Hundreds of thousands of views and more than 500 participants on stage: performances of "Soldiers’ Dreams" conclude at the National Centre RUSSIA
On the eve of 9 May, performances of the historical production "Soldiers’ Dreams" concluded. It was one of the largest projects of the National Centre RUSSIA timed to coincide with the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The moving production about national heroism, memory and the connection between generations brought together more than 500 participants on one stage and was seen by more than 370,000 viewers in total: in the concert hall, on Russia.ru and on the official social media pages of the National Centre RUSSIA.
For many audience members, the premiere evenings became a deeply personal encounter with history: an opportunity to remember their families’ frontline stories, feel that very connection between generations and realise how close the memorable and solemn date of 9 May is to each of us. The main guests of the premiere, the veterans, admitted that the performance literally gave them strength, reminded them what they had fought for and even gave them a new will to live.
"We had never seen such a large-scale performance before. The stage is so huge, and the way the young people and artists worked on it was simply a miracle. To be honest, they inspired us to keep living!" said Sergei Sukhorukov, a resident of besieged Leningrad and labour veteran, sharing his impressions with admiration.
The performance was created under the direction of People’s Artist of Russia Yevgeny Glazov. The production became an important part of the Victory Day celebrations at the National Centre RUSSIA and brought together choirs and dance groups, drama actors, popular performers, children’s ensembles and a large costumed crowd scene on one stage. It featured the Choir of the National Guard of Russia, the Pyatnitsky State Academic Russian Folk Choir, the Gzhel Dance Theatre, People’s Artists of Russia Lev Leshchenko, Ilya Reznik, Sergei Shakurov and Valeria, Honoured Artists of Russia Varvara and Yelena Vaenga, young performers Klava Koka and Khabib, and many others.
For the first time, a light curtain was used at the National Centre RUSSIA: even before the performance began, it divided the space between the auditorium and the stage, which represented dream-like memories. This made it possible to use the entire space in the dramaturgy of the production and immerse the audience more deeply in the atmosphere of the events.
A large group of historians and staff members of the National Centre RUSSIA searched for and selected archive photographs taken between 1941 and 1945, and these memorable images then came to life on huge digital screens during the premiere. The audience was particularly impressed by the vivid images of the Reichstag and the road to Berlin, as well as the scenes of a soldiers’ rest stop.
The performance "Soldiers’ Dreams" once again showed how important it is to cherish the memory of Victory, pass it on to the next generations and remain a united people for the sake of peace on our native land.
"Young people need to know this so that they can then bring up their own young children. Our country is great, and we have many different peoples — each has its own traditions. But the war was for everyone. And it was only because we united that we were able to win," said Nonna Voloboyeva, a resident of besieged Leningrad and Chair of the Society of Siege Survivors of the Babushkinsky District.
The culmination of the performance was the symbolic handover of the Banner of Victory. The Great Patriotic War veteran Anatoly Yakovlevich Medved, who fought as part of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in the 5th Guards Airborne Zvenigorod Red Banner Division, handed the symbol of continuity of our country’s great victories to heroes of the special military operation.
The production ended with a collective performance of the triumphant song "Victory Day". Together with People’s Artist of Russia Lev Leshchenko, it was sung by the choir of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the National Guard troops of Russia, cadets of the A.I. Pokryshkin Cadet Boarding School, the Yunarmiya choir, the Pyatnitsky State Academic Russian Folk Choir and members of the audience. The final scene showed that the song, written almost half a century ago, still knows no boundaries of age, profession or geography and remains a vivid reflection of the memory of the Great Victory.
The original production by the National Centre RUSSIA was held on 7 and 8 May. A recording of the historical performance "Soldiers’ Dreams" is available on Russia.ru and on the official social media pages.
Event photobank
The expedition has been held since 2012 on the initiative of young people from Yugra to preserve the memory of the heroism of frontline soldiers and home-front workers.
Finding a balance between respect for a legendary wartime song and a modern sound close to the younger generation.
Singer, Honoured Artist of Russia and participant in the performance "Soldiers’ Dreams" Yelena Vaenga explained why Victory Day is one of the main holidays of the year for her.
