Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, on… Read Full Bio ↴Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, one of the most influential in the Russian rock movement. Their lyrics, written by vocalist Konstantin Kinchev, are about social problems, rock lifestyle, Slavic culture and, recently, Christian faith. Alisa's music evolved from post punk in the 1980s to heavier metal sound of recent albums.

Alisa was founded in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The name of the band is borrowed from Lewis Carroll's book "Alice in Wonderland". The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (born Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Pyotr Samoylov joined Alisa. Their debut album "Energia" (Energy) was released by Melodia, the state publishing monopoly, and was sold in numbers of more than one million.

But the relations between the two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were poor, and finally Svetoslav left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Кино bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band 'Nate!' ('Take it!').

The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the 'Army of Alisa', known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987 the newspaper Smena accused Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Alisa's leader Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ('Hooliganism') of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.

There were new lineup changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor 'Chuma' Chumykin joined Alisa. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next albums Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with Aria. The album Black Mark, 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from the window.

In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu-metal, industrial and heavy metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart.

Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - the social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990's their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.

Konstantin is in good relations with the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially Andrey Kuraev. Alisa has participated in many religion-supporting festivals, such as 'Musicians for the Christ Savior Cathedral'.

Лунный вальс
АлисА Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Маленький, забытый всеми театр.
Свет керосиновых ламп.
В небе поют голоса тех,
Кого я любил и ждал.
Музыка меня зовёт вверх.
Я уже на вершине крыш.
Мы танцуем лунный вальс,
Хотя я не сплю, а ты спишь.

Ну, а там, внизу, тает снег:
Сотни свечей ждут огня,
Тысячи глаз - глаз.
Я начинаю играть в игру,
Когда на часах - час.
Маленький, забытый всеми театр,
Свет керосиновых ламп.

И вот вновь в небе поют голоса тех,
Кого я любил и ждал.

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics are from the song Лунный вальс (Moon Waltz) by the Russian rock band Алиса (Alisa). The song depicts a forgotten theater, where kerosene lamps provide the only source of light. The singer is drawn by the music that calls him upwards towards the rooftop. The voices singing in the sky are the ones he loved and waited for. As he reaches the peak, he finds himself dancing a moonlit waltz, while the person he is addressing is asleep. Snow is melting below as hundreds of candles wait for the flame and thousands of eyes watch on. The singer seems to be embracing the moment and playing a game even as time plays its part.

The song, with its haunting melody and lyrics, touches upon the themes of loss, memories and transformation. The forgotten theater and the kerosene lamps may symbolize the fading memories of a bygone era, while the music that calls towards the sky could be interpreted as a desire to transcend the mundane reality. The moonlit waltz may represent the fleeting moments of joy and the sweetness of life that one has to savor before they vanish. Overall, the Лунный вальс seems to be an ode to the moments of beauty and sadness that are part of the human experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Маленький, забытый всеми театр.
There's a small, forgotten theater.

Свет керосиновых ламп.
The light is coming from kerosene lamps.

В небе поют голоса тех,
Voices, of whom I loved and waited for, sing in the sky.

Кого я любил и ждал.
Those people (voices) are the ones I loved and waited for.

Музыка меня зовёт вверх.
The music is calling me up.

Я уже на вершине крыш.
I'm already on the rooftop.

Мы танцуем лунный вальс,
We dance the moon waltz.

Хотя я не сплю, а ты спишь.
Even though I'm not sleeping, but you are.

Ну, а там, внизу, тает снег:
Down there, the snow is melting:

Сотни свечей ждут огня,
Hundreds of candles are waiting for fire,

Тысячи глаз - глаз.
Thousands of eyes staring back.