, I have no idea how I would find them. Any suggestions? Anyone here seen/heard them?
Thanks in advance!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
There's a popular Ukrainian band roaming the metro which has a bit of a cult following among the locals. This might be the same band you saw. The band is called "Musiciens de Lviv" and there are lots of videos on youtube like this: http://youtu.be/Q-WxtKgDrqM Other info here: http://www.squidoo.com/cabaret-slave I haven't got a clue on how to find or contact them. I do know that musicians have to formally audition to the Metro authority for permission to play. Perhaps they have some sort of directory??? But you would probably need some french language skills to research it.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I don't know of the group you are talking about...but I just did the same thing in Salzburg...heard a musician that I enjoyed, and did not buy the CD! Sorry now...learned my lesson I hope.
Posted by
England
375 posts
This does not help you find the group and I don't mean to be a killjoy, but I'll share this just for some perspective in case you never get to buy the CD. Don't get me wrong; I think CDs are a nice souvenir. But twice now my husband and I have bought them from street musicians we thoroughly enjoyed and couldn't wait to play them at home. Then when we did they were rather.....disappointing. It just wasn't nearly as good as we remembered it. It turns out it wasn't only the music that we had reacted to on our trip, but also just being there in that time and place, seeing the group perform in person, their showmanship, our lovely frame of mind during the trip, the entire ambience. Not only did we feel that we had wasted money on the CD, but it took away just a bit from our memories of the experience. This may not be the case with your group of course, and I hope you can find what you want. But maybe it will help all those people who didn't buy the CD from their group on their trip and later kicked themselves.
Posted by
Ramona, CA, USA
73 posts
I've seen that same group in Metro stations on two different trips in the last year, so hopefully they'll still be there when you return. Good luck!