The ensemble will take part in the 32nd International Art Festival "April Spring" (April 10-20, 2022, DPRK, Pyongyang)

The April Spring International Art Festival of Friendship and Art is traditionally held in the capital of the DPRK, Pyongyang, every two years. The festival is dedicated to the most significant holiday of the Korean people, the Day of the Sun (April 15). The purpose of the festival is to promote friendship and cooperation between cultural and artistic figures from around the world.

The April Spring Festival of Friendship and Art was first held in April 1982 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the birth of the great leader of the Korean people, Comrade Kim Il Sung.

In different years, the festival was attended by outstanding figures of Russian culture and art, world-famous creative groups: People's Artists of the USSR Lyudmila Zykina and Iosif Kobzon, People's Artist of Russia Larisa Dolina, the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia named after E.F. Svetlanov, the Great Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble named after Igor Moiseyev, artists of Rosgostsirk, and others.

The Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation under the direction of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev was a repeated participant and winner (Grand Prix) of the April Spring Festival. The famous military band is well known and loved in the DPRK – the ensemble has repeatedly toured in this country at the personal invitation of the head of the republic, Kim Jong Il.

This year, due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the 32nd International Art Festival "April Spring", dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the birth of the great leader of the Korean people, Kim Il Sung, is being held remotely for the first time. On January 18, 2022, a video recording of the concert program by the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation was held at the Zaryadye Concert Hall for participation in the festival.

The concert program was opened by the Korean Workers' Party's march "Song about Kim Il Sung" (music by Kim Won-gyun, lyrics by Lee Chang-han, performer – People's Artist of Russia Grigory Pinyasov). The work was performed in Korean.

The inclusion of songs in the national languages of foreign countries in the ensemble's repertoire is one of the distinctive features of the collective's work. This concert program was no exception – in Korean, the song "Heartful Desires", dedicated to the highest leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-un, was performed masterfully by the soloist of the Ensemble, Honored Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, and "Song about Commander Kim Jong-il", brilliantly performed by the choir accompanied by the Ensemble's orchestra.

The Korean audience is very demanding. They know and love both world music classics and folk songs, as well as works by Soviet composers. Such concert numbers as the Kalaf aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot" performed by the Ensemble's soloist, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Volzhanin, the patriotic song "Glory" to the music of Mikhail Glinka from the opera "Life for the Tsar (Ivan Susanin) "(performed by the Ensemble's choir), the lyricist of the song" Glory " will undoubtedly be a great gift for the Korean audience.- patriotic song "You are my Russia" (music by Serafim Tulikov, lyrics by Sergey Ostrovoy, soloist – Honored Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva), romantic song" My Joy Lives "(M. Shishkin – S. Ryskin, soloist – Honored Artist of Russia Alexander Lukashevich), military songs: march" Farewell of the Slavs " (V. Shishkin-S. Ryskin, soloist-Honored Artist of Russia Alexander Lukashevich). Agapkin – A. Fedotov), " Song of the gunners "(T. Khrennikov – V. Gusev), "Song of the frontline driver" (B. Mokrousov – B. Laskin, N. Labkovsky, soloist – Vitaly Gerasimenko), Russian folk songs: "Along the Peter Street" (soloist – Honored Artist of Russia Viktor Gromov) and "Kamarinskaya" (performed by a quartet of balalaika players), the Ukrainian folk song "Unhitch the Horses, Boys" (soloist - Kirill Nikitin), a unique musical symbol of the peoples of the Far North "I'll Take You to the Tundra" (M. Fradkin - M. Plyatskovsky, performed by Honored Artists of Russia Ruslan Samozhapov and Norpol Tsydenov), and other works.

Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation Sin Hong Chol cordially thanked the head of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev, for his excellent performance, and expressed his hope for further cooperation in the field of culture and art to strengthen the friendly relations between our countries.