"My grandfather gave me my first music lessons": singer Varvara at the «Memory Wall» campaign at the National Centre RUSSIA
In the days leading up to the country’s main holiday, 9 May,
hardly anyone left the National Centre RUSSIA without placing a piece of their
family history on the "Memory Wall", organised in honour of the Great
Victory. Honoured Artist of Russia Varvara was no exception. The singer said
that her grandfather, Dmitry Sergeyevich Khondak, not only went through the
entire war, but also nurtured her love of art.
"My grandfather went through the entire Great Patriotic War, from Moscow to Konigsberg. I was raised by my grandfather. It is thanks to him that I stand on stage, and thanks to him that I love music, because it was my grandfather who gave me my first music lessons. He took me to music school and gave me all his kindness, his love for people and his desire to live and love life," Varvara shared.
The popular singer took part in the premiere of the
historical performance "Soldiers’ Dreams", one of the largest
projects of the National Centre RUSSIA, which brought together more than 500
artists on one stage. She was given a symbolic mission: to demonstrate the deep
connection between generations through the power of song. Varvara performed the
legendary "Valenki" in a "duet" with an archive recording
of Lidia Ruslanova herself, who sang this song for Soviet fighters on the steps
of the defeated Reichstag. The very song that became a symbol of the warmth of
home, as well as the resilience and extraordinary vitality of our soldier
during the Great Patriotic War, was heard in the concert hall of the National
Centre RUSSIA, stretching an unbreakable thread from the past to the present.
The All-Russian "Memory Wall" campaign, timed to
coincide with the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, started
this year at the National Centre RUSSIA: it was here, in the foyer of the West
Entrance, that the starting point was formed for the opening of memorial stands
in Russian regions and in more than 20 countries around the world. The campaign
runs at the venue until 10 May and brings together families preserving the
memory of their relatives — war participants, home-front workers, concentration
camp prisoners and children of war. Anyone can place a photograph of their Hero
on the shared wall, share their story and honour the memory of the Soviet
people’s heroism.
Event photobank
A new cycle of historical meetings and lectures dedicated to great events of our past began on 22 May at the National Centre RUSSIA.
