Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army

(full name, A. V. Aleksandrov Order of the Red Banner Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Soviet Army), one of the largest artistic companies in the Soviet Union, combining vocal, choreographic, and musical art. It was formed in 1928 under the name the Ensemble of Red Army Song. From the day of its formation until 1946, the company was directed by People’s Artist of the USSR A. V. Aleksandrov and since 1946, by People’s Artist of the USSR B. A. Aleksandrov. The ensemble consists of a male four-voice chorus, an orchestra, and a male dance group. The ensemble’s work has laid the foundation for the development of song and dance companies (ensembles) and for the formation of a new kind of popular folk art. The company has performed before military units (during the Great Patriotic War before the fighters at the front) as well as in concert halls and other public auditoriums. The ensemble’s repertoire contains Soviet and foreign music, folk songs, classical choruses, and large-scale musical works, including Kalinka (A. Alek-sandrov’s arrangement of the folk song), A. Aleksan-drov’s Holy War, the oratorio The Soldier of October Defends Peace, and the vocal-symphonic sketch Lenin’s Cause Is Immortal by V. Aleksandrov. The ensemble performs in the republics of the Soviet Union and abroad, where it has visited approximately 20 countries on three continents. It has won world renown and popularized the best examples of Soviet song and dance.

The company has been awarded the honorary revolutionary Red Banner with the Order of the Red Star (1935) and the Order of the Red Banner (1949). The ensemble was honored in France with the Grand Prix (1937), the Gold Discobolus (1961), and the Gold Disk (1968) prizes. It was awarded the Mongolian People’s Republic’s Order for Services in Battle (1964) and Czechoslovakia’s Order of the Red Star (1965). In 1946 the name of A. V. Aleksandrov was conferred on the ensemble. Its soloists include People’s Artists of the USSR E. M. Beliaev and A. T. Sergeev.