Ildar Abdrazakov’s concert was held at the RUSSIA EXPO
On May 9, a concert of Russian opera singer Ildar Abdrazakov
and the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra was held on the Main Stage of
the RUSSIA EXPO. The organizer of the event and the broadcast was the Rossiya
TV channel.
The concert began with a minute of silence in memory of
those who perished during the Great Patriotic War. The event was held with the
participation of the National Center for Historical Memory under the President
of the Russian Federation. Elena Malysheva, head of the center, spoke about the
reasons why songs, especially those of the war period, are so important as a
means of preserving historical heritage.
"A special
layer of musical culture and historical memory in terms of importance is war
and post-war songs. If we analyze them as historical sources, we see
very important historical narratives. For example, the legendary song "Three
Tank Men" is not only about friendship, but also about the historical events at
Lake Khasan — about the aggressive plans of Japan's militarists against the
USSR and about the realities of a two-front war that our country could have
faced. Or, for instance, the song "Dark Night" is not just about friendship,
but through the heroes of the movie, where the song was heard — one from
Odessa, the other from the Urals — it is shown that the whole country rose to
fight. There is also a heroic theme in war songs — as in the works of Alexandra
Pakhmutova, there are requiems — for example, in the song "Cranes", and a
tribute to the courage of our soldiers and the memory of them — as in the song
"Immortal Battalion". All this allows us to reflect and preserve our values and
our historical memory on an emotional level," said Elena Malysheva, head of the
National Center for Historical Memory under the President of the Russian
Federation.
Ildar Abdrazakov — Merited Artist of the Russian Federation,
People's Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan, People's Artist of the Republic
of Tatarstan, winner of the Golden Mask National Theater Award and two Grammy
Awards. During the concert, together with the artists of the Russian National
Youth Symphony Orchestra, he performed compositions of the war and post-war
years — "Smuglyanka", "Where the Motherland Begins", "We Need One Victory" and
many others.
