This Friday, August 23, Moscow welcomed the long-awaited return of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival. Held for the sixteenth time, the event crowns the end of summer season in Russia’s capital, awarding all the guests ten unforgettable night shows. Tribute to the Defenders of the Motherland reads the maxim of the 2024 Festival run, and artists, military musicians and members of the honor guard from far and wide have gathered on Red Square to showcase their own narratives.
Participants from Russia as well as Belarus, Venezuela, Guinea, Egypt, China, Thailand, Turkey and South Africa, all in all 17 homegrown and 11 foreign artistic ensembles hit the stage beneath the walls of the Moscow Kremlin embracing the spirit of joy and friendship among nations.
The Military Band of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was the first foreign participant to step onto the cobblestones of Red Square. Precisely drilled and perfectly synchronized movements immediately draw everyone’s attention. But when the sounds of the Russian popular song Kalinka filled the square, the stands went hilarious singing with the Chinese soloist along. With the performance reaching its end, musicians literally out of nowhere brought on stage several huge traditional Chinese drums to perform a very popular national march, The Army and the People in Unity.
According to the band’s leader, Senior Colonel Niu Xuesong, the ensemble’s repertoire includes music pieces by Russian and Chinese composers that reflects the strong friendship between Moscow and Beijing.
“We have brought to Moscow a very rich program encompassing pieces by Russian and Chinese authors, for example famous Kalinka and Farewell of Slavianka. If we talk about the Chinese compositions, we will be performing The March of Steel Units composed by Lee Xuhao to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China which is very famous in my country. We have also brought along big Chinese drums”, noted Senior Colonel Niu Xuesong.
The Central Military Band of the Russian Ministry of Defense as usual stole the stage and everyone's attention. Dressed in black-and-gold parade uniform, musicians presented a brilliantly put together open ground or platz concert, however with a traditional twist. This time it was the choice of repertoire featuring a vibrant medley of popular children songs about friendship. The Central Military Band performance was all about positive music and lively dances, with the Bandmaster Colonel Sergey Durygin riding a bike on the cobblestones to uphold the overall joyful mood. The episode illustrated a scene from a very popular Soviet cartoon about Leopold, the Cat, where the main hero, the cat, wanted to live in peace and unity with two mice, and every episode he uttered the famous phrase “Let be friends and live in peace”.
The night also featured performances by the President’s Band of the Moscow Kremlin Commandant’s Office accompanied by the Honor Guard Unit of the Presidential Regiment, the Admiralty Band of the Leningrad Naval Base, the Central Band of the Russian Border Guard Service and others.
As a long-standing tradition, the tatoo’s combined band was led by Major General Timofey Mayakin, Music Director of the Festival and Chief Military Conductor of Russia, and performed a compelling medley of the world renowned classics. To the sounds of standing ovations and emotionally evoking Farewell of Slavianka musicians and artists left the square, calling it a day.
Among the guests of honor, the Spasskaya Tower Festival welcomed Ambassadors Jesus Rafael Salazar Velasquez of Venezuela and Nazih Ali Bahaaeldin Elnaggary of Egypt.
Scale, audience and impact wise, the Spasskaya Tower Festival has no par, every year being recognized as the most prominent international cultural event in Russia, as well as being ranked among the world’s best top three military tattoos. It’s being 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, and enjoying the long-standing support of the Russian MoD, MFA and Moscow’s Department of Culture.
This year’s Festival is being carried out with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
Tickets for the Tattoo are available via the Festival official website (www.spasstower.ru) and the Festival’s ticket office on Manezhnaya Square near the 1812 War Museum. The ticket office is open daily, from 11 am to 8 pm on Mondays through Fridays, and from 12 am to 9 pm on weekends.
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