For the second year in a row, family stories have been heard from the stage of the Russian House. Children and adults speak about their heroic great-grandfathers who fought in the Second World War and passed through the flames of the Great Patriotic War.
What began as an intimate event quickly outgrew its original scale. So many people wished to perform that an intermission had to be added.
The program was structured as a living dialogue between eras: immortal lines from classical literature were recited from the stage, while archival footage and photographs from the performers’ family albums appeared on the screens. Before each performance, participants spoke about the people shown in the photographs — the heroes of those years, members of their own families.
The evening opened with a work that returned the audience to the very origins of the tragedy. Vadim Yegorov’s song White Panama Hats, performed by Daria, recalled the children who died in the first days of the war.
The literary part continued with lines still known by millions today. Lukyana recited Konstantin Simonov’s famous poem Wait for Me. The theme of continuity between generations was also reflected in original works: Maria presented her poem Two Brothers, dedicated to the veterans in her family, while her son Dima recited The Boy, also written by his mother.
The organizers paid special attention to a story linking the heroism of the Soviet people with Belgium. Evgeny recounted the story of the friendship between the great Tatar poet Musa Jalil and the Belgian patriot André Timmermans. Thanks to the Belgian, the Moabit Notebook was preserved and returned to its homeland, and the poet’s name was rehabilitated.
The young spoon-player ensemble Souvenir cheerfully performed the legendary song Katyusha. The choreographic ensemble Dance-Time presented the dance composition Bring Back the Memory.
The central place in the program was occupied by the participants’ personal stories. Natalia shared the story of another hero of her family — Anatoly Petrovich Glagolev. The large Kraev family presented an entire theatrical performance, singing the songs I Cannot Do Otherwise and And the River Flows.
Roma recited the little-known poem Two Trucks by Sergey Mikhalkov.
The following performances were also presented from the stage:
Yan performed Eduard Asadov’s Letter from the Front, Svetlana sang Random Waltz, and Ekaterina performed Rasul Gamzatov’s ballad Cranes accompanied by her own music.
Young artist Alexandra answered the question Why Do You Treasure Your Soldier’s Coat? (by Elena Blaginina). The girl fulfilled her mission brilliantly.
Adrian, together with his mother Tomislava, spoke about the heroic deed of the Russian soldier Alyosha in Bulgaria.
Ilya sang Vladimir Vysotsky’s song He Did Not Return from Battle accompanied by guitar.
Irina read an excerpt from Alexander Tvardovsky’s poem Vasily Tyorkin, while Natalia recited I Was Killed Near Rzhev. The final note of the event was delivered by Seryozha with Zinaida Alexandrova’s poem Victory Day.
Concluding the readings, the hosts thanked everyone present for participating. This evening once again proved that as long as the poems and songs of those years continue to be heard, and as long as family stories are passed down from generation to generation, the feat of the ancestors remains immortal.
