Moscow’s Red Square welcomed the final show of the Sixteenth Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival. Eleven days of joyful music, vivid dances, bright colors, and stunning open-air performances flew by in a blink of an eye.
In 2024, the Spasskaya Tower International Military Tattoo envisaged to invoke and promote such crucial values as patriotism and affection for the native country. Therefore, this year’s run paid homage to all those who had been bravely fighting for their homeland, and who still were. Throughout the show the cobblestones of Red Square saw artists representing military men of various epochs, from Peter the Great to present-days.
“We have been staging the Spasskaya Tower Festival for sixteen years, and it’s an impressive figure. The Festival is already a tradition, by the way”, shared his impressions Mr Sergey Khlebnikov, Artistic Director of the Spasskaya Tower Tattoo. “We are always anxious while getting ready for the Festival and worry whether the audiences will like it or not. This time was not different. But we also had to take into consideration the current social and political situation both at home and abroad. Therefore, we wanted to remain loyal to our Festival’s traditions and still encompass the present-day situation. We decided against picking out a single historic date and honor all the people who made the choice of fighting for their country, especially nowadays. It’s out of our power to choose the time we are living in, but we can live with dignity”, added Mr Khlebnikov.
About thirty artistic teams from Russia and eight foreign states have become part of the 2024 Spasskaya Tower Festival, with attendance hitting an impressive 72k people, and about a million watching the tattoo online.
“I can already state that the sixteenth Spasskaya Tower Festival has been a success”, stated Mr Sergey Smirnov, Head of the Spasskaya Tower Festival Directorate. According to him, the organizers managed to present a fairly good cast featuring some of the best Russian and foreign military music bands and artistic ensembles. “Our guests from abroad traveled to Moscow to narrate their own unique stories full of exotic dances, national tunes and bright colors. And it’s the blend of Russian and foreign cultures that turns the tattoo’s night show into the gasp-inducing display that we all may witness on Red Square. By the they, I’d like to pay tribute to this year’s audiences. They have been particularly welcoming this time. So, let me jump to the conclusion and declare that we all have really missed the Spasskaya Tower Festival”, highlighted Mr Smirnov.
As a collection of awe-inspiring performances, the Spasskaya Tower Festival awarded all its guests and participants an unforgettable feeling of happiness and togetherness which is as important as it has never been. And it all happened due to the incredible and positive atmosphere within the artistic teams as well as well-coordinated work of the organizers.
Night after night some of the best creative teams from home and abroad wowed the packed crowds receiving standing ovations. The stands were both moved and moving. People were singing and sincerely greeting all the artists.
Merging the traditional elements the Tattoo is known and loved for, with modern twists and fresh, creative elements, the organizers assembled a wonderfully varied international cast, featuring the Great Military Band of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela “Supreme Commander Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias”, the first all-woman band from Guinea, the Amazons of Guinea, the South African Air Force Band, the Military Symphonic Band of Egypt, the Military Band of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the Benchamatheputhit Phetchaburi School Marching Band from Thailand, the Inegol Mehter Historic Military Band together with the Masters Kilic-Kalkan Dance Group from Turkey, as well as the Exemplary Band of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus accompanied by the Honor Guard Unit and Song and Dance Ensemble. They all brought to life dynamic and emotionally expressive acts narrating the stories of their nations’ glory and traditions.
“All of us are already feeling a little bit tired, but the warm feelings we experience when interacting with the audiences, makes this fatigue disappear. The festival is planned in such a way that all the participants constantly communicate with each other that gives the opportunity for cultural exchanges and building friendship between nations. Taking part in the Spasskaya Tower Festival is important to us both in the context of culture and human relationship”, said Divisional General Gabriel Antonio Santeliz Sánchez, Head of the Delegation.
In a dazzling display of lights, dance, music, color and precision, the Show brought together different nations and even continents. Everyone was genuinely impressed by Russia’s hospitality and Moscow’s aesthetics, and all agreed that the Festival was a success.
“We believe that the Festival managed to achieve its goal. First of all, the organizers brought together different nations to perform on Red Square, and managed to tune us so well that we became a united band playing in coordination. Then, the organizers gathered in Moscow a very varied cast with different artistry and music traditions, but lined up the program in such a way that the evening display turned out to be a coherent and stunning spectacle. Besides, we made a lot of friends. It’s a pretty rare chance, but we used it to the full”, commented the head of the Guinean delegation.
Along its eleven days the Festival also welcomed some of the Russian best wind bands representing both the military and law enforcement, including the President’s Band of the Moscow Kremlin Commandant’s Office and the Honor Guard Unit of the Presidential Regiment, the Central Military Band of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Central Border Guard Ensemble of the Federal Security Service of Russia, the Combined Band and the Honor Guard Unit of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the Combined Police Band of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Admiralty Band of the Leningrad Naval Base, the 23d Military Band of the Leningrad Military District, the Suvorov Cadet Band of the Moscow Military Music College named after Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov and the Girls Drumming Band of the All-Girls Boarding School of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.
The eleven days flew by in an instance for the youngest and very talented festival participants from the Suvorov Cadet Band. According to the kids, the feeling of anxiety and weariness immediately went away when they were getting ready to pound the cobblestones of Red Square, and show the audiences their performance. “The Festival is all about positive emotions. We made a lot of new friends, and gained much experience and knowledge. We are very excited and happy to be part of this grand event. When stepping on Red Square, you completely forget about the fatigue, and go out to experience these unprecedented emotions”, highlighted Vice Sergeant Damian Zelenevich, member of the Suvorov Cadet Band.
The Spasskaya Tower Festival hosted about 1500 musicians, with the tattoo’s combined band performing a compelling medley of the world renowned classics to wrap up the grand finale.
“The 2024 Spasskaya Tower Festival turned out to be a huge success, especially reaction-wsie. The stands were full, with the crowds cheerfully welcoming all the artists. It is for sure the ultimate quality mark of any major event”, commented Major General Timofey Mayakin, Music Director of the Festival and Head of the Military Band Service of the Russian Armed Forces. “I would like to highlight the grand finale of the evening show that featured a compelling medley of the world renowned classics performed by the tatoo’s combined band. Each time we first develop the idea behind the medley, and then we move forward, compiling the short list of compositions. Once we even played and sang songs, the whole act resembled karaoke. In 2022, when Russia faced such a phenomenon as canceling culture, we went for music pieces exclusively by Russian authors. This time we decided to pay homage to Russian and foreign world-renowned composers, including Bach, Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev”, he added.
To the sounds of standing ovations and emotionally evoking Farewell of Slavianka musicians and artists left the square, calling it a day.
The Spasskaya Tower Festival is 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 that upholds the most creative and relevant artistic and cultural projects.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU NEXT YEAR!
