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Fifth International "Spasskaya Tower" festival kicks off in Moscow

More than 20 military orchestras from 12 countries will participate in the festival that will last until September 8

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, September 2 (Itar-Tass) — The Fifth International “Spasskaya Tower” festival of military orchestras kicked off on Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday night to the chime of the clock on Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower and the sounds of trumpets. This year, the festival is devoted to the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the 1812 Patriotic War.

More than 20 military orchestras from 12 countries will participate in the festival that will last until September 8. They are representatives of Italy, China, France, Greece, Germany, Kazakhstan, Poland, Singapore, Great Britain, Austria as well as the Crossed Swords Pipes & Drums joint band of the European Union.

Twelve bands will represent Russia in the show: the Presidential Orchestra of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Regiment of the Commandant’s Office of the Moscow Kremlin of the Federal Guards Service of Russia, the Central Military Orchestra of the Russian Defense Ministry, the joint Band of the Moscow military garrison of the Russian Defense Ministry and the Horn Orchestra of Russia. About 1,500 artists will demonstrate their skills in a theatricalized action. The key element of the scenario is “1812. War and Peace”.

Tickets are expected to be sold out for all the performances. By tradition, lots of tickets have been distributed among charitable funds for veterans, children’s organizations and low-income families. Conditions have been created for disabled people to visit the festival without any obstacles and hindrances.

Every day, the public will see a 2.5-hour spectacular show accompanied by light and pyrotechnical effects. The festival’s honorary guests included French singer Mireille Mathieu, who attended the festival for the fourth time, and sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin, the author of the festival’s symbol – a porcelain statuette of a grenadier trumpeter in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky regiment. The image of Nutcracker, a charming hero who conquers hearts by his fearlessness and gallantry, served as the prototype for Shemyakin’s work.

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