Timofey Mayakin Thanked all Foreign Colleagues

On August 6, 2020 the TASS press center hosted the official online press conference dedicated to the Thirteenth Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival that will unfold on Moscow’s Red Square from August 28 to September 6, 2020. Leading theme of this year’s production is ‘75 Years since the War Ended’.

Major General Timofey Mayakin, Head of the Band Military Service of the Russian Armed Forces — Chief Military Conductor and Festival Music Director, explained how the leading theme of the Festival would be reflected in the participants’ performances.

“We asked all the participants to create their performances reflecting the leading theme of the 2020 production that will set the overall music tone of the show from the very beginning. It will be a common thread that will weave together all the individual performances”, revealed Mr Mayakin.

He told the participants that currently on the Festival official website a new section titled “Music and WWII” was available, advising everybody to access it and learn about the history of the popular war year songs and compositions. Mr Mayakin also thanked the Directorate of the Spasskaya Tower Festival for the beautiful work they were doing.

The Spasskaya Tower Festival Music Director also expressed his deepest appreciation for all the foreign colleagues who prior to the pandemic had responded to the invitations and forwarded their applications. “Unfortunately, the current situation impedes our foreign colleagues to come. Nevertheless, the 2020 production will be as saturated as usual”, noted Major General Mayakin. “All this year’s participants will be from Russia”, he added.

“The Central Band of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation will open the prologue of the Festival. The Russian National Guard Forces will be represented by bands from Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg and Moscow. The Band of the Russian Emergencies Ministry will make its debut on the cobblestones of Red Square with a solo performance. The Russian Ministry of Defense will be represented by the Central Band of the Navy named after Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the Military Band (of the Moscow Garrison) and the Honor Guard of the 154 Preobrazhensky. Among the debutants of the 2020 production will be the Combined Band of the Russian Airborne Forces that will perform together with the Song and Dance Company of the Russian Airborne Forces and Honor Guard Cadet Unit of the Ryazan Airborne Command Higher School named after Army General Margelov. The thirteenth Festival run won’t definitely lack the audiences’ favorites including the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Band of the Moscow Military Music College named after Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov together with the Girl Drummers Band of the Boarding School for Girls. Evening shows of the Festival will also feature performances by the Kremlin Equestrian School supported by the Moscow Cossack Choir and Kabardinka State Academic Dance Ensemble of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic” , disclosed Mr Mayakin.

He added that the show would preserve its traditional pattern, starting with the prologue, followed by the individual performances of bands and music ensembles, and finishing with a grand finale. At the end of each evening show (but for August 3) the cobblestones of Red Square will welcome magnificent Tamara Gverdtsiteli, People’s Artist of Russia and longtime friend of the Festival. Besides the combined band will perform a song a cappella. “We made this experiment last year and it was well received by the audience. This time we will repeat it but with different composition” , said the Festival Music Director.

He also noted that the thirteenth Festival’s run would lack the annual Spasskaya Tower Festival Audiences Choice Award, but the Festival Directorate would give special gifts to all the participants. Currently all the bands are intensively rehearsing at their bases. The rehearsals on Red Square will begin about August 20.