Persimfans was a

conductorless orchestra The conductorless orchestra, sometimes referred to as a self-conducted orchestra or unconducted orchestra, is an instrumental ensemble that functions as an orchestra but is not led or directed by a conductor. Most conductorless orchestras are sma ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

that was founded by

Lev Tseitlin Lev Tseitlin (Russian: ''Лев Моисеевич Цейтлин''), (15 March 1881, Tbilisi - 9 January 1952, Moscow) was a violinist and a professor. Biography Tseitlin started to study violin in Tbilisi under Evgeny Kolchin. In 1901 he gradua ...

and existed between

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

and

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. Its name is an abbreviation for ''Pervïy Simfonicheskiy Ansambl' bez Dirizhyora'' (First Conductorless Symphony Ensemble).

Philosophy and Music

Persimfans was formed during the early years of the Soviet Union. Because there was no conductor, major decisions were undertaken by committees and all members of the orchestra had to be familiar with the entire score. The quality of playing amazed many contemporaries who believed there must be a conductor hidden away behind the stage. Persimfans also inspired the formation of other conductorless orchestras throughout the Soviet Union and the West in the 1920s, but most only lasted for a few years.

Contemporary Revival

In 2008, a contemporary revival of Persimfans was created by Konstantin Dudalov-Kashuro, Peter Aidu and Gregory Krotenko under the aegis of the Moscow School of Dramatic Art's Music Laboratory. In 2014 Persimfans was awarded the Sergei Kuryokhin Contemporary Art Award.

References

History of the greatest conductorless orchestraConductorless Orchestra 'Persimfans' Sees Contemporary Revival
Musical groups established in 1922 Musical groups disestablished in 1932 Russian symphony orchestras {{Classical-ensemble-stub