Alexandrov Ensemble Alexandrov Ensemble is an official army choir of the Russian armed forces . Founded during the Soviet era , the ensemble consists of a male choir , an orchestra , and a dance ensemble . Alexandrov Ensemble and MVD Ensemble are the only groups with the right to claim the title " Red Army Choir " . The Alexandrov Ensemble has entertained audiences both in Russia and throughout the world , performing a range of music including folk tunes , hymns , operatic arias , and popular music . The group ' s repertoire has included " The Volga Boatmen ' s Song " , " Katyusha " , " Kalinka " , and " Ave Maria " . The ensemble is named for its first director , Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov . Its formal name since 1998 is Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Russian Army named after A . V . Alexandrov ( , " Akademichesky ensemble pesni i plyaski Rossiyskoy Armii imeni A . V . Alexandrova " ) , shortened to Academic Ensemble ( , " Akademichesky ensemble " ) on second reference . History . Under Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov . Early Years . Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov ( 1883 – 1946 ) , was born into a peasant family , but he became the first artistic director of the Ensemble , choirmaster , conductor , teacher and the public figure who wrote the music to the National Anthem of the Soviet Union . He came from a musical background of hymns and folk song s , could play the viola and had perfect pitch , so he sang in the church choir and performed at festivals . He was heard singing at the village school by PA Zalivuhin , a soloist in the choir at Kazan Cathedral , St . Petersburg . Zalivuhin persuaded Sacha ' s parents to let the child go to St Petersburg to learn music . In 1898 , the young peasant boy became a pupil of the very grand Court Chapel ( now the State Academic Chapel of St Petersburg Glinka ) . The Ensemble . Beginnings . There are two recorded histories of the Ensemble : possibly separate elements of the same history . The first says that the initiator of the Ensemble was Felix Nikolaevich Danilovich , a theatre director . The first director of the Ensemble was chosen from three of Moscow ' s conductors : Danilin , Chesnokov and Alexandrov . Seen in isolation this would signify that A . V . Alexandrov was not the creator of the Ensemble . In this version the first troupe is named as follows . Singers : Tkachenko , Zyukov , Samarin , Rozanov , Koltypin , Tolskov , Golyaev , Charov . Dancers : Maximov , Svetlov . Bayanist : Surdin . The second version says that the Ensemble was formed out of the Frunze Red Army Central House in 1928 . There is also a story that Stalin then asked Alexandrov to relocate the choir to Moscow . Under the name " Red Army Song Ensemble of the M . V . Frunze Red Army Central House " , shortly the " " Red Army Choir " " , twelve soldier - performers - a vocal octet , a bayan player , 2 dancers , and a reciter - officially performed for the first time on October 12 , 1928 under the direction of their conductor , Alexandr Alexandrov , a young music professor at the Moscow Conservatory . The program , entitled " The 22nd Krasnodar Division in Song " , consisted mainly of short musical scenes of military life , including " Songs of the First Cavalry Army " , " The Special Far - Eastern Army " , and " Song about Magnitostroi " . Development . In 1929 , the ensemble visited the far eastern lands of the Soviet Union , entertaining the troops working on the Far Eastern railway . With the goal of developing amateur art within the ranks of the army and to encourage soldiers ' interest in good music , the ensemble grew to 300 performers by 1933 , comprising three different forces of a male choir , an orchestra , and an ensemble of dancers . The Red Army Choir became known as a propagator of Soviet songs , performing original compositions by composers such as Vasily Solovyov - Sedoy , Anatoli Novikov , Matvey Blanter and Boris Mokrousov . In 1935 , the choir was bestowed the Order of the Red Banner and was renamed the " Red Army Red - bannered Song and Dance Ensemble of the USSR " . Having traveled widely throughout the Soviet Union , from the Arctic north to the sands of Tajikistan , the choir performed at the International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life held in 1937 in Paris , France ; it won the " Grand Prix " , the highest honor bestowed by the jury . During World War II , the ensemble gave over 1500 performances at both Soviet fronts , entertaining troops about to go into battle , at gun emplacements , airfields , and in hospitals . Under Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov . Following the death of Alexander Alexandrov , the Ensemble was taken over by his son , Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov . Under his leadership , the Ensemble gained fame outside the Soviet Union , making extensive tours worldwide . Boris Alexandrov retired in 1987 , and was succeeded by People ' s Artist of Russia Igor Agafonnikov the same year , with Anatoly Maltsev as the ensemble chief . He retired as the principal conductor in 1994 ; he died that year and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery . He was succeeded by Victor Fedorov , the chorus master since 1986 . Under B . A . Alexandrov , the Ensemble was highly disciplined . Boris ' s party trick was to leave the stage and allow the Ensemble to perform " En Route " alone . Members were positioned so that they could not all watch one orchestral leader , and this appeared to be a trick , but there was no trick at all . Leonid Mikhailovich Kharitonov remembers : " The Ensemble members were so disciplined and experienced that they could feel the rhythm simultaneously and could sing and play together automatically , without the conductor … In Canada during one concert Alexandrov left the Ensemble to perform alone for half an hour . " Vladimir Alexandrov . ( b . 1910 ; d . 1978 ) . Major Vladimir Alexandrov , brother of Boris Alexandrov ( above ) , also composed for the Ensemble . He served as Orchestral Director and Conductor Other principal conductors . Vladimir Gordeev was the principal conductor on the 1988 UK tour . Vyacheslav Korobko . Today , the ensemble is led by Honoured Artist of Russia Vyacheslav Korobko , who has been leading it since 2003 Collaborations . Over the years , the ensemble has collaborated with many popular artists and producers including David Foster , Jean - Jacques Goldman and Steve Barakatt . Uniform . Until 1969 the standard uniform for the Ensemble choir , soloists and orchestra was the tunic and riding breeches . On 1 January 1970 this was changed to dress uniform , and there have been further variations to the dress uniform as used by the Ensemble since 1970 . The re - naming of the Ensemble . In 1949 the ensemble was named officially the " Twice Red - bannered and Red - starred Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Soviet Army named after A . V . Alexandrov " , so it was not shortly the " Red Army Choir " any more , but " Alexandrov Ensemble " . In 1978 the ensemble was renamed the " Twice Red - bannered and Red - starred Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Soviet Army named after A . V . Alexandrov " . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , in 1998 the ensemble got its present name . Composition . Soloists . Georgi Abramov | Nicolai A . Abramov | Vadim Petrovich Anayev | Georgy I . Andryushchenko | V . I . Anisimov | Georgiy I . Babaev | Evgeny Mikhailovich Belyaev | Piotr Dmitrievich Bogachev | Ivan Semionovich Bukreev | Vladimir Bunchikov | E . Burchak | Victor Sergeievich Buzurov | Dmitry Bykov | Vladimir Chernykh | Tatiana Deryabkina | Boris Diakov | Ivan A . Didenko | V . Dmitriev | Arthur Arturovich Eisen ( or Eisenach ) | V . Fedorov | Stanislav I . Frolov | Valery Gavva | Konstantin G . Gerasimov | Vladimir P . Gorlanov | Nicholai Timofeyevich Gres | AA Gvozdetsky | Sergei Vasilievich Ivanov | B . Jaivoronok | Vladimir Nikolaievich Katerinsky | Leonid M . Kharitonov | Andrey Kusleev | I . Kuznetsov | Edward Maxovich Labkovsky | V . P . Maystruck | A . I . Mischenko | B . M . Mizyuk | Konstantin Pavlovich Lisovskiy ( or Lissovsky , Lisovsky , Lisovski ) | Yuseph Laut | A . P . Martynov ( or Martin , or Martinov ) | V . P . Maystruk | P . Mikhailov | B . M . Mizyuk | Victor Ivanovich Nikitin | V . Pankov | I . Pchenitchni | N . S . Polozkov | Vladimir V . Puchkov | Oleg N . Razumovsky | Mark Reizen | Vadim L . Ruslanov | Victor Sanin | Ivan Ivanovich Savchuk | Alexei Tikhonovich Sergeev | Boris G . Shapenko | Boris Shemyakov | Vladimir Shkaptsov | Vasily Ivanovich Shtefutsa | Alexander Sergeievich Sibirtsev | B . Slastnoi | Anatoly Solovyanenko | A . Syrovatko - Zolotarev | Barseg Tumanyan | Alexei Usmanov | Georgi Pavlovich Vinogradov | Igor F . Volkov | Leonid V . Wheat | Boris G . Zhayvoronok Evgeny Belyaev Victor Ivanovich Nikitin Leonid Mikhailovich Kharitonov Mark Reizen Georgi Pavlovich Vinogradov Chorus . Current members of the choir are listed here . The choir consists mainly of vocal sections of tenor , baritone , and bass . In some of the pieces they perform , these sections are divided into as many as eight different vocal lines . From the early 1950s until at least 1965 a typical full division ( which varied from song to song ) was as follows : ( 1 ) countertenor s ; ( 2 ) first tenor s ; ( 3 ) second tenors ; ( 4 ) baritone s ; ( 5 ) first bass ; ( 6 ) second bass ; ( 7 ) basso profundo s . Orchestra . The orchestra , in what became a typical composition for later generations of military ensembles in the Soviet Union , has a mixed composition of Russian traditional instruments and western instruments , including the balalaika , the domra , the bayan , the double bass , woodwinds , brass , and percussion instruments . A great guest balalaika player was Boris Stepanovich Feoktistov ( Борис Степанович Феоктистов ) ( 1910 – 1988 ) . In the West his most famous recording is " Kamarinskaya " ( 1963 ) A . Molostov is the trumpet soloist in " Dark Eyes " in vintage recordings The bayan - player Victor Gridin is a past member of the orchestra The current members of the orchestra are listed here . . Dancers . Current members of the ballet are listed here . Among the dances staged by the ensemble are " Zaparozhtsi Dance " , " Cossack ' s Cavalry Dance " , " Festive March " , " Dance of the Cossacks " , " Soldier ' s Dance " , and " Sailor ' s Dance " . Some of these are performed by mixed dancers , while others , such as " Cossack ' s Cavalry Dance " , are performed by male dancers only . The Ensemble ballet today . The ballet is under the direction of Lev Nikolaevich Kulikov National Artist of Russia , the main ballet master , and maintains the heights of choreographic art with honour . The priority in its repertoire is taken by the military compositions : " Matroskaya barynya " , " Kazachiya cavalry plyaska " , " Festive march " , " Invitation to dance " and others . The ballet performs a lot of Russian folk dances . The classical repertoire contains " Poloveckie plyasky " from the opera " Prince Igor " written by Alexander Borodin . This is from our dance classics , but we always update the dance repertoire . Current leading lights and stars . The artistic director and chief conductor is Honoured Artist of Russia V . Korobko . The chief choreographer is People ' s Artist of Russia L . Kulikov ; the chief administrator is Honoured Artist of Russia VG Kadin , the choreographer and coach is the Honoured Artist of Russia V . Ermolin ; head dresser is Honoured Worker of Culture A . Kormilitsyn ; soloists are VI Shtefutsa and EM Labkovsky ; with SV Ivanov , PD Bogachev , VP Maystruk , AA Gvozdetsky , BM Mizyuk : all Honoured Artist of Russia In the choir are YA Lysenko , Y . Shtrunov , IM Pirogov , IS Sobolev , И . Ф . Volkov , OV Filimonov , AN Savitsky , VA Nagorny , VP Kokarev , AA Hristachev , JN Deynekin , VM Bolonenko , VN Antonov , AN Stritenko , AA Toschev : all Honoured Artist of Russia ; and VS Buzlov , SP Lapik , VF Orthodox , GU Razgasimov , V . Chekin , MD Mochalina In the orchestra are AA Mogulkin , Y . Savkin , MG Chervov , PD Shchennikov , NI Diakov , AI Egorov , VM Predelin : all Honoured Artist of Russia . Vocal coaches are People ' s Artist of Russia , laureate of competitions , MI Glinka and PI Tchaikovsky , Professor KP Lisovsky . The Principal Concertmaster is Honoured Artist of Russia V . Brodsky In the ballet are GD Pavlyuchenko , IV Konygina , P . U . Khmelnitski : all Honoured Artist of Russia . Repertoire , concerts and tours . The 1948 Berlin Peace Concert . See images here and here . In 1948 much of Berlin was still ruined after World War II , and the city was divided into four occupation zones , controlled by the USSR , France , the UK and the USA . This was before the Berlin Wall , and it was still possible to travel between zones . An American officer suggested a concert in the Gendarmenmarkt ( in the Soviet zone at the time ) , and the French zone commander supported the suggestion . The musicians were to be provided by the USSR , and the Alexandrov Ensemble was chosen . A temporary stage was set up in the square , with flowers all along the front . 30 , 000 people came to stand and watch for three hours . In 1994 , towards the end of his life , Boris Alexandrov said : " The visit to Germany was unforgettable . It is dominant in the history of the ensemble . It was necessary to make a new creative leap - from wartime military music to postwar relaxing harmony . It was important , and the transition had to be managed on many fronts , including getting the Ensemble back into its original pre - war role , performing the classics and singing folk songs . Before the war the Ensemble had 200 professional singers ; following the war it was down to 60 . " A previous tour to East Germany had been cancelled due to the sudden death of Alexander Alexandrov in 1946 in Potsdam , when in his bed was found an annotated copy of Beethoven ' s Symphony No . 9 , showing that A . Alexandrov had been preparing the final chorus for a performance . Now Boris , his son , was ready to follow his father ' s plan . The 1948 peace concert was to consist of German opera extracts and Russian folk songs ( " Nightingales " , " Zemlyanka " and " Roads " ) ; and after an intervention by the tenor Victor Nikitin , some German folk songs were also included . The people joined in , singing " Heidenröslein " , and Nikitin sang Kalinka three times in a row . The concert was very successful , and very moving . A sound recording clip ( link ) of the concert was made , and pressed in 1985 under the Radio DDR 1 label . This is listed on the Alexandrov Ensemble discography page . However the Berlin Peace Concert did not happen in isolation . It was part of a series of punishing yearly tours to war - torn areas . The main tour season during and just after World War II appears to have run from June to October - perhaps because the large troupe usually had to perform outdoors , to accommodate large audiences . The August 1948 Berlin concert occurred two - thirds of the way through a tour to ( 20 June to 18 July ) Prague , Most , Brno , Devin , Bratislava , Moravská Ostrava , Žilina and Kosice in Czechoslovakia ; then apparently without a break ( 18 July to 10 October ) Dresden , Weimar , Magdeburg , Stendal , Schwerin , Potsdam , Berlin , Rathenow , Leipzig , Halle , Lane , Erfurt , Chemnitz , Frankfurt an der Oder and Schwarzenberg in Germany Films . The Ensemble under the direction of Boris Alexandrov can be heard singing " It ' s a Long Way to Tipperary " in the 1981 film " Das Boot " . Several films have been made of the Ensemble ' s performances : see Alexandrov Ensemble discography . The Wall Concert . In 1990 , the ensemble participated in Roger Waters ' The Wall concert celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall . They performed an anti - war song , " Bring the Boys Back Home " . The repertoire today . In 2006 and 2007 , in Moscow and in Vladikavkaz , Grozny , the Ensemble performed a New Year fairy tale show for children , " Ivan the Good , Ivan the Brave " , about a soldier helping to save New Year ' s Day In 2008 , the 80th anniversary of the Ensemble , the Director said this : Of course everything depends on the repertoire which is quite large - more than two thousand works . Depending on the concert we choose a special repertoire . We have a rule that we try not to break . In any country we sing 2 - 3 songs in the native language of the people who live there . As a rule it helps to find a rapport with , and the appreciation of , the audience . And for us it is some kind of musical gift , to honour the host country and its people . For instance in Canada when we sang the National Anthem of Russia people stood up to show respect to our country , and when we finished we sang their country ' s anthem " Oh , Canada ! " . A million people in our country and abroad like songs like " Kalinka " , " Katyusha " , " Smuglyanka " and the other songs of the military years as well as " The Day of the Victory " , " Dark Eyes " , " Vecherny zvon " and " Podmoskovnye vechera " . All these songs are known because of the Alexandrov folk song and dance company and people want to hear these songs at every concert . They are not just part of our history ; they are great masterpieces . It is interesting that " Svyaschennaya Voyna " , written by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov in 1941 , helped Soviet soldiers to protect their Motherland and is still popular in Slovakia , Poland and Bulgaria . Those audiences listen to it standing up and it touches their hearts and souls . For our concerts we search for new musical works because you can ' t live only in the past . But to tell you the truth it ’ s impossible to imagine our concerts without works of Russian and West - European classical music ( Beethoven , Bach , Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky ) , they are part of human history . But our repertoire contains not only songs of the military years and folk songs , arias from operas , songs of the world and spiritual music but also new songs such as Iliya Reznik ' s " To Serve Russia " , and those written by Eduard Hanka , Kim Breytburg , Sergey Sashin and other modern composers and poets . The Children ' s Choir School . " A choir school for children opened recently under the auspices of the Ensemble . It ' s not a secret that the more you work with children , the greater their prospect of achievement in society . We approached the Ministry of Defence with an appeal to organize this choir and it was approved . October 1st 2007 was the opening day of the Aleksandrovcy creative school for musical and aesthetic education for children . This became an important event in the year of the Ensemble ' s 80th anniversary . The first night of the boys ' Aleksandrovcy Choir on December 26th at the Cadets ' Gold Epaulette Ball went like clockwork . After that night they participated in many concerts . The latest was on Poklonnaya Hill in memory of the Beslan tragedy , as part of City Day on the 3rd and 7th of September . It should be mentioned that we have an excellent director of the school Nina Anatolievna Putilina who puts all her soul into raising this worthy generation . We do a lot in order to raise the new generation with regard to physical , spiritual and moral health . Here children begin at the beginning of vocal music and literary speaking ; they absorb the best practice of their teachers . The children ' s choir has become an integral part of the Ensemble ' s life and takes part in its important concerts . We plan to have tours together . " International acclaim . In 1993 the ensemble became an item of pop culture by performing together with the Finnish cult band Leningrad Cowboys both in Helsinki , Finland where they performed on the Senate Square in front of 70 , 000 ecstatic listeners , and in Berlin . In the German capital the concert of the Leningrad Cowboys with the ensemble took place on the central Lustgarten and gave the former Red Army ' s farewell to Berlin and the whole Germany an optimistic overtone . The Finnish concert was made into a rockumentary " Total Balalaika Show " by film director Aki Kaurismäki . That year they also made a CD and played a concert with French singer Jean - Jacques Goldman . The Ensemble and the Leningrad Cowboys performed " Sweet Home Alabama " at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards . External links . = Internal Links =