This Monday, August 25, the fourth show of the Spasskaya Tower Military Tattoo unfolded on Red Square. Shoreless Blue Sea and Endless Prairies were featured in the music sketches presented by the Central Band of the Russian Navy named after Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and the Mongolian Military Song and Dance Academic Ensemble.
Dedicated to children, the program crafted by the Navy ensemble featured songs by Isaac Dunaevsky. Sounds of marches and waltzes were masterfully intertwined with several drilling elements and regrouping patterns. Performing in the so called military defile genre, the Band of the Russian Navy presented the audiences different stepping rhythms, and such drilling elements as the ‘comb’ and the ‘snake’. As all know, the devil is in the details, the same is true of a military defile where everything is ought to be thought out.
Wrapping this very kind and gentle performance were the Young Alexandrovs Art Studio of the A. V. Alexandrov Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army. These young boys and girls stepped onto the cobblestones of Red Square in the optic white uniform that contrasted dramatically with the black uniform of the orchestra. Under the lead of Choirmaster Oksana Shorokhova, they performed the well-known Song about a Captain from the Children of Captain Grant movie. The sketch was choreographically framed by a waltz created by Maria Kolmakova, a two-time Dance World Champion.
“We have spent a whole year preparing for the Festival. First we choose the idea, and then goes the music. We try to pick up compositions that none of our colleagues have chosen. Besides, they need to reflect our character”, said Captain 2nd Rank Valentin Lyaschenko, Head of the Navy Band. “The choice is also limited, since our performance is a military defile, and all the pieces chosen need to be specifically orchestrated”, he added. This year’s concept was based on the idea that children were the future of Russia, its Navy and Armed Forces. “We opted for music by Isaac Dunaevsky who in 2025 would have celebrated his 125th birthday. Many of his works also echo the theme of this year’s tattoo, the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War. He composed a plethora of pieces that were performed during the war”, said Lyaschenko.
In turn, the Mongolian Military Song and Dance Ensemble presented a breathtaking spectacle, featuring a dazzling array of music pieces and intricate choreography set against the stunning backdrop of Saint Basil Cathedral. Representing the ‘land of the endless blue sky’, our Mongolian guests introduced the audiences to a plethora of folklore songs paying tribute to all the defenders of the Motherland.
The performance kicked off with a Mongolian military march composed by Luvsanzhambyn Murdorj. The piece tells the story of the Mongolian army securing victory in the People's Revolution of 1911, when Outer Mongolia gained de facto independence from the Qing Empire and the Republic of China. However, when the band started performing the Dunaevsky On the Road to Berlin song, the stands erupted with cheers.
“Taking part in the Festival that unfolds in the very heart of Russia, on Red Square, is a unique opportunity to meet our fellow colleagues, from musicians and dancers to conductors and choreographers, and share experience”, highlighted Nyamzhavyn Orgilbayar, member of the ensemble. “Our program comprises both Russian and Mongolian compositions that pay tribute to valiant feasts of the artists taking part in WWII”.
The Seventeenth Spasskaya Tower Festival is unfolding on the cobblestones of Moscow’s Red Square between August 22 and 31. The tattoo’s overwhelming production enjoys the unwavering organizational and/or financial support of the Russian Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and Moscow Government Department of Culture.
Tickets for the Seventeenth Spasskaya Tower International Military Tattoo are available for sale on the Festival official website (spasstower.ru), with prices starting from 1600 Rub.
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