The Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Conquered the Hearts of the Finnish Audience

Over ten military music bands from eight countries have come to a small Finnish bastion town of Hamina to show their professional skills and compete in this improvised music battle for the hearts of the wind music admirers at the Hamina Tattoo International Military Music Festival.

On Tuesday, July 31, within the Festival’s program the Spirit of Hamina joint concert was held on the Manege Hall of Reserve Officers School. The event consisted of two parts featuring performance of the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the first act and performance of the Royal Marines Band from Great Britain in the second act.

Musicians were enthusiastically welcomed by the public. After the first act many of the deeply moved audience approached the members of the Central Military Band to thank them for their wonderful performance and ask to take photos.

The Russian ensemble started their concert program with Festive Overture by Shostakovich, followed by the waltz from the Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky. With a thunder of applause the public welcomed a very tender Song of Eliza from My Fair Lady musical performed by the brilliant leading singer of the band Natalia Manulik, Honored Artist of the Dagestan and Khakasiya republics. Adjourning performance of the Russian band, a pleasant surprise awaited not only the audience and organizers of the Festival but the British musicians as well. The Head of the Royal Marines Band Captain Samuel Hairsine was invited to take place at the conductor’s stand and under his direction the Russian musicians accompanied by the unstoppable applause of the public performed as an encore the world’s best-known songs Katusha and Kalinka.

“The success of our Spirit of Hamina joint concert is a remarkable proof that military bands have infinite possibilities, that they conquer hearts of the public making them feel joy and sympathy together. The concert program that we have presented in Finland consists of music compositions that are filled with tenderness and kindness. And today we’ve sincerely shared these with our foreign friends. This joint Russian-British concert has once again showed that music unites peoples and enriches cultural relations and that music is the best diplomacy. We are very glad that this year we have so many opportunities to closely cooperate with British musicians. This concert is not the end of this cooperation. In less than a month within the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival young musicians of the Brentwood Imperial Youth Band will step onto the pavement of Red Square”, noted Head of the Central Military Band of the Russian Federation Honored Artist of Russia Colonel Sergey Durygin.

At the end of the music evening the bands from Russia and Great Britain performed together the composition Podmoskovnie Vechera.

To remind, the Hamina Tattoo International Military Music Festival is being held in the Finnish town of Hamina from July 31 to August 4.

During the whole week guests of the Festival will enjoy performances of various bands and at the end of it a gala concert — a grandiose marching show will be held in the Hamina Bastion.

At the Hamina Tattoo Festival-2018 Russia is being represented by the Central Military Band of the Russian Federation. The band takes part in key political, social and cultural events of Russia including its annual performance at the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival which is going to be held on Red Square, the very heart of Moscow, from August 24 to September 2, 2018.