Saratov garmoni haykali, Bronze musical instrument sculpture in Saratov, Russia.
The Saratov Garmoni Haykali is a bronze sculpture on Stolypin Avenue in Saratov, in front of the Pioner cinema. It shows a seated musician playing a Saratov garmon, a local button accordion, next to a street lamp. The composition stands 3 m 40 cm tall and weighs 750 kg.
The monument was erected in September 2009 to honor the musical heritage of Saratov and its connection to traditional Russian instruments. Its creation marked a recognition of the city's folk music traditions.
The sculpture depicts a seated garmon player on a bench beside a street lamp, a gift to the city from the Ekspress-Volga bank ahead of City Day. Saratov's garmon, with its distinctive timbre, is one of the city's symbols, and at set hours the monument plays recordings by a local instrumental ensemble.
The monument stands on the pedestrian section of Kirov Avenue (now Stolypin Avenue), opposite the Pioner cinema. It is reached on foot; the sculptor depicted a harmonist seated on a bench beside a street lamp, so the bench is part of the composition. At set hours the monument plays recordings by a local Saratov instrumental ensemble.
The bronze figure sits on a bench beside a street lamp, not standing as in Vladimir Palmin's first sketches. The whole composition reaches 3 m 40 cm and weighs 750 kg, cast in Zhukovsky near Moscow and brought to Saratov by the sculptor himself. In March 2014 a car whose driver lost control crashed into the monument.
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