The members of the Great Military Band of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces “Supreme Commander Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias” couldn’t hide their excitement about the Spasskaya Tower Festival.
Senior Lieutenant Mexy Joel Quintero Rincon, Head of the Band, confessed that his ensemble had never taken part in such a big international festival.
"We are truly impressed by the organization, and we are enjoying every moment. We are even short of words to describe our emotions", said the bandmaster.
He also said that in Russia the musicians got a new experience—the orchestra usually plays while sitting and is not used to marching. "But we are practicing, and I hope that we can show everything we are capable of, and that the audience will appreciate our music, our performance, and won’t be disappointed", emphasized the musician.
According to Senior Lieutenant Mexy Joel Quintero Rincon, the Great Band of the Venezuelan Armed Forces has brought to Moscow a musical presentation that reflects the seven leading motives of their country. On the cobblestones of Red Square, the participants from Venezuela are performing music pieces imbued with traditional hues, such as the Indian and the Conquistador march, the Venezuela Flag, the Shining Firefly, Carmela, Guayana, the Little Bird, and Alma Llanera songs. Meanwhile, the sounds of the lively Viva, Venezuela song always stir the stands’ thundering ovations.
Following the order of Mr. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Minister of Defense of Venezuela, the Great Band of the Venezuelan Armed Forces was formed, featuring the best military musicians representing the Venezuelan Army, Navy, and Air Forces, the National Guard and Bolivarian Police.
The Venezuelan military musicians’ goal is to embody cultural values supported by the national armed forces. They aim at promoting Venezuelan military, traditional, and folklore music as well as showcasing all the variety of music's distinctive genres and rhythms at an international level.
It’s worth noting that the Great Military Band has vast experience of cultural and music exchanges with friendly countries. As part of the naval exercises, the ensemble visited the following countries: Martinique, Cuba, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Panama, Curaçao, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Colombia.
It’s a great honor for the musicians to make their debut at the Spasskaya Tower Festival and present the audiences in Moscow an outstanding blend of strict marching rhythms with Venezuelan folklore melodies, thus making a significant contribution to the friendly military and patriotic union between Russia and Venezuela.
The Festival is carried out following the Order of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, under the aegis of the Public Council headed by Mr. Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Moscow Department of Culture.
Photo: Anastasia Glybina, Georgiy Balasalev, Andrey Golovanov
