The Red Army Choir (Choir Aleksandrov) is a performing ensemble that served as the official army choir of the former Soviet Union's Red Army. The choir consists of a male choir, an orchestra, and a dance ensemble. The songs they perform range from Russian folk tunes to Church hymns, operatic arias and popular music; examples include "Katyusha", Kalinka ^{sample (help· info)}, "Kernina" and "Ave Maria". Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Red Army Choir has continued performing, entertaining audiences both inside and outside Russia. Red Army flag The Workers and Peasants Red Army (Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия, Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya; RKKA or usually simply the Red Army) were the armed forces first organized by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918 and that, in 1922, became the army of the Soviet Union. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... jus like my ass For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... Lidiya Ruslanova performing Katyusha song for Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War. ... Kalinka (Калинка in Cyrillic) might be the best-known Russian song of all time. ... Image File history File links Red_Army_Choir_-_Kalinka. ... Ave Maria (Latin: Hail, Maria or Hail, Mary) can refer to: The Hail Mary or Ave Maria, a prayer; also the time of day in Italy when the church bells toll. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ...

History

The Red Army Choir was formed out of Moscow's Central Army Club in 1928. Under the name Red Army Song Ensemble, twelve soldier-performers - a vocal octet, a bayan player, 2 dancers, and a reciter - officially performed for the first time on October 12, 1928, at the Frunze Club under the direction of their conductor, Alexander Alexandrov, a young music professor at the Moscow Conservatory. The program, entitled The 22nd Krasnodar Division in Song, consisted mainly of short musical scenes of military life, including Songs of the First Cavalry Army, The Special Far-Eastern Army, and Song About Magnitostroi. In 1929, the ensemble visited the far eastern lands of the U.S.S.R., entertaining the troops working on the Far Eastern Railway. With the goal of developing amateur art within the ranks of the army and to encourage soldiers' interest in good music, the ensemble grew to 300 performers by 1933, comprised of three different forces of a male choir, an orchestra, and an ensemble of dancers. The Choir of the Red Army of the U.S.S.R became known as a propagator of soviet songs, performing original compositions by composers such as Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi, Anatoli Novikov, Matvey Blanter, and Boris Mokrousov. In 1936, the choir was bestowed the Order of the Red Banner. Having traveled widely throughout the Soviet Union, from the arctic north to the sands of Tajikistan, the choir performed at the International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life held in 1937 in Paris, France; it won the Grand Prix, the highest honor bestowed by the jury. During World War II, the choir gave over 1500 performances at both soviet fronts, entertaining troops about to go into battle, at gun emplacements, airfields, and in hospitals. Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government  - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area  - City 1,081 km²  (417. ... In music, an octet is a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments or a musical composition written for it. ... See the accordion article for features of the bayan that are common to all accordions. ... jus like my ass For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... A conductor conducting a band at a ceremony A conductors score and batons Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. ... Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov (Александр Васильевич Александров) (1883-1946) was a Russian composer who created the musical score to the national anthem of both... Soviet redirects here. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Matvei Isaakovich Blanter (ru: Матвей Исаакович Блантер) (Pochep, near Bryansk, 10 February [O.S. 28 January] 1903 - Moscow 24 September 1990) was one of the most important composers of popular and film music in Russia. ... The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Battle Red Banner, better-known as the Order of the Red Banner (in Russian: Орден Крaсного Знамени Orden Krasnogo Znameni) on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War. ... The Soviet pavilion was crowned with a gigantic statue of Labourer and Kolkhoz Woman, by Vera Mukhina. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... // Grand Prix (IPA: ) (French for Grand Prize) may refer to: Formula One - which evolved from Grand Prix motor racing, events are still known as Grand Prix, see the list of Formula One Grands Prix Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing Speedway Grand Prix (motorcycle speedway) Eurovision Song Contest... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

After Alexandrov's death in 1946, Boris Alexandrov, his son, went on to succeed his father as musical director for the Choir. He led the Choir on worldwide tours, before finally retiring in 1987. He was succeeded by Igor Agafonnikov the same year, with Colonel Anatoly Maltsev as the ensemble chief. He retired his career as the principal conductor in 1994 and was succeeded by Victor Fedorov, the chorus master since 1986. Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

Today, the choir is led by Vyacheslav Korobko, who has been leading it since 2003.

Over the years, the Red Army Choir has collaborated with many popular artists & producers including David Foster, Jean-Jacques Goldman & Steve Barakatt. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Jean-Jacques Goldman (born October 11, 1951) is a French singer and songwriter. ... Steve Barakatt is a composer/producer/pianist/singer born in Quebec City, Canada on May 17, 1973. ...

Composition

Chorus

The choir, like other male choirs, consists of three vocal sections of tenor, baritone, and bass. In most of the pieces they perform, however, these sections are divided into even more sections, resulting in producing as many as eight different vocal lines. In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice. ... Baritone (French: baryton; Deutsch: Bariton; Italian: baritono) is most commonly the type of male voice that lies between bass and tenor. ... A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the deepest vocal range of the human voice. ...

Orchestra

The orchestra, in what became a typical composition for later generations of military ensembles in the Soviet Union, has a mixed composition of Russian traditional instruments and western instruments, including the balalaika, the domra, the bayan, the double bass, woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. Balalaika The balalaika (Russian: балала́йка; IPA ) is a stringed instrument of Russian origin, with a characteristic triangular body and 3 strings (or sometimes 6, in pairs). ... Domra Domra (домра) is a long-necked Russian string instrument with three or four steel strings and a round resonator. ... See the accordion article for features of the bayan that are common to all accordions. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument in which sound is produced by blowing through a mouthpiece against an edge or by a vibrating reed, and in which the pitch is varied by opening or closing holes in the body of the instrument. ... For other uses, see Brass (disambiguation). ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ...

Dancers

Among the dances staged by the Red Army ensemble are Zaparozhtsi Dance, Cossack's Cavalry Dance, Festive March, Dance of the Cossacks, Soldier's Dance, and Sailor's Dance. Some of these are performed by mixed dancers, while others, such as Cossack's Cavalry Dance, are performed by male dancers only.

International acclaim

In 1993 the Red Army Choir became an item of pop culture by performing together with the Finnish cult band Leningrad Cowboys both in Helsinki, where they performed on the Senate Square in front of 70,000 ecstatic listeners, and in Berlin. In the German capital the concert of the Leningrad Cowboys with the Red Army Choir took place on the central Lustgarten and gave the Red Army's farewell to East Berlin an optimistic overtone. The band. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ... Location of Berlin within Germany / EU Coordinates Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE3 City subdivisions 12 boroughs Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit (SPD) Governing parties SPD / Left. ... Lustgarten, Germany is situated on the banks of the River Spree and crowned by two of Berlins most impressive buildings - the Altes Museum and Berliner Dom - the Lustgarten is one of the most atmospheric spots in the city. ...

The Finnish concert was made into a rockumentary (now on DVD) Total Balalaika Show by famous film director Aki Kaurismäki. The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a program on television or movie documentary about rock and roll or its musicians. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or, incorrectly, Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Total Balalaika Show is a 1994 film by director Aki Kaurismäki featuring a concert with the Leningrad Cowboys and the Alexandrov Red Army Ensemble. ... Aki Olavi Kaurismäki ( ) (born April 4, 1957 in Orimattila, Finland) is a Finnish script writer and film director. ...

The Wall Concert

In 1991, The Red Army Choir participated in Roger Waters' The Wall concert celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall. They performed an anti-war song, Bring the Boys Back Home. George Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943) is an English rock musician; singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and composer. ... For other uses, see The Wall (disambiguation). ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ...