The Vologda Drama Theatre hosted a concert by the Ensemble, dedicated to Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War

Vologda is an ancient city in the north of Russia. It is hard to imagine that this city on the banks of the Vologda River is the same age as Moscow – it was founded in 1147.

During these spring days, Vologda hosts numerous events dedicated to Victory Day.

One of the central events of the festive events held in Vologda was the concert of the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, which took place on May 7, 2021, and was dedicated to the celebration of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War.

There were no seats available at the Vologda Drama Theatre. The guests of the festive concert included veterans of the Great Patriotic War, home front workers, representatives of the city administration, and public organizations.

The Governor of the Vologda Region, Oleg Kuvshinnikov, addressed the audience with a welcoming speech.

"Residents of Vologda made a worthy contribution to the common cause of Victory, 340 thousand of our countrymen fought on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War, produced ammunition and uniforms in the rear, supplied the front with food, helped the wounded. A low bow and gratitude to our veterans, home front workers and those who were caught in the war as a child. Thanks to you, the country has regained its economic, political and military power. I am sure that we will preserve the memory of this great feat for future generations, " Oleg Kuvshinnikov said in his speech.

At the beginning of the festive concert, the song "The Sacred War" (music by A. Alexandrov, lyrics by V. Lebedev-Kumach) was performed. The concert featured songs from the war years, including "The Artillerymen's March," "The Song of the Russian Soldier," "The Frontline Driver's Song," and others, performed by the choir and orchestra of the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation under the direction of the artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev.

The audience really enjoyed the medley from the repertoire of Leonid Utyosov performed by Honored Artists of Russia Natalia Eliseeva and Alexey Dmitriev, Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Alexander Vdovenko, soloists Pavel Pushkin and Mikhail Zaraev. The original performance of the popular song "I'll Take You to the Tundra" (music by M. Fradkin, lyrics by M. Plyatskovsky, soloists: Honored Cultural Workers of the Republic of Buryatia Ruslan Samozhapov and Norpol Tsydenov) did not leave anyone indifferent.

The audience was especially warm to the performance of the song about Moscow "The Best City on Earth" (composer - A. Babadzhanyan, poet - L. Derbenyov) by the ensemble's soloist, Honored Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva.

The ensemble's ballet group performed the dance composition "Home with Victory," the sailor dance "Yablochko," and the vocal and choreographic composition "Kalinka."

The festive concert traditionally ended with the song “Victory Day” by the composer David Tukhmanov on the lyrics of Vladimir Kharitonov, performed by the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation. The audience warmly thanked the artists with prolonged applause. But the audience was in for another musical gift – the song “Vologda” by the composer B.Mokrousov on the lyrics of M.Matusovsky, which has long been an unofficial anthem of the ancient city. Together with the soloist, Honored Artist of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Alexander Kokhov and the ensemble's choir, this song was sung by all the audience in the hall. The audience did not let the famous Rosgvardia ensemble leave the stage for a long time.