Festive concert in Tuapse dedicated to Victory Day

May is a special month for Russians. Every year in May, the country celebrates Victory Day with various events.

The annual May tours of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, led by the artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev, have become a well-established tradition. Our artists are loved and eagerly awaited in all Russian cities.

In 2023, the Ensemble celebrates its 50th anniversary since its founding. On the eve of this significant event, our team is committed to carrying the banner of Russian military music art with pride, fostering patriotism, pride in one's country, and enhancing the prestige of military service among the Russian people.

As part of the festive tour that began on May 9, 2023 in Krasnodar, the Ensemble successfully performed on May 11 in Armavir, and the next day, on May 12, our artists were welcomed in Tuapse, a large port city on the Black Sea coast and a city of military glory.

The Great Patriotic War is one of the most heroic periods in the centuries-old history of Tuapse. The war came to the city from its very first days, when Tuapse turned into a giant evacuation hospital. In the summer of 1942, the Tuapse port became the main naval base for the entire Black Sea group of Soviet troops. Thanks to the Tuapse defensive operation in August 1942, the enemy was stopped on the approaches to the Main Caucasian Range. Our losses in this battle amounted to more than one hundred thousand people. In May 1981, Tuapse was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class, for the courage and resilience shown by the city's workers during the Great Patriotic War.

On May 12, 2023, there were no empty seats in the hall of the Tuapse City Palace of Culture. The concert was attended by combat veterans, veterans of the Internal Service of the Russian Federation, and residents of the city. People of different ages came to experience the art of the renowned band. The concert was also attended by Kira Igorevna Nikolenko, the Acting Deputy Head of the City of Tuapse.

The concert program was based on songs about the Great Patriotic War, which were accompanied by footage from the war.

The concert opened with the performance of the People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva patriotic song "You, My Russia" (music by S. Tulikov, lyrics by S. Ostrovoy).

"Song of frontline correspondents "(M. Blanter – K. Simonov, soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan Alexey Kholyavko), Russian folk song "Skakal Kazak" (soloist-Dmitry Dolgiy), Russian romance "Not for me" (N. Devitte – A. Molchanov, soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Igor Safonov)"Russia free" (A. Novikov – S. Alymov, soloist-Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Volzhanin), Ukrainian folk song " Unhitch, lads, horses "(soloist-Kirill Nikitin), "Smuglyanka" (A. Novikov-Ya. Shvedov, soloist- Mikhail Mamonov) – these musical works are performed by the choir The audience listened with bated breath to the performance of the orchestra and soloists of the Ensemble.

The Suite on the themes of soldiers' songs was performed by soloists: Honored Artist of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Alexander Kokhov, Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Evgeny Yakhin, Alexey Bosykh, Mikhail Zaraev, Mikhail Mamonov, Igor Safonov, and Ruslan Abdrafikov, accompanied by the Ensemble's choir and orchestra.

The Vocal Octet of the Ensemble (headed by Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Sergey Bazylko) performed the song "I'll Go Out to the Field with a Horse at Night" (I. Matvienko - A. Shaganov).

The audience gave a standing ovation to the ballet group of the Ensemble, who performed sparkling dance compositions: "Home with Victory," "Cossack Dance," and the sailor's dance "Yablochko."

The audience did not let the Ensemble's soloist, People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, go off the stage for a long time. She performed the lyrical song "Give Me a Handkerchief" (music by Grigory Ponomarenko, lyrics by Margarita Agashina).

In the repertoire of the Ensemble, there is always a place for jokes and good humor. One of the concert numbers that the audience loves is the original performance by the Ensemble's soloists, Honored Cultural Workers of the Republic of Buryatia Ruslan Samozhapov and Norpol Tsydenov, of the humorous song "I'm Taking You to the Tundra" by composer Mark Fradkin and poet Mikhail Plyatskovsky.

The audience enthusiastically received the fiery performance of the vocal and dance composition "Gypsy Fantasy" (arranged by I. Golubev and I. Kadomtsev, soloists: Natalia Eliseeva, Alexey Dmitriev, Evgeny Nasonov).

The brilliant performance of the balalaika quartet (led by Ivan Stepanov) of the musical composition "Chairs" left no one indifferent.

The festive concert traditionally ended with the "Farewell to the Slavonic" march (V. Agapkin – V. Lazarev).

The grateful audience did not let their favorite artists go for a long time, giving them a long and loud round of applause.

The big tour dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance 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 Victor Eliseev, continues.