Lyube is one of the most-beloved musical ensembles in Russia, and N V Rastorguyev, its frontman, is one of Russia’s most recognisable celebrities. They’re 100 percent patriotic, but rooted in the people (think of Kolya Rastorguyev as a Russian John Mellencamp, and you’d be right). Their latest album, За тебя, родина-мать (Za tebya, rodina-mat: To You, Mother-Motherland) has an anti-Banderist theme. You can see the folk and shanson (“thieves’ songs”) influence in their work.
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Khrustalyova’s audition piece for the contest… Мне нравится (Mne nravitsa: I Like It)
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Fr Foty’s audition piece for the contest… Lensky’s aria… judge Gradsky and Fr Foty sing an impromptu duet after the main presentation
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Here is one of the other contestants, Ilona Solomonova, singing Kazachya… a second song begins at 4:15 after a colloquy between Ilona and the judges
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On Friday, 23 October, Ryazan homegirl Ella Khrustalyova bowed out of the vocal competition “The Voice” on Pervy Kanal TV. Onstage at “Fights”, she conceded to Hieromonk Foty of Borovsk. The contestants sang a song by Andrea Bocelli, Canto della Terra, as a duet, in Italian. The duo was the idea of G V Leps, he also identified Fr Foty as the winner of this competition, “He has no need to explain where his muse is; he lives the words, ‘Following God, soaring above the clouds’. I always regretted that I couldn’t ever sing like that”. All the judges thanked the duo. P S Gagarina said, “You just bathed in music, in their voices, I have no words for it, it was amazing”. A B Gradsky noted, “Leps joined these two educated and cultured people together and asked them to show us highly-artistic vocal work. In this sense, they showed that our project blows away its counterparts around the world”. In addition, judge D V Nagiyev commended Khrustalyova, “Her appearance enriched the project”. In her farewell speech, she thanked “The Voice” for the opportunity to discover different aspects [of her talent]. She thought that the performance of Canto della Terra was a success. “The Voice” is now going through the second part of the “Fights” segment.
Pervy Kanal is the most popular TV network in Russia. This is mass culture at its finest. Compare this with its American analogues and there’s no comparison. Look at Fr Foty! Monks don’t sit on a far-off hillside with long faces… they don’t eat boiled potatoes and stewed prunes to show how “Holy” they are. Monastics have always interacted with the world; they’ve always not only prayed for the world, but they took also part in it to show that we can sanctify ALL of life. Most monks and nuns don’t leave their monasteries… but that doesn’t mean that they cut off the world. They do reject the foolishness of this world and they do live “by a different standard”, but they don’t stop being human… nor do they stop smiling. Remember the late Fr Vladimir Sukhobok and Igumen Tryphon up in Washington State… I rest my case…
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Yu D Chicherina… Please… in memory of the murdered children of Novorossiya
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Yu S Andreyeva with Arkhipelag in Donetsk on Victory Day (9 May 2015)
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Today, young people flocked to a large festival concert in Shcherbakov Park to celebrate Day of the Miner and City Day (30 August). On the main stage, rockers and rappers, both local and from Russia, appeared, amongst them, Yu D Chicherina, Yu S Andreyeva with Arkhipelag, and V R Samoilov (founder of Agata Kristi), as well as musicians from St Petersburg, Samara, and other Russian parts. The event was truly massive… it filled the entire park; several thousand surrounded the stage. Despite this, the situation remained calm and friendly. An entertainment programme preceded the concert. The first number was a show called “Extreme Power”, put on by Donetsk homies and visitors from Taganrog. Anyone could show off their skills, to see who got the most interest from the crowd. Then, the bikers roared in. The crowd went nuts over the Donetsk branch of the famous Night Wolves MC. Their presentation wasn’t as large as planned, because there were so many people in the park that there wasn’t enough space to put it on in its entirety. However, the main draw of the evening was V R Samoilov, the founder and frontman of the famous band Agata Kristi. Every time that he tried to leave the stage ended in a long photo-op with the crowd. Vadim Rudolfovich is one of the most popular musicians in the DNR; he just couldn’t deny his fans. Local pols and figures gave their greetings and speeches; all those taking part in the festivities expressed their desire for peace and gave encouragement to the Donetsk homies. D V Pushilin, Vice Chairman of the DNR Peoples Soviet, addressed the audience, “We have a dual holiday… Day of the Miner and City Day. Needless to say, for us, our miners and their work are fundamental to our republic… greetings, Donetsk, our mining land, on your holiday!” Currently, the concert is still going on. Meanwhile, the older generation is waiting for tomorrow. One of their faves is appearing in Donetsk, the Generalissimo of Crooners, Peoples Artist of the Russian Federation and of the DNR, I D Kobzon {click here for Somewhere Far Away, the theme to the famous TV show, 17 Moments of Spring).
Voices from Russia 
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