This is an alphabetical list of the

basso profondo Basso profondo (, "deep bass"), sometimes basso profundo or contrabass, is the lowest bass voice type. While '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' defines a typical bass as having a range that extends downward to the second E below middle C ( ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

and

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

soloists who have performed with the

Alexandrov Ensemble The Alexandrov Ensemble (), commonly known as the Red Army Choir in the West, is an official army choir of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Russian armed forces. Founded during the History of the Soviet Union, Soviet era, the ense ...

(under its various titles) since its establishment in 1928. It is difficult to differentiate between regular and guest soloists, since many have alternated between the one category and the other during their careers, so they are all listed together. Soloists of whom no recordings have yet been found have been listed below as "other soloists".

Introduction

In 2004, Max Loppert said of Georgy Vinogradov: "How is it possible for any singer of this caliber to have been (outside Russia) this unknown?". One could say the same of the whole group. Before April 2009, almost all online resources on this subject were in Russian and Japanese, and even these were limited in content, so far as the biographies of most soloists were concerned. The dearth of information in the West could be partly attributable to the

language barrier A language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to refer to linguistic barriers to communication, i.e. the difficulties in communication experienced by people or groups originally speaking different languages (or different dialects in ...

and the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. One could speculate that scandals such as those 1951 rumours surrounding Vinogradov could have pressured the

to exercise particular discretion regarding publicity of their valuable star turns. Even so, there is almost no online information about the

Victor Nikitin, who made a beautiful

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

recording of ''Cold Waves Lapping'' in the 1940s, and his last traceable recording appears to have been made in 1951, the same year as the rumours of a bar-room brawl and the end of Georgy Vinogradov's career. One can draw no conclusions, but – outside Russia at least – an air of mystery surrounds some of these great singers.

Status of soloists

Apart from guest soloists, there are two ways of contracting a soloist in the

: * A ''soloist of the choir'' is a constant member of the choir and only sometimes has one or two solo performances with certain songs specially selected for their personal vocal capabilities. * ''Soloist of the Ensemble'' is a higher grade, meaning that the singer is a soloist on a constant basis and never – or no longer – takes part in the choir.

A to Z list of soloists

Georgi Andreyevich Abramov

Born in Moscow 12 April 1903; died in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

1 November 1966 (Russian: Георгий Андреевич Абрамов).

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

soloist. Honoured Artist of Russia (1944). From 1918 to 1928 he worked as a mechanic or plumber in

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

. In 1930 he entered an operatic singing competition on

All-Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Radio. As a result of this, from 1931 to 1966 he was soloist of the

Radio and television, taking part in opera productions. He was a concert singer, promoting the works of Soviet composers, and became the definitive singer of songs such as ''Roads'' (by Novikov), ''Treasured Stone'', ''Single Accordion'' (by Mokrousov), and especially ''Bryansk Forest'' (by Katz). From 1954 to 1958 he was a music teacher at

Gnessin State Musical College The Gnessin State College of Music () and Gnessin Russian Academy of Music () comprise a music school in Moscow.Moisenko, Rena. (1949) ''Realist Music: 25 Soviet Composers,'' London: Meridian Book, Ltd. History Originally known as the Gnessi ...

. He toured in Poland, Hungary,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. With Georgy Vinogradov and Vladimir Zakharov he recorded ''For those who are in Transit'' (S. Katz – A. Fatyanov), and the beautiful folksong ''Already as the Sea''. With the

he recorded ''A Bryansk Forest'' (recorded 1948) for the

Radio Committee.

Nikolai Afanasyevich Abramov

(Russian: Николай Афанасьевич. Абрамов),

soloist (Born 1914 - Died 2001). He was in the ensemble as early as 1941. He became a founding member of the ensembles octet, founded in 1947, and was active as a soloist, winning first prize in the 1958 All-Union Competition for Soviet Song Singers. In 1958 he was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist of the Republic of the Russian Federation. He left the ensemble in September 1967 due to retirement. With the

he recorded: ''

Smuglyanka "Smuglyanka", "Smuglianka", or "Smugljanka" ( "the dark girl", from смуглый "dark, swarthy"; also , romanized: ''Smugljanka-Moldavanka'' "the dark Moldovan girl" (swarthy)) is a Russian song written in 1940 by Yakov Shvedov (lyrics) and ...

'' duet with Ivan Savchuk (music: Novikov; lyrics: Ya Shvedov), unknown duet with A. Kusleev, ''Praying'', unknown duet with L. M. Kharitonov, ''Here's the Deal'' (1963), ''Black Crow'' duet with A. Eisen (1956), ''Nut Brown Maiden'' duet with I. Savchuk (1953, 1956),CD: EMI Classics: Red Army Ensemble, 0946-3-92030-2-4, "Nut Brown Maiden". ''The Little Bells'' (1956) Unfortunately, Nikolai Abramov's name was frequently incorrectly attributed on recordings, notably on the Kultur video of 1965 that is available in the West.

Vadim Petrovich Ananyev (Вадим Петрович Ананьев)

Born on 21 March 1959, Ananyev was a soloist of the Ensemble in 2024. He was one of few soloists of the ensemble who did not board the plane to Syria, later lost in the 2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash. He stayed to care for his recently born child.

Georgy Yakovlevich Andryushchenko

Georgy Yakovlevich Andryushchenko (born Aravan,

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, 1933; died 12 January 2011). (Russian: Георгий Яковлевич Андрющенко); also spelled "Andryushenko";

soloist of the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an honorary and the highest title awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation ...

(1973). He studied at

, and joined the

as a soloist in 1958. He performed at the Bolshoi Theatre 1963–1979, had a wide repertoire and was one of the leading tenors in a troupe which toured the world. From 1974 to 1976 he was the supervisor of the trainee group of Bolshoi Theatre soloists. From 1979 he was director of the Moscow Ice Ballet Ensemble. In the late 1980s he worked as general director of GosTsirk; he was the head of all circuses in Russia, and he published an article in ''Dei/Disillusionist'' magazine about a circus tour to the Vatican in 1982. Within the Bolshoi Theatre his recorded operatic arias include the following: as Prince Andrei Khovansky in

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

's opera ''

Khovanshchina ''Khovanshchina'' ( rus, Хованщина, , xɐˈvanʲɕːɪnə, Ru-Khovanshchina_version.ogg, sometimes rendered ''The Khovansky Affair'') is an opera (subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was writte ...

'' (1979); as Mikhailo Tucha in ''Pskovityanka'' (or A Girl from Pskov); as Alexey in ''Optimistic Tragedy'' by Kholminov; as Masalsky in ''October'' by Muradeli; as Marquise in ''The Gambler'' by

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

from the story by Dostoyevsky; as Semyon in ''

Semyon Kotko ''Semyon Kotko'' (), Op. 81, is an opera in five acts by Sergei Prokofiev to a libretto by Sergei Prokofiev and Valentin Katayev based on Katayev's 1937 novel ''I, Son of Working People'' (). It was premiered on 23 June 1940 at the Stanislavsky ...

'' by Sergei Prokofiev.

Valentin Ivanovich Anisimov

Valentin Ivanovich Anisimov (born 1937; died 26 August 2002). (Russian: В.И. Анисимов),

soloist (of the

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

Opera House).

People's Artist of Ukraine People's Artist of Ukraine () is an honorary title awarded by the government of Ukraine. It is the highest title awarded to outstanding performing artists whose merits are exceptional in the sphere of the development of the performing arts, inc ...

and Honoured Artist of Russia (1973). In 1962 he graduated from the

Urals State Conservatory Urals Mussorgsky State Conservatoire is a College or university school of music, musical university in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. The Ural State Conservatory was founded in 1934. In 1939 the Conservatory had its first graduates. ...

. From 1962 he was a soloist at

Sverdlovsk, Ukraine Sverdlovsk (; ) or Dovzhansk () is an industrial city in Luhansk Oblast of Ukraine, near the internationally recognized border with Russia. This is the residence of Dovzhansk urban hromada and Dovzhansk Raion (district). It is located approxima ...

and from 1967 at the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre. He gave 40 performances at the

and gained a fine reputation throughout the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

for singing in

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

's opera

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

. From 1980 he was soloist of the

Moscow Philharmonic The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953. It is most associated wi ...

. He also taught at the Institute of Contemporary Art in the

. With the

he recorded ''Veterans'' (music: Boris Alexandrov; lyrics S. Bencken).

Georgiy Ivanovich Babaev

(Russian: Г.И. Бабаев; also translated George Babayev),

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

soloist, Stalin Prize Laureate. With the

he recorded ''Song of the Young Soldiers'' duet with V. Puchkov (music: P. Akulenko; lyrics: Ya Shvedov), ''Song about Klim Voroshilov'' duet with Yuseph Laute (music: Alexander Alexandrov; lyrics: O. Kolychev), ''Aside Native'' (music: A. Alexandrov; lyrics: S. Mikhalkov), ''Seasoned Cook'' (music: Z. Компанеец; lyrics: I. Lakshin), ''Song about Blyukher'' duet with V. Pankov (music: Alexander Alexandrov; lyrics: S. Alymov), ''I Myself'' (Slovak song).

Kim Ivanovich Bazarsadaev

(Russian: Ким Иванович Базарсадаев) (1937 - 2002)

soloist. Took part in the 1965 concert in the Tchaikovsky hall. Graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory (1963), worked as a soloist of the All-Russian touring association, the Red Banner Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army named after A.V. Aleksandrov. Alexander Alexandrov. Since 1966 - soloist of the Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. In the repertoire more than 30 roles, including Mephistopheles (“Faust” by Sh. Gounod), Attila in the opera of the same name by J. Verdi, Boris and Dositheus (“Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshchina” by M. Musorgsky), Melnik (“Rusalka” by A. Dargomyzhsky), Vladimir Galitsky (“Prince Igor” by A. Borodin) and others. Outstanding performer of bass parts in national operas (“Enlightenment” by B. Yampilov, “Enkhe-Bulat-Bator” by M. Frolov, etc.). In the concert repertoire - more than 300 works of Russian and European classics, romances, songs of different nations. He toured abroad (Mongolia, Czechoslovakia, England, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, France, etc.). Prez. International Association of opera and ballet theaters of the Asian-Siberian region (1989). Chairman of the Board of the Buryat Respubl. Musical Society (1996).

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

(1981). Winner of the All-Union Glinka Vocalist Competition (1962). The TV film “Light over Baikal” (1986) is dedicated to B.'s creativity. The K.I. Bazarsadaev Cultural Foundation was established in the Republic of Buryatia (2006).

Evgeny Mikhailovich Belyaev

Soloist of the Ensemble. (Russian: Евгений Михайлович Беляев). Outside the USSR, one of the most celebrated

soloists under Boris Alexandrov was Evgeny Belyaev or Evgeny Mikhailovich Belyaev (1926–1994) . He was born 11 September 1926 in the

Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (), also known as Bryanshchina (, ), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 1,169,161. Geography Bryansk Oblast lies in weste ...

, and served in the subdivision of zenith troops during World War II. He then graduated from

. In 1947 he was a soloist of the Ensemble of Song and Dance of the

Carpathian The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at ...

military district, and in 1952 a Member of CPSU (

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

). In 1955 he was a soloist of the Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Soviet Army of Alexandrov. In 1967 he was made

, and in 1978 he won the

State Prize of the USSR The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

. He died in 1994 (21 or 22 February). Two of his most famous performances are ''Oh the Rye'' and ''Nightingale''. The lyric of ''Nightingale'' asks the nightingale to be quiet as the soldiers are sleeping; i.e. they have died. One of his most popular recordings with The

is '' Kalinka''.

Pyotr Dmitrievich Bogachev

(Russian: Петр Дмитриевич Богачёв),

soloist. Honoured Artist of Russia. With the

he recorded ''In the Ocean Gave'' duet with S. Ivanov (music: B. Korostylev; lyrics: B. Bezhaev), ''It's a Long Time Since We Were Home'' duet with S. Ivanov (music: V.Solovev-Sedoy; lyrics: A. Fatyanov), ''We, the Army People'' duet with S. Ivanov (music: G. Movsesyan; lyrics: Robert Rozhdestvensky), ''Listen, Beauty'' duet with S. Ivanov (music: E. Martin; lyrics: M. Plyatskovsky), ''Your Soldiers'' duet with S. Ivanov (music: B. Gamal; lyrics: A. Sofronov), ''We go, We Go Into the Army'' duet with Ivan Bukreev (music: B. Aleksandrov; lyrics: V. Tatarinov), '' Smuglianka'', duet with S. Ivanov (music: A. Novikov; lyrics: Y. Chvedov),''The Samovars'' duet with S. Ivanov (music A. Novikov; lyrics: S. Alimov) (1982/92) , ''Nut Brown Girl'' duet with S. Ivanov (1989/92, 2003), ''Endless Sea'' duet with S. Ivanov, ''We Protect the Country'' duet with S. Ivanov, ''Afield'' duet with S. Ivanov (1992), ''Evening on the Roads'' duet with S. Ivanov (1992), ''Distant Northern Town'' trio with V.S. Buzurov and S. Ivanov (1992), ''Dixie'' duet with S. Ivanov 1992, ''Greetings from the Troops'' duet with S. Ivanov, ''Our Army'' duet with S. Ivanov (1984).

Ivan Semionovich Bukreev

Soloist of the Ensemble. (born 1924; died 1998). (Russian: Иван Семенович Букреев), lyric

soloist,

. In World War II he was in the Air Force, and was seriously wounded in battle. In 1944 he graduated from the

, and became a soloist in the Air Force ensemble. It has been suggested in the West that he was overshadowed by E. Belyaev, but Leonid Kharitonov remembers the following:

"Bukreev didn’t have any specific reaction to Belyaev's success. Actually, he was glad for his colleague. Besides, it would be quite strange to compare them since they were different kinds of tenor – Belyaev was ''lyric'' tenor (higher voice) and Bukreev was a ''lyric and dramatic'' tenor (deeper voice). Bukreev never performed as a soloist abroad. Belyaev sang only three songs abroad and was mainly famous for the '' Kalinka'' song. In Russia they had equal popularity. Bukreev was teetotal and was a good husband and father to his wife and daughter."

Kharitonov only ever sang duets with one person, and that was Bukreev. With the

from 1953 to 1987/88 Bukreev gained a high reputation and recorded: ''Take Care, Soldier'' (music: Y. Milutin; lyrics: M. Lisyansky), ''Submariners' Waltz'' (music: V. Alexandrov; lyrics: Igor Morozov) (1965), ''Rides the Border'' (music: B. Muradeli; lyrics: A. Annual), ''We Go, We Go Into the Army'' duet with P. Bogachev (music: B. Aleksandrov; lyrics: V. Tatarinov), ''The Soldier'' (music: B. Mokrousov; lyrics: C. Islands), ''Our Soldiers'' (music: L. Lyadov; lyrics: A. Zharov), ''Nice Guy'' (music: A. Doluhanyan; lyrics: Nekrasova L.), ''Song of Prague'' (music: M. Blanter; lyrics: Anon) (1960), ''At Least'' (music: A. Doluhanyan; lyrics: M. Lisyansky), ''A Wave'' (music: A Doluhanyan; lyrics: M. Lisyansky), ''Soldier's Ways'' duet with Edward Labkovsky (music: B. Aleksandrov; lyrics: B. Dubrovin), ''Russian Accordion'' (music: B. Muradeli; lyrics: E. Savinov), ''I Took You into the Tundra'' (music: M. Fradkin; lyrics: M. Plyatskovsky) (performed 1982), ''Bird Cherry'' (music: M. Blanter; lyrics: M. Isakovsky), ''South-West Region'' (music: Yu Milyutin; lyrics: E. Dolmatovskaya), ''I Will Never Forget You'' (music: E. Kolmanovsky; lyrics: K. Vanshenkin) (ca.1965), ''

Moscow Nights "Moscow Nights", originally titled "Leningrad Nights", is a Soviet patriotic song written by Mikhail Matusovsky and composed by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy. It was later covered as "Midnight in Moscow" by Kenny Ball. Composition and initial succ ...

'' (music: V. Soloviev-Sedoi; lyrics: M. Matousovski) (1958), ''

Bella Ciao "Bella ciao" () is an Italian song dedicated to the partisans of the Italian resistance, who fought against the occupying troops of Nazi Germany and the collaborationist Fascist forces during the liberation of Italy. The exact origins are not ...

'' duet with P. Slastnoi (Italian partisan song; arr. B. Pogrebov) (ca.1966) , ''Bucharest Love'', ''Homeland Night'', ''Wait a Day to Return'' (1956), ''Song of the Border Defence Troops'', two unknown solos, ''Spring of 1945'' duet with Boris Shemyakov, ''Sky Blue Eyes'' (1978), ''Near the Garden'' trio with I.I. Savchuk and E. Belyaev, ''American Soldiers'', ''That Soldier Heads Up'', ''Far Away'' (1978), ''Don't Cry, Girl'', ''Early Apple Blossom'', ''Regiment Polka'' duet with V.P. Gorlanov, ''Ready Rocket Forces'' duet with V.L. Ruslanov, ''City of Rostov'', ''In Our Company'', ''Vasya-Vasilyok'' duet with L. M. Kharitonov (ca.1965), ''I'll Always be a Soldier''.

Vladimir Abramovich Bunchikov

soloist. (born in

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

21 November 1902; died 17 March 1995). Honoured Artist of Russia (1944). From 1934, he recorded songs. With V. Kandelaki he sang jazz, and he sang with the popular orchestra directed by B. Knushevitsky, and with Boris Alexandrov's Song and Dance Ensemble of

Radio and band. His main repertoire was the songs of Soviet composers. From 1942 to 1967 he was a soloist of the All-Union Radio. For 25 years he performed fine duets with the lyric

Vladimir Nechaev (1908–1969) whom he had met during World War II. With the Ensemble of the

Radio Committee under Boris Alexandrov he recorded ''Evening in the Roadstead''/''Night on the Road'' duet with P. Mikhailov (recorded 1942). This is a baritone-tenor duet, and the choir includes women sopranos. He also recorded ''Nightingale'' in the 1940s as a baritone-tenor duet with Georgi Pavlovich Vinogradov, ''It's a Long Time Since We Were Home'' duet with V. Nechaev.

E. Burchakov

(Russian: Е.Бурчаков),

soloist. With the

he recorded ''Not a – Do Not Know'' (music: S. Tulika; lyrics: V. Malkov).

Victor Sergeievich Buzurov

(Russian: Виктор Сергеевич Бузлов).

Tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

soloist. Joined the Ensemble ca.1970. Since 1990 he has recorded with the Don Cossack Choir and V. Gavva, singing religious songs. With the

he has recorded ''The Birch Tree'' (1987), ''Distant Northern Town'' trio with S. Ivanov and P. Bogachev (1992), ''Moscow''.

Vladimir Ivanovich Chernykh

(Russian: Владимир Иванович Черных), tenor / lyric baritone soloist. With the

he recorded ''Jet Pilot'', ''Ballad of the Red Army'', ''Loyalty'' duet with V. Azovtsev, ''Hail to the Infantry!'' with V. Shkaptsov (1978) and unknown song. * Critical commentary on a music video featuring Chernykh and Bukreev: They sing ''The Grey Cuckoo'' on ''Soviet Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble'' This screenshot illustrates the sheer lack of public ego among the tenors of the Ensemble. In the West, a duet or trio of lyric tenors is always something of a competition for audience attention on the part of the singers – but here it is always a matter of humility to the music: blending; complementing; adjusting of the voice for perfect harmony of dynamic and musicality. The duettists always behave like the army choristers, whom

Boris Alexandrov Boris Viktorovich Alexandrov (; November 13, 1955 - July 31, 2002) was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Kazakhstan, Kazakh professional ice hockey player. Alexandrov competed for Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk and HC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow a ...

famously described as being so well-disciplined due to regular square-bashing. This, of course, was a joke as they are clearly as exhaustively rehearsed as any

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...

choir. This screenshot shows them not showing off, but simply working. It helps to illustrate that this army choir was really born of the Kazan Cathedral choir where Alexander Alexandrov learned his trade all those decades ago. The choir was never a sport of the operatic stage where Boris was trained.Important: Before editing this critical commentary, please read the section "Critical Commentaries" on the article discussion page.

Ivan Alexandrovich Didenko

Ivan Alexandrovich Didenko, soloist of the choir. ();

soloist, (Born 1924 - Died 2008). He joined the Alexandrov Ensemble in 1955 and was active as a soloist until the 60s and a choir member until 1982. In 1960, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Republic of the Russian Federation. With the

he recorded ''Lights Black Sun'' (music: A. Doluhanyan; lyrics: M. Lisyansky), ''The Birch Tree'' (1956)CD: EMI: Soviet Army Chorus & Band, CDC-7-47833-2 DIDX-1015CD: EMI Classics: Red Army Ensemble, 0946-3-92030-2-4 ''Snowflakes'' (1956) ''The Hero Chapayev Roamed The Urals'', ''Song of the 27th Division'' and ''I have travelled around the entire universe''

Viktor Konstantinovich Dmitriev

Viktor Konstantinovich Dmitriev, (Russian: Виктор Константинович Дмитриев),

soloist. Bass singer. Born in 1927. He started out singing with the North Sea Fleet Song and Dance Ensemble, but moved to the Alexandrov Ensemble in October 1958. He was promoted to soloist in 1962 and continued to work until he retired in 1966. Many of his remaining recordings are by Muradeli. In the materials for his 1968 Japan tour (advertisements published in Record Geijutsu and elsewhere), his name is mistakenly listed as " Vladimir Dmitriev " (though he is listed correctly on the 1963 recording of Le Chant du Monde in France). With the

he recorded the beautiful and dramatic ''Halt, Who Goes There!'' with Alexander Sibirtsev and B. Kazakov (music: B. Muradeli; lyrics: E. Dolmatovskaya). ''The Alarm Bells of Buchenwald'' in 1963 along with the live concert in 1964. ''Border Guard Song'', ''Days of War'' and ''I am going''

Arthur Arturovich Eisen

Arthur Arturovich Eisen (Russian: Артур Артурович Эйзен).

soloist. (b. Moscow 8 June 1927; d. Moscow 26 February 2008). Soloist of the

, Honoured Artist of Russia (1956),

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1971),

(1976),

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...

(1988). With the

he recorded: ''Elegy'', ''Oh No John'' (1956), ''Cold Waves Lapping'' (1956), ''Black Raven'', duet with N.A. Abramov (1956), 4 unknown solos (1956), ''

Song of the Volga Boatmen The "Song of the Volga Boatmen" (known in Russian as Эй, ухнем! y, ukhnyem!, "Yo, heave-ho!" after the refrain) is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev and published in his book of folk songs in 1866. It was ...

''.

Vasily Semyonovich Eliseev

Soloist of the choir. Born 1931; died 1982. (Russian:Василий Семёнович Елисеев),

with

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

capability, i.e. with smooth transition to upper range, and good tone and projection throughout. There is a long tradition of countertenors in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

; this tradition continued during the Soviet era. With the

he recorded: ''Listen''. On the Kultur video from which the screenshot is taken, Eliseev is incorrectly named as Nicolai A. Abramov. ;Critical commentary on a music video featuring Vasily Eliseev: Eliseev sings ''Listen'' on the music video ''Soviet Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble''D1106. . B0013N3LIG, published by Kultur, ca.1960, dir: I. Jugashvili. Musical dir: Boris Alexandrov, filmed in the USSR. See

Alexandrov Ensemble discography This is a list of recordings made by the Alexandrov Ensemble (under various titles) since 1928. Within each section (CDs, LPs, 78s etc.) they are in alphabetical order of record labels. DVDs Facets Multi-Media, Facets: ''Leningrad Cowboys'' - ...

for further details. The song, ''Listen'', takes full advantage of Eliseev's

capability. According to Eliseev's apparent age in the screenshot, he was probably born in the 1920s and spent his early career in World War II: a time of great hardship for the general populace. Music was a great solace for the troops and the people, and the Alexandrovs felt the need to produce a full range of

compositions Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

. They needed

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

s for their choir and soloists, but were not permitted them. Eliseev filled a need for a beautiful and highly trained voice, to allow not just extended chords for drama and pathos in the video, but chords to provide a beauty and spiritual dimension in the arrangement of ''Listen'', in which a political prisoner voices his dreams of Outside. Just as the spiritual dimension of the song appears to reach through the music to beyond the studio, so this singer appears to be conscious of a level beyond himself, as seen in the screenshot, and as heard in his ethereal upper register.

Vladimir Vasilievich Fyodorov

(Russian: Владимир Васильевич Федоров) The only

that the Ensemble ever had. He joined the Red Banner Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble in 1938. He was an active participant in front-line brigades during the Great Patriotic War. For many years, he was a regular performer of the Ukrainian folk song "Bandura" in a duet with G. Vinogradov, V. Nikitin, I. Kuznetsov and I. Savchuk. In an ensemble with V. Bycheev and M. Ivanov, he performed the songs "Falcons Walk" by B. Mokrousov, "Glory to the Fleet" by B. Terentyev and "Song of the Heart" by A. Khachaturian. He was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor (1949). He finished working in the ensemble on December 31, 1970. With the

he recorded: ''Bandura'' duet with Evgeny Belyaev (1956), Viktor Nikitin (1948) Ivan Kuznetsov (1940s) and Ivan Savchuk (1950s) .CD: EMI: Soviet Army Chorus & Band, CDC-7-47833-2 DIDX-1015, "Bandura".CD: EMI Classics: Red Army Ensemble, 0946-3-92030-2-4, "Bandura".

Stanislav Ivanovich Frolov

Stanislav Ivanovich Frolov (Russian: Станислав Иванович Фролов), magnificent Russian

(from GABTa). Ten years after graduation he worked as a film camera operator. He was then admitted to the State Music School in the

Komi-Zyryan Autonomous Oblast Komi (Zyryan) Autonomous Oblast was an administrative-territorial unit (''autonomous oblast'') of the Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative ...

. From 1960 to 1962 he was employed by the Kyrgyz Academy Theatre, then from 1964 to 1967 by the Belarusian Opera and Ballet. He joined the

in Moscow as soloist, and in 1970 joined their tour to Japan. He joined the

in 1976, and was part of its tour to Japan in the same year. With the

he recorded ''Great October Holiday'' (music: Boris Alexandrov; lyrics: S. Bencken), ''Song of the Dnieper'' (music: M. Fradkin; music: E. Dolmatovskaya), ''The Red Cavalry'' (Civil War song: D. Pokrass), ''Song of the Fatherland'', ''Song of the Golden Calf'' from the opera ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' (1995), ''Soldiers' Song'' (1983).

Valery Gavva

(Russian: Валерий Гавва), fine Russian

. (b.

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, 1947). He is descended from an old

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

family. He attended the Industrial University of

Rostov Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, and did military service in the Urals. After that, he studied music at the University of

in Ukraine. After graduating, he became an operatic soloist. In 1987 he joined the Ensemble as a

soloist, and became

. He did a 1996 tour to Japan with the National Opera Theatre of

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, singing in

's opera''

Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...

''. He broadcast with the Don Cossack Choir, and recorded in 1994 and 1995. In 2002 he performed with the Moscow Radio and Television Choir in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. With the

he recorded ''Treasured Stone'' (music: B. Mokrousov; lyrics A. Zharov), ''Poem of the Ukraine'' (music: Alexander Alexandrov; lyrics: O. Kolychev), '' Dark Eyes'' with A. Molostov, trumpet (trad; arr. Dmitri Oleg Yachinov). He has made many more recordings.

Konstantin Grigorievich Gerasimov

Soloist of the Ensemble. (born 1912). (Russian: Константин Григорьевич Герасимов).

(1962); Dramatic

soloist. After graduating from the College of Light Industry he studied singing while working as a clerk in charge of plant management. In 1936 he enlisted as an army sniper so as to be allowed into the

to get musical training and experience. In 1969 he became a leading baritone soloist. With the

he recorded ''The Death of Varyag'' (music: A. Turischev; lyrics: R. Greynts; E.Studinskaya) (1959/63), ''Barrow'' (music: V.Solovev-Sedoy; lyrics: E. Dolmatovskaya), ''Marine Guard'' (music: Y. Milutin; lyrics: V.Lebedev-Kumach), ''Moscow-Beijing'' (music: B. Muradeli; lyrics: M. Vershinin) (1950), ''We Are For Peace'' (music: S. Tulika; lyrics: A. Zharov), ''Song of the Ballistic Missile'' duet with A. Sergeev (music: S. Tulika; lyrics: M. Andronov), '' It's a Long Way to Tipperary'' (1956), ''Song of Japan'', ''Our Bodyguard'' duet with V.V. Puckkov (1951), ''Near the Border'', ''Song of the Military Alliance'' (1960), unknown operatic aria, ''Song of Russia'' (1960/63).

Pyotr Gluboky

Pyotr Gluboky (born

Volgograd Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...

, 1947),

soloist. From 1967 to 1973 he studied at

. In 1972 he began working as a soloist at the

. He was a Glinka Competition winner in 1973, and in 1974 he won the grand prize in the

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

International Competition. He was also professor at the

. He became

. He performed as a guest soloist for the

on tours to Japan. He recorded with the

company.

Valery Petrovich Gorlanov

(Russian: Валерий Петрович Горланов), (Born 1929 - Died 1977/1978)

soloist from 1956 until 1966. With the

he recorded: ''Virgin Land'' (1960), ''Song of the Defence'', ''Regiment Polka'' duet with I.S. Bukreev and folk song ''They say I don't dare'' . He also worked as the announcer in the ensembles 1950s - 1965 concerts as seen in the ensembles concert footage.

Nikolai Timofeyevich Gres

Soloist of the Ensemble. Born 28 December 1920 in

Kobeliaky Kobeliaky (, ) is a city in Poltava Raion, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kobeliaky urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: History During World War II, Kobeliaky was under German occupation from 15 ...

; died 25 March 2003 in

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

. (Russian: Николай Тимофеевич Гресь),

soloist. Honoured Artist of Russia (1966). During World War II he sustained an injury resulting in a brain contusion. From 1946 he was a soloist of the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

Ensemble. From 1955 to 1963 he was a soloist of the

, and his debut with the Bolshoi was 11 February 1956 in Moscow. He then joined the

until 1973. After leaving the Ensemble he worked briefly in Moscow teaching automobile engineering, then moved to Simferopol in the Ukraine, where he became an administrator in the Simferopol Philharmonic Society. In his last years he suffered poor health and died suddenly in hospital at Simferopol. Some newspaper and magazine articles about Gres are listed at Slovari Yandex. In 2001 in the Crimea a biography of Gres was published under the title ''The whole life with a song'' (Всю жизнь – с песней), by I.Turchin (И. Турчин). With the

he recorded ''I was going back from Berlin'' (music: I. Dunaevsky; lyrics: L. Oshanin) (1966), ''The Birch Tree'' (1965) , ''Truth of the Century'' (1970), ''The River Flows'' (1963), ''French Marching Song'' (Походная) lyrics by E.Mugel (1963), ''My Friends'' (duet with A.S. Sibirtsev), and ''Let us remember, comrades'' (duet with A.S. Sibirtsev 1960s, music A.V.Alexandrov, lyrics S.Alymov), ''When I go to the quick river'' (Как пойду я на быструю речку) (1955), ''The Grey Cuckoo'' (1965), ''Obelisks'' (music: Smolsky; lyrics: Yasen) or Обелиски (Д. Смольский – М. Ясень) (1966), ''The Song of the Headman'' from the opera ''The Night of May'' by Rimsky-Korsakov or Песня про Голову из оперы "Майская ночь" (Н. Римский – Корсаков) (1955; 1967), ''I Have Travelled the Whole Universe'' (1969), also known as ''I wandered through the world'', the part of Sobinin in ''Ivan Susanin'' (Life of the Tsar) opera by Glinka. He also recorded ''Soviet Flag'' (music: B.A. Alexandrov; lyrics: P.Arsky (П. Арский)) (1969), and ''Fanikuli-Fanikula'' (1969).

Critical commentary on a music video featuring Nikolai Gres

(see screenshot right): Gres sings ''The Birch Tree'' on the music video ''Soviet Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble'' This is a

late medieval The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the period of European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

composition about a man sitting under a birch tree, whittling and thinking of women. It is usually categorised as a

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

as the name of the composer has been lost. However it is clearly a professional composition of a quality comparative to those of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Northern European composers of

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

songs, such as

Dufay Guillaume Du Fay ( , ; also Dufay, Du Fayt; 5 August 1397 – 27 November 1474) was a composer and music theorist of early Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered the leading European composer of h ...

and

Binchois Gilles de Bins dit Binchois (also Binchoys; – 20 September 1460) was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of early Renaissance music. A central figure of the Burgundian School, Binchois is renowned a melodist and miniaturist; he generally av ...

. This performance is part of the history of the

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

revival movement. In the 19th century, rediscovered

, along with

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

, was usually arranged to be performed in the grand orchestral or Italian operatic style. However, such music had always survived in

church music Church music is a genre of Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. History Early Christian musi ...

, in one form or another, and people were used to hearing it performed in the style of traditional European church

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

s: no

vibrato Vibrato (Italian language, Italian, from past participle of "wikt:vibrare, vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch (music), pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. ...

; pure and clear tone; adjusting the voice production to the

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

of the building. In

, the building was always the secondary

soundbox A sound box or sounding box (sometimes written soundbox) is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which modifies the sound of the instrument, and helps transfer that sound to the surrounding air. Objects respond more strongly to vibr ...

for the vocal instrument (the

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nas ...

being the first). From the 1950s, early music performance reverted to this

ecclesiastical {{Short pages monitor