RUSSIA EXPO hosted the III All-Russian Festival-Competition of Men's Folklore Collectives “Bratchina”

The III All-Russian Festival-Competition of Men's Folklore Groups named after V. Tsaregorodtsev “Bratchina” (can be roughly translated as “Brotherhood”), organized by the Department of Folk-Singing Art of the Faculty of Musical Art of MGIK, was held in the House of Culture at VDNH as part of the International RUSSIA EXPO.

The event was directed by students of the Department of Theater Performance Directing of the Moscow State Institute of Culture's Faculty of Theater and Directing. Duets, quartets, folklore and ethnographic ensembles from St. Petersburg, Vladimir, Surgut, Tver and other cities took part in “Bratchina”.

The concert program included the historical song of the Don Cossacks “Oh, you are Russia” by “Cossack Circle”, “I Wooed a Girl” and the recruit chorus “Goldy-Golden” performed by the male group of the folklore ensemble “MaTanya”, dance song “Aren't You Guys Ashamed” by the folklore-ethnographic ensemble “Mezha”, “Recruit's song” performed by a duet from Surgut, dance song “In the Forge” by the quartet “Men's Borodino Artel”. Also, the children's ensemble “Druzhina” and the male ensemble of the Merited Collective of Folk Art of the Russian Federation “Tver Regional House of Folk Art” performed their compositions. Male ensemble of the MGIK Department of Folk-Singing Art “Bratchina” performed an old song of the Don Cossacks “Cossack Gathered Since Evening”.

The artists performed folk songs both a cappella and to the accordion, pipes, balalaikas, as well as gusli - the ensemble of the workshop of gusli art of Moscow pleased the audience with the latter's playing. The songs were accompanied by national dances. The musical group “Vladimir Hornblowers” performed such compositions as the lyrical song of the Vladimir region “Young Boy”, “Let the Girls Go to Work”, and the ditty "Yablochko".

Folk group “Partisan FM” - a musical band reviving the traditions of live performance of folk songs - presented a unique musical program with the songs “Shores of Russia”, “Yes, I am Russian!”, “We Hear” and others.

After the concert, the groups traditionally arranged a joint “vecherka” (evening folk party) in front of the House of Culture, singing all the favorite and familiar folk and Christian songs.