How "Geography Lessons" sounds: a playlist from the National Centre RUSSIA and VK Music
A whole map of sounds — from classical music to contemporary tracks. The National Centre RUSSIA, together with VK Music, has prepared a special playlist for the exposition "Geography Lessons", dedicated to the space of our country, its mood and rhythm. The playlist connects different generations, just as Russia unites different regions, peoples and histories.
The selection includes songs that resonate in their own way with the themes of the exposition. For example, "The Best City on Earth", performed by Muslim Magomayev, has long been considered the unofficial anthem of Moscow. This song by Arno Babajanyan and Leonid Derbenyov was written in the rhythm of the twist, which was a bold experiment for 1964. Instead of the usual march-like or solemn sound associated with the capital, the song presented a renewed and vibrant Moscow filled with jazz energy. In the context of the "Geography Lessons" exposition, it is music about the city both as a point on the map and as a feeling — about how the image of the capital changes across different eras.
The composition "Sing a song to us, cheerful wind" from the film "The Children of Captain Grant" is a classic anthem of travellers and explorers. It serves as the perfect musical accompaniment for the halls dedicated to circumnavigations, polar expeditions and the first Russian routes around the world.
One of the halls of the exposition "Geography Lessons" is devoted to the exploration of space. That is why the playlist could not do without the legendary song "Grass by the Home" by the music group Zemlyane (Earthmen). In it, cosmonauts look at the stars but in their thoughts return to Earth. It is an important reminder that even the most distant journeys begin and end here, at a specific point on our planet.
"The Road" by the group Lyube and "The Road of Kindness" song, performed by Tatyana Ruzavina, Sergei Tayushev and the State Symphony Orchestra of Cinematography, continue the theme of the journey. Here, the path represents not only geographical routes but also an inner choice — something that resonates with the halls of the "Geography Lessons" exposition dedicated to the roads of Russia, historic trade routes, and modern highways.
The playlist also features songs about specific regions and landscapes: "Vologda" by the ensemble Pesnyary, "What Can I Tell You About Sakhalin?" by Yan Frenkel, and "I'll Take You to the Tundra" by Kola Beldy. Modern tracks add the rhythm of the present day to the playlist: "I'm Going to My Homeland" (NILETTO and Eduard Skryabin), "My Path" (Dabro), and "I Will Fly Away" (Nastya Knyazeva). These are songs about a way, about choice, and about moving forward — themes that are especially important for young visitors to the exposition.
Listen to the VK Music playlist to set the mood for an adventure — and come to the exposition "Geography Lessons". It is designed for family audiences, primarily for schoolchildren aged 9-16, and their parents. It is an opportunity to travel together from ancient maps to cosmic globes, from imperial sleighs to high-speed trains, and to see how geography connects the past, present and future of the country.
A ceremonial phaeton from the mid-19th century, decorated with gilded bronze and red velvet, took part more than once in the coronations of Russian emperors.
The Open Lecture Hall "Inventing the Future: Geography" is part of the original project of the National Centre RUSSIA.
The Gastronomic Rows "Journey Across Russia. Food" have long become one of the main points of attraction for visitors to the National Centre RUSSIA.
