Alena Apina as a conservatory teacher and Anastasia Ukolova as Apina in the series “Combination”. Photo: Wink.ru online cinema
For the first time, Alena Apina is so worried about waiting for a new episode of the series: “The patient stopped working. I want all the episodes at once! This singer is watching “Combination” (18+) from all over the country. The series is an artistic interpretation of the history of the pop group “Combination”, created in Saratov in 1988 and which became popular in our country in the 90s. Then, at the peak of popularity, soloists Tatyana Ivanova and Alena Apina sang in the “Combination”. Now Ivanova remains “Combination”, and Apina has long had a solo career. The website KP.RU tells how the artists reacted to the release of the series and how their lives changed after this premiere. The third episode will be released on September 19.
Ukolova – Apina clone
Of course, the artists cannot completely objectively evaluate what is happening on the screen – after all, they are not ordinary spectators, but participants in these events. Both Apina and Ivanova definitely think that the story turned out interesting and convincing, with a discount for the fact that it is not a documentary. But the singers like it.
Alena Apina jokes about the development of her heroine, played by Anastasia Ukolova: “In the second episode she was a nerd, but by the third she had already corrected herself.” It is always difficult to convey character; the on-screen character has its own character. Svetlana Ivanova tells us about the actress Bazykina: “Elizabeth is beautiful. And in some moments she portrayed me very accurately.”
“Combination” in series: artists Bazykina, Rudenok, Ukolova, Struzhenkova, Volodchinskaya. Photo: Wink.ru online cinema
The performers of the main female roles met with the singers before the start of filming. The communication between Apina and Anastasia Ukolova, who played her, was especially intense. By the way, Alena will appear in the third episode as a teacher at the Saratov Conservatory, who communicates with Apina on screen – she is already a star in the group, but she is trying to combine this with her studies.
Alena Apina told KP.RU about her heroine in “Combination”: “Nastya Ukolova approached this role very carefully, she is very meticulous, she devoted herself directly to this role. She came to visit me, we drank tea, talked a lot, before some scenes she called me and asked: “What was it like this and what is it like?” Of course, this is not a documentary, that’s why Apina on screen has different bodies, different facial expressions, different timbre of voice. It turned out to be a slightly different Apina. But she is good. And in some places Nastya is just my clone… I want to thank Nastya for understanding the most important thing – that all girls are completely different.”
Apina and Ukolova became friends: now they correspond and call each other.
Alena Apina is a demanding artist. But she liked the series “Combination”. Apina told KP.RU: “I can’t even call it a series, because the concept of a “series” has the style of cinema on a different level. This is a multi-part feature film. You know how multi-part films were shown in Soviet times: like “Gloomy River”. It turned out to be a good, bright, kind film. Funny. It’s nice to watch, and the main thing is that afterward you want to smile and live this day a little differently. With joy, with a new dream. A very inspiring film. This is the merit of both the director and the actors. This film is not so much about “Combination”, it’s not a musical, it’s a film about Sasha Shishinin, the man who invented and implemented everything. Sasha Shishinin is played by Nikita Kologryvy, a wonderful actor.”
By the way, the daughter of the founder of “Combination” Alexander Shishinin, Victoria Oleinikova, believes that Kologryvy conveyed her father’s character on the screen. Shishinin was killed in 1993 in the entrance of a house on the outskirts of Moscow, where he rented an apartment.
Nikita Kologryvy, as a producer of “Combination”, rejoices at the success of the group. Photo: Wink.ru online cinema
The “combination” and Apina are in great demand
Two episodes have been released and “Combination” is already being discussed and success is predicted. As expected, the series sparked the interest of the group’s vocalists. This means that more concerts will be coming soon.
In September, the golden cast reunited and celebrated the 26th birthday of the “Combination”. Alena Apina has been singing solo for a long time. Tatyana Ivanova also performs under the Combination brand. The “Combination” now consists of vocalist Ivanova and her four colleagues: keyboards, guitar, backing vocals and drums. Many have been working since the 90s. Each has many of their own songs. But the audience asks for old hits: “The Accountant”, “Two Pieces of Sausage”, “Cherry Nine”, “American Fight”, “Meeting at Manezhnaya” and many others.
Artists go on tour. They are often invited to sing at private events. The manager of the capital’s event organizing company told KР.RU: “In autumn and December there are more applications than usual for the performance of Tatyana Ivanova and “Combination”. Find out the prices. They raised the fee from 1 million rubles to 2 million rubles per concert. Alena Apina’s fee ranges from 2 million rubles to 2.5 million rubles. Prices can increase with the number of offers: usually, if artists understand that the workload is heavy, in this case they increase the cost of the concert.”
It is expected that the rates may increase slightly towards the end of the series. The “combination” for viewers and listeners who are “a little over forty” accompanies nostalgic memories of their youth. And they were angry with this series. So that rich people start inviting both Ivanova and Apina to corporate parties, weddings and anniversaries: who is closer to whom. By the way, Tatyana and Alena are friends and go to visit each other. But they sing separately. Apina not only performs some of the group’s hits, she is also the author of some songs. For example, Alena Apina wrote the lyrics for the song “Accountant”. Alena Apina will soon go on a tour across the country and on November 26 a solo concert in the Kremlin Palace.
Thanks to the premiere, in September 2024, the golden composition of “Combination” reunited and celebrated the 36th birthday of the group: Alena Apina signed everyone as they are called: Zosya, Lelik, Kozyulya (Yulia), Gen (Ivanova), Evgen (I).
Photo: Personal page of the hero of the post on the social network.
Viewer Comments
Nostalgia is in full swing among “40+” viewers. There are many reviews and discussions on the Internet. People express their impressions after watching it in different ways. Here are some opinions. Often viewers forget that this is not a documentary and demand 100% attention to the texture and characters.
Vladislav Petrov (“VKontakte”): “Well done, Nikitos, talent! He will decorate any film! But Okorokov is not like that.”
Natalya Eremkina (VKontakte): “Interestingly, they conveyed the spirit of the 80s. It seemed to me that the background actors looked and acted better than the foreground actors and did not look alike at all.”
Along with it, Apina posted a photo of the real “Combination” from 30 years ago: the artist appears in the same sequence. Photo: Alena Apina’s social networks.
Lyubov Bulacheva (“VKontakte”): “The band’s soloists are nothing alike. The spirit of the 80s is mixed with the present.”
Anton Streltsov (VKontakte): “Everything is great. A couple of points. I don’t understand why Okorokov, when he comes to see Alena at the conservatory, yells at Apina. Back then she was still Lavochkina. As far as I remember, Tatyana’s story was brought to me by a friend, and then there was a boat and a disco. The moment when the children sing “White Evening” was very touching.
Elena (VKontakte): “Lovely, I really liked the actresses Lisa and Nastya. It’s great that they played Tatyana and Alena.”
Alex (Telegram): “Alena, I also watched the second episode. The meaning of Tanich’s song “Register Moscow” fits well with this. The series did a good job of showing the incentive to change your life.”
Varya Skorichenko (Telegram): “The actress was chosen very well for the role of Alena. I also fell in love with her voice: a pleasant and sonorous voice!”
What is the movie about?
An eight-episode biographical film about the creative journey of the members of the female pop group “Combination”. Namely, Alena Apina, Tatyana Ivanova, Olga Akhunova and Yulia Kozyulkova. In the story, OBKhSS employee Alexander Shishinin (Nikita Kologryvy) decides to change his life and fulfill his dream – to create a female musical group. With composer Vitaly Okorokov (Vladimir Kanukhin), they find the first soloists Alena Apina (Anastasia Ukolova), Tatyana Ivanova (Elizaveta Bazykina) and form the first female group in the USSR. The series “Combination” can be watched in the online cinema Wink.ru.
LISTEN ALSO
“The Servant of Paris,” “Insatiable People,” “Legend” and “Faith”: what to see in the cinema (more details)
