Moscow: Following last Sunday’s unfortunate crash of Russian aircraft Tu-154 which carried most members of the Red Army Choir, Russian officials have vowed to quickly revive it once again.
Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that even though the choir lost most of its singers and conductor Valery Khalilov in the crash, he will still aim at quickly restoring the country’s signature Red Army Choir.
“So that we can restore the troupe in the nearest future, as much as we could, hold auditions, pick the best people, so that they continue the traditions that the Alexandrov Ensemble is known for.” Said Shoigu.
In order to rope in the best talent in the choir, Shoigu said that he shall start various schemes, such as allocating 70 flats to the ensemble which would be offered to the new members.
Calling conductor Khalilov a “legend” who revived the army’s orchestral traditions, the Defence Minister also announced that a military music school will be named after him.
The Red Army Choir, first established in 1928, toured often and regularly worked with foreign musicians while
also serving its propaganda purpose.
One of its most recent hits was “Polite People” glorifying the special forces officers who oversaw the annexation of Crimea.
Though historically the Red Army Choir only had Russian Folk Songs in its repertoire, with the Russian Army’s modernisation drive the cover songs of the Beatles and Adele have also been added to the list.
