The Military Bands in the City Parks carries on with its weekend music marathon, and now it’s time for Moscow’s Perovo Park to welcome the Combined Band of the Felix Dzerzhinsky Separate Operational Purpose Division of the National Guard Forces of Russia. This Saturday, July 12, at 4 pm musicians will treat all the visitors to a gleeful assembly of pieces by Russian and foreign composers.
Sounds of flowy classical waltzes and intriguing tangos will give way to vibrant jazz rhythms and
Formed by the order of the USSR Interior Ministry as part of the Felix Dzerzhinskiy Separate Special Purpose Motorized Rifle Division, the band’s history dates back to August of 1970. It’s worth noting that as the ensemble’s core lineup featured mainly conscripts, they were often engaged in performing regular military and combat duties alongside their music activities, e.g. taking part in different military ceremonies and rituals. Over the years due to hard training and arrival of new members the band’s performing skills have significantly improved.
The band’s achievement record scores participation in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Olympic Games and 1984 Friendship Competition. Since 1982 the ensemble musicians have regularly been spotted among the participants of military parades on Red Square. They have always performed within the Combined Band of the Moscow Garrison and singled out for their high precision drilling skills and outstanding performance. In 1985 they were engaged in the opening and closing ceremonies of the International Students and Youth Festival as well as performed on stage at various venues in the course of the event.
Nowadays the band’s record lists participation in the military parades held on Red Square as well as performances onstage of various city venues and festivals, including the Spasskaya Tower Military Tattoo.
Thus, we are looking forward to meeting you all this Saturday, July 12, at 4 pm (16:00) in Moscow’s Perovo Park. Entrance is free.
With the ongoing support of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Organizing Committee of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Tattoo continues its efforts to revive one of the most charming traditions of the past featuring military bands performing in parks and gardens, streets and alleys, and other iconic open air sites of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and now the City of Pskov as well.
The project, in essence, is a series of concerts staged by bands representing Russia’s military and law enforcement agencies, paving the way for the main events of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Tattoo.
In 2025, Moscow will welcome the seventeenth run of the Festival that will unfold on Red Square between August 22 and 31. Bringing together over 1500 artists from all corners of the globe, the Festival will honor the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War and pay tribute to all those valiantly defending their nations.