Flying in immortality … or live, my favorite ensemble!

03.05.2017

On the run-up of the Victory Day, the most dear holiday for every Russian, when thousands and thousands of our compatriots walk around the Red Square with a stately gait and carry the portraits of their Grandfathers-Heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, I would like to recall and remember our tragically dead Alexandrov – colleagues in a TU-154 plane crash in the Sochi area on December 25, 2016, who died in a combat position, fulfilling their duty to the Motherland. By this I want to pay tribute to the Memory of wonderful people who have now left us, with whom I was lucky to work in the same team, in the legendary Twice Red Banner …

It is hard to realize, it’s hard to accept that our friends are no longer among us, that the celebration of Victory Day this year will pass without their participation, and other artists, new Aleksandrov-artists, will participate in the concert programs – people, who have put their shoulders in a difficult moment for collective. But the Red Banner-colleagues, who have gone untimely, gone on their last trip, and on these holydays for every Russian will be near us, in our grateful hearts, the hearts of colleagues, friends, relatives, and their loyal fans. I thank them for being so sincerely loving their viewers, their listeners. Addressing to the minds and hearts of their fans, admirers of high art, our dead colleagues tried to invest their contribution in strengthening relations between people in order to bring nations and peoples closer together. They generously gave their unlimited talent, powerful energy – all the heat of their soul to their beloved audience, shaking its imagination and evoking delight with their brilliant performances. These wonderful people, surprisingly modest, and at the same time, real masters of performing art, whom I was lucky to know personally, have done a lot for the Motherland. With unforgettable concerts, they performed in front of our compatriots in all its corners, including the most distant ones, on its entire boundless expanse, both in its large and small cities, and in garrisons in front of our servicemen, and also represented Russia abroad, for all continents, thus contributing to the promotion of a positive image of our country. Words by A.S. Pushkin “… the verb burn the hearts of people” was the main principle in their lives! They all remain in our hearts as the best of people!

For the Red Banners, the main life principle has always been and is selfless service to the Motherland. People with a keen sense of patriotism, people passionately striving to give all their purest thoughts, the whole fire of their soul to the righteous cause of the struggle for peace and mutual understanding between nations, between people of different skin color and cut eyes, come to this illustrious team. Alexandrov-artists are doing everything possible in their place, everything that is only in their power so that in the world of people there always reigns mutual friendship, respect, sincere and deep interest in culture, history and achievements of each other, so that nowhere and never on the planet there was a war!

Now our colleagues, other wonderful people – everyone who suddenly so shrilly left us in that viscous heavy mist of the harsh December morning of 2016 – will be forever joined the proud ranks of the Immortal Regiment of Russia. Their faces will not be forgotten, their works will not be forgotten!

It is on such Heroes that our young generation, the generation of future Heroes – the defenders of the Fatherland, will be equal.

I believed, I knew for sure and now is very pleased that the Double Red Banner of the Order of the Red Star Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after Alexandrov has been restored and revived! Though I understand that there are still many important tasks ahead to accomplish so that the renewed team could feel the elbow next to each other. But our Aleksandrov-artists can do it, they will cope, they can do everything and this is on the shoulders! New, very talented people came to the team.

They are highly skilled artists. With the help of the ensemble’s leadership, the Red Banner-artists carried out a serious, painstaking work on mastering the concert repertoire. And now the revived ensemble of February 16, 2017 with the concert program for the first time entered the biggest stage of Europe, the stage of the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army! The success was overwhelming, many viewers could not hold back tears.

Opening the concert, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Nikolai Pankov said: “I am sure that new voices will give a powerful impetus to the development of the ensemble and at the same time increase the glorious traditions of the main creative team of the Russian Army.”

And for this, the legendary team has everything: the richest experience of successful work, accumulated over decades, tradition, creativity, and most importantly, the spirit of the ensemble itself that many beloved and preserved by their beloved old-timers, the elders of Alexandrov choir, who stood at the beginnings when it was still beginning:

This is the grandson of the founder of a distinguished team, Evgeny Vladimirovich Alexandrov, a former instrumentalist of the ensemble, and now a keeper of not only the museum of the Red Banners, but also of memory; as well as, in previous years, the soloist of the choir Aleksandrovtsev, and today its chief administrator, Honored Artist of Russia Viktor G. Kadinov.

With many years of experience working in a team and, as they say, in a duty, his brilliant conductors: appointed to lead the ensemble Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Colonel Gennady Sachenyuk and Honored Artist of Russia, Captain 2nd Rank Nikolai Kirillov.

Summarizing everything said, live, my beloved Ensemble, continue your Glorious Path in the name of Peace and Good! And the dead colleagues will remain forever in our hearts …

Happy Renaissance!

With the Great Victory!

Soloist of the Twice Red Banner Order of the Red Star of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Russian Army named after A.V. Alexandrov of past years, the winner of international and all-Russian competitions, Natalia Ustinovich