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Official website of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival
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Official website of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival
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ru en
Official website of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival
2 September 2017

Russian melodies from foreign friends

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Anniversary edition of Х International Military Music Festival «Spasskaya Tower» in 2017 welcomed participants from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Military and musical, folk and horse bands demonstrated to the public their national cultural and military traditions, and especially for the Russian audience the foreign guests perform compositions of Russian authors.

 «Spasskaya Tower» is an impressive and big show. The main show at the Red Square, let alone the concerts organized at the parks and railway stations, will attract around 75 thousand spectators within 10 days. Total number of artists who participate in the Festival is around 1.500 people.

 «Spasskaya Tower» in the first place is an international military and musical project, this is why every national band performs its national anthem, - says Colonel Timofey Mayakin, Head of the Military Orchestra Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. - Apart from that, the bands play national and pop songs, parts of operas, music from movies, and some of the participants play songs familiar to the Russians, who are the main audience of the Festival. We never know beforehand the exact program of out guests, it is for them to choose what to perform».

For instance, this year the legendary Russian military song «Katyusha» by composer Matvey Blanter was performed twice - by the Turkish Armed Forces Mehteran Unit and the Egyptian Military Symphonic Band. The famous «Kalinka» by Ivan Larionov, which is considered a national song by many people in Russia, was performed by the Swiss band Top Secret Drum Corps.

The Band of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus performed «Belovezhskaya Puscha» («Belavezha Forest») written by Aleksandra Pakhmutova, the song which used to be popular in the Soviet Union in the mid 70’s. Melody written by Andrey Petrov «Ya shagau po Moskve» («I’m walking across Moscow») from 1963 movie of the same title was performed by the Band of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan and the Carabinieri bands from Rome. Our Italian guests even sang it in Russian!

Stefano Pittero, the musician who performed the Russian song, said: «This is a song about friendship, love and hopes of young people, about their love to Moscow, their home city! I have been learning this song all the summer day and night, because the Russian language is quite difficult. In order to understand and feel it better I was watching three different videos of this song, including the one from the movie. Now I can say that it is my heart and in my blood. When I sing it at «Spasskaya Tower» I feel the warm welcome of the audience, hear their applause and it helps me a lot!»

«These songs are a part of our national heritage. Although the foreign music played at the Festival is truly beautiful, professional and inspiring, our hearts are touched in a special way when we hear the melodies of our and our parents’ youth, - says Ekaterina Gerasimova from Moscow, who visited the 7th show 0f the Festival this Friday, - it’s so touching! Big thanks to the participants for demonstrating their skills and paying attention to the public!»

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