This year the Seventeenth Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival is happy to welcome back participants representing Europe. The Historic Flag-Wavers of the Contrade of Cori and the Police Orchestra of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Srpska hit the cobblestones of Red Square to wow the crowds. Moreover, multiple winner of international songs awards Fyodor Rytikov made a special guest appearance as the soloist of the Seventeenth Spasskaya Tower Tattoo.
Arriving directly from sunny Italy, the Historic Flag-Wavers of the Contrade of Cori stepped onto Red Square to the precise drumming and fanfares. Eye-catching outfits, sonorous rhythms, and spectacular flag throws recalled the atmosphere of distant times. The crowds went hilarious attentively following every move of the flag and enjoying the art of handling the banner. Seen now as a joyful and playful display, the action initially had a pure military connotation. The flagwavers preceded the troops and coordinated them through precise movements of the flag, with each movement being a codified military signal easily deciphered by the fellow soldiers and unknown to the foe.
The Italian guests gave a crowd goosebumps, stirring feelings of joy and celebration. Colorful flags flew high up in the sky, fluttered in the breeze, and were skilfully handled by the masters of the flag. Thundering drumming and precise acrobatic patterns provided additional visual highlights. The flag-wavers from Cori were leaving the Spasskaya Tower Festival stage to the standing ovations and enthusiastic Bravissimo exclamations.
“We have already taken part in the Spasskaya Tower Festival. It was in 2011 and 2014. We are very excited to be back. Our team has put together a special program that people in Moscow watch firsthand. We tried to make it as eye-catching and expressive as possible”, shared Mr Giancarlo Corbi, the team’s artistic director. The flags beautifully handled by the artists were the centerpiece. “They are produced in Italy and are handmade. The four colours, being yellow, blue, green and red, represent the districts of the city or contrade of Cori”, further explained Mr Corbi.
Our guests from the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) have also brought to Moscow a very authentic music sketch that aligns perfectly with the Festival leading theme of celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. The ensemble’s performance featured national marches of the epoch as well as several artistic formations. The crowds appreciated a show full of precision, wit, and charm awarding our European guests a handful of applause.
“We are very happy to be here today, at the Spasskaya Tower Festival. As a band, we are pretty much honored. We have brought to Moscow two of our most renowned marches, March on the Drina and March of the Kozar Partisans, which perfectly suit the theme of the 2025 Moscow’s tattoo. We hope that we have an opportunity to come back and once again perform at one of the best festival productions of the world”, said Maestro Dušan Pokrajčić, the band’s conductor.
The night also featured a special guest appearance of Fyodor Rytikov who is a good friend of the Spasskaya Tower Festival. One of the most popular participants of the Voice TV show on Russian Channel 1, he performed together with the Central Military Band of the Russian Ministry of Defense evoking the ultimate emotions of joy. Powerful yet gentle tenor, Fyodor Rytikov performed a very touching soldier song ‘On a Sunny Little Meadow’, composed by Vasily Soloviev-Sedoy during the Great Patriotic War.
“We have been partnering with the Central Military Band for almost nine years, so when I step on the cobblestones of Red Square with them I feel more than confident. However, the responsibility always remains very high”, commented the soloist. “The 2025 Festival is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and, to my mind, the song by Soloviev-Sedoy is an excellent choice. It saw light in 1943 and immediately turned a hit among everyone fighting for their Motherland”.
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 1800 Rub.
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