Russia's Alexandrov Ensemble will take the stage at Istanbul's Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall on March 10, as one of the events planned for 2019 to mark the mutually declared Turkish-Russian cultural year.
Due to intense interest, the choir will perform two concerts on the same day, one at 2 p.m. and another at 8 p.m.
The Alexandrov Ensemble, also known as the Red Army Choir, will perform with a team of 120 people including choir members, orchestra, dancers and vocals. Many figures including Nataliya Moskvina, who is an artist honored by the Russian Federation, will take stage as a soloist for the concert. She will be accompanied by Pavel Maksimov, Valeriy Gavva, Vadim Ananyev and Maksim Maklakov, who attracts attention with the awards he won at international competitions.
Some of the most famous compositions in Soviet history, from "Soviet-German War" anthems "Svyaschennaya Voyna" to "Nesokrushmaya i Legendarnaya," along with "Katyusha" and "Kalinka," will be among the works performed at the concert. The ensemble will also perform Turkish works including the national anthem "Istiklal Marşı," "Sevdan Olmasa" and "Çanakkale Türküsü." The concert will end with "Podmoskovnie Vechera," also known as "Midnight in Moscow."
Concert tickets can be bought from Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall box office or Biletix ranging in prices from 30-110 Turkish liras.
The Alexandrov Ensemble is a male-voice choir that was initially founded during the Soviet era to boost morale and motivation of citizens and soldiers fighting at the front. In addition to being an army choir, it holds an important place in world music history.
The choir features a number of works in the repertoire of Russian folk songs, church music, opera arias and songs. Aleksandr Aleksandrov, the composer of the world-famous Soviet Union Anthem, was one of the founders of the choir and conducted it until his death in 1946.
The Alexandrov Ensemble has previously performed many Turkish songs including Tarkan's "Şıkıdım" and Barış Manço's "Genç Osman" at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.