Posts Tagged 'patriotic'

May 9th is celebrated every year in Russia as Victory Day to commemorate the victory in 1945 over Nazi Germany in World War II. 2011 marks the 66th anniversary.

On May 9th every year, Russians celebrate Victory Day (Den Pobedi / День Победы). This is a day to commemorate the Nazi surrender in 1945. Parades, music and fireworks highlight the celebration. This year is the 65th anniversary of this day.

In this video, Leonid Kharitonov greets and thanks the World War II veterans. His 1999 performance of The Veterans don’t Grow Old in their Souls, given to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Alexandrov Ensemble, follows.

This song was written specifically for Leonid Kharitonov by the composer Serafim Tulikov in 1967 and has become a “hymn” for veterans. As the first performer of this song, Leonid Kharitonov was invited to sing it on this commemorative occasion.

Leonid Kharitonov - "The Veterans don’t Grow Old" [ 3:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (98)

This song, originally titled “For the Sake of Future Days” was written in 1963 by the famous Russian composer Anatoly Novikov; the lyrics were written by Lev Oshanin. This performance commemorates the sacrifices and victorious achievements of Russia’s young men from the Revolution through World War II and into the Soviet space era. The presented video clip of the song (below) was made in 1966 for the New Year’s TV show.

The song begins:

“Is it possible to forget those Russian boys…
They met the year 1917 with cannons pointing at their chests…
Revolution looks at them with stern eyes and asks: Are you ready?!
And the boys raise their hands—they are ready!”

Leonid Kharitonov - "The Ballad About Russian Boys" [ 6:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (138)