The second night show of the Sixteenth Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival took place in Moscow on August 24. The cobblestones of Red Square were pounded by the honor guard units of Russia and Belarus, who displayed all their arms and ground drilling skills.
Tribute to the Defenders of the Motherland reads the maxim of the 2024 Festival, and artists, military musicians and members of the honor guard from Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, Guinea, Egypt, China, Thailand, Turkey and South Africa have gathered on Red Square to present their own interpretations.
With the Spasskaya Tower chimes hitting 8 o’clock sharp, the young trumpeter started off the Saturday night show. The sounds of Boris Diev Soldier’s Friendship march paved the way for the military men of the President’s Band of the Moscow Kremlin Commandant Office of the Federal Guard Service of Russia who hit the cobblestones of Red Square with mind-boggling precision. Over a period of more than one hundred years, the President’s Band has been the nation’s premier ensemble, performing at all state official occasions of the highest level. The group’s musicians have a wide range of musical styles, spanning from Russian ancient tunes to world-famous classics.
This year the President Band put together a program featuring pieces by great Russian composers like Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Arranged in a peculiar way, they have been perfectly adapted to the arms and ground drilling act staged by the Honor Guard Unit of the Presidential Regiment.
Having no par in the world, the military men wowed the audiences with their incredible precision and unprecedented coordination. They also showed several new elements featuring the labyrinth, the fireworks and the clock. The honor guard performed more than 20 different drills to the standing ovations of the crowd.
“The Spasskaya Tower Festival is a remarkable artistic manifestation that commemorates both national heritage and international cultures. It promotes cultural exchanges and brings together a variety of participants from different countries. So, they can learn more about each other's traditions, histories and national features, and tell the audiences about them. This year the Festival has once again attracted an array of participants from all corners of the globe, all united by the power of music”, noted Colonel Evgeniy Nikitin, Head of the President’s Band.
Following in the footsteps of the masters of the Russian honor guard, it was the Honor Guard Unit of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus turn to conquer the stands on Red Square. They stepped onto the cobblestones of Red Square together with the Exemplary Band of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Spasskaya Tower Festival. Also, we have never been to such a fancy event before”, said Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Syaber who is in charge of the band. “We have brought to Moscow some of the finest pieces of Belarus music, still with a modern twist”, said the musician.
The crowds were impressed by the members of the Belarus honor guard who demonstrated different patterns such as the scissors, the clock, the comb and even the butterfly. Several of these elements were created specifically for the Festival, with a limited amount of time remaining for training. Nonetheless, the military personnel have exerted their utmost effort in delivering a flawless performance in Moscow.
The evening also featured performances by the Central Military Band of the Russian MoD, the Admiralty Band of the Leningrad Naval Base, the Central Band of the Russian Border Guard Service, the Combined Band of the EMERCOM of Russia accompanied by the Honor Guard Unit, the 23d Military Band of Leningrad Military District and others.
A compelling medley of the world renowned classics was performed by the tatoo’s combined band which, as a long-standing tradition, was led by Major General Timofey Mayakin, Music Director of the Festival and Chief Military Conductor of Russia. To the sounds of standing ovations and emotionally evoking Farewell of Slavianka musicians and artists left the square, calling it a day.
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 12 am to 9 pm.
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