Festive concert of the Ensemble in the hero city of Novorossiysk

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 Viktor Eliseev, continues its grand concert tour in the cities of southern Russia. The Ensemble's annual May tours have become a well-established tradition. The artists of this renowned ensemble bring their art to the Russian people as a tribute to the years of harsh military trials and as a sign of gratitude to the generations that won the victory.

In 2023, the Ensemble celebrates its 50th anniversary since its foundation. On the eve of this glorious anniversary, the Ensemble's team is filled with creative inspiration and a desire to delight audiences with their art. Today, on May 14, 2023, the Rosgvardia Ensemble of Song and Dance held a concert in the Hero City of Novorossiysk.

Novorossiysk occupies a special place among the hero cities. The defense of Malaya Zemlya is one of the heroic pages of the Great Patriotic War. Malaya Zemlya is a piece of land located south of Novorossiysk, heroically held by a landing force of Soviet sailors for a long 225 days – until the complete liberation of the city. For the steadfastness, courage and heroism shown by the defenders of Novorossiysk during the Great Patriotic War, the city was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. The great feat of the defenders of Novorossiysk will live in the memory of many generations.

Among those who gathered at the Novorossiysk City Theatre today were veterans of the Great Patriotic War, home front workers, labor veterans, representatives of public organizations, and young residents of Novorossiysk. The concert was also attended by Andrey Vasilyevich Kravchenko, Head of the Municipal Formation of Novorossiysk, Alexander Vladimirovich Reshetnikov, Head of the Main Directorate of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation for the Krasnodar Territory, and Yuri Aleksandrovich Agafonov, Head of the Control and Accounts Chamber of the Krasnodar Territory.

The program of today's concert was based on songs about the Great Patriotic War, and they were accompanied by military newsreels displayed on a large screen.

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

The audience warmly received the musical compositions, beloved by several generations of Russians, performed by the choir, orchestra and soloists of the Ensemble, such as " Song of Frontline Correspondents "(M. Blanter – K. Simonov, soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan Alexey Kholyavko), "Russia Free" (A. Novikov – S. Alymov, soloist-Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Volzhanin), "Smuglyanka" (A. Novikov – Ya. Shvedov, soloist – Mikhail Mamonov), Russian folk song " Skakal Kazak "(soloist-Dmitry Dolgiy), Russian romance "Ne dlya me" (N. Devitte – A. Molchanov, soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Igor Safonov), Ukrainian folk song "Unhitch your horses, lads" (soloist-Kirill Nikitin).

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 sparkling dance compositions "Home with Victory," "Cossack Dance," and the sailor's dance "Yablochko," performed by the Ensemble's ballet group, elicited a wave of emotions from the audience.

People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva soulfully performed the lyrical song "Give Me a Handkerchief," written by composer Grigory Ponomarenko and set to the lyrics of Margarita Agashina.

One of the distinctive features of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the National Guard is that there is always a place for good humor and funny jokes in its repertoire. The humorous song "I'm Taking You to the Tundra" by composer Mark Fradkin and poet Mikhail Plyatskovsky, performed by the Ensemble's soloists, Honored Cultural Workers of the Republic of Buryatia Ruslan Samozhapov and Norpol Tsydenov, is one of the audience's favorite concert numbers.

The audience was also delighted by 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 audience did not want to part with the Ensemble's performers for a long time, thanks to their continuous applause. A pleasant surprise for our team was a congratulation from the participants of the All-Russian Children's and Youth Patriotic Movement "Yunarmiya," who presented the performers with flowers and a large festive cake.

The concert was conducted by the Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Honored Artist of Russia Igor Shustikov.