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Renewed Red Army Choir gives first concert in Moscow

The concert took place at the Central Theater of the Russian Army

© Dmitry Serebryakov/TASS

MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Red Army Alexandrov Choir, an internationally acclaimed performing ensemble, on Thursday gave the first concert in Moscow since December 25, 2016, when 64 of its singers, dancers and musicians died in an air accident near Sochi.

The concert took place at the Central Theater of the Russian Army.

"The renewed Alexandrov Choir (a second name of the ensemble that refers to its founder, Alexander Alexandrov - TASS) gives the first performance after renewal here on this stage today," Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov told the audiences at the beginning of the concert.

"On December 25, the tragedy took away the lives of our friends," he went on. "We remember them and love them and they will remain the kernel of this ensemble forever. But life continues and our duty today is to Alexandrov Choir it afoot."

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He said that the Defense Ministry had viewed the renewal of the renowned performing group within the shortest possible period as a task of paramount importance for itself.

"Over a very short term, we did huge work and you’ll see its results tonight," Pankov said. "Alexandrov Choir has always given inspiration to people in the most critical situations. They received applause from spectators in more than seventy countries and I hope the performers will show us today this choir has retained its unique sounding and a powerful emanation of energies."

The choir has offered contracts to the best of the best, he deputy minister said.

"Commitment to serving this country was as important a criterion during election of new performers as the perfect artistic merits," Pankov said. "I’m confident the new voices will give a powerful impulse to further development of this ensemble and will help build up its traditions."

Thursday’s performance became first one in a very tightly packed schedule of concerts. On February 23, Alexandrov Choir will appear at the State Kremlin Palace in a concert devoted to Homeland Defenders’ Day and on February 24, at a ceremony of opening the 3rd World Military Games in Sochi.

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