Staged between August 26 and September 3 on the ancient coblestones of Red Square, the Sixteenth Spasskaya Tower International Military Tattoo will be paying tribute to Russia’s State Insignia, celebrating the country’s National Anthem, Coat of Arms and Flag.
Every year, the Festival’s organizers make a point of including a selection of exclusive
features illustrating significant episodes of Russia’s history. Carefully putting together the
show’s music
Major General Timofey Mayakin, Music Director of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival and
chief military conductor, said:
“The Festival sets forward a plethora of goals including promoting Russia’s glorious history
and cultural heritage on national and international levels. It’s been sixteen years of fruitful
efforts of shaping Russia’s image as a country preserving its spiritual heritage and loyally
sticking to its traditions and cultural values. Knowing as much as possible about the
country’s State Insignia provides for high patriotic spirits and solidarity among the civil society. Every
night the audiences will witness performances depicting this year’s leading theme. But let’s still keep
it a secret as we have prepared a lot of surprises for our guests on the stands,
and we are looking forward to meeting you all”.
In 2023, Russia is celebrating several important dates regarding its State Insignia, with the National Anthem, Coat of Arms and Flag marking their 80th and 30th birthday respectively.
Approved in December 1943 after the Stalingrad Battle Victory, right in the heist of the Great
Patriotic War, the National Anthem of the erstwhile Soviet Union replaced the communist hymn
‘L’Internationale,’ which had been written in the late 19th century by two French workers. Prior
to that, in May 1943, a special commission led by Marshal Kliment Voroshilov had been set
up to develop the new state anthem. Some of the best Soviet composers and authors — about
170 people in total — were encouraged to present their works. Just three of them made
it to the final round, being a joint piece by Dmitry Shostakovich and Aram Khachaturyan, music
by Ioan Tuskiya and Alexandr Alexandrov’s variant, with the latter securing the ultimate victory. The
winning piece was chosen by Stalin himself and it was debuted on January 1, 1944, to the lyrics
of Sergey Mikhalkov and
It’s worth noting that in 2023, along with the National Anthem anniversary, Russia also celebrates the 110th and 140th birthdays of its authors, Sergey Mikhalkov and Alexandr Alexandrov, respectively.
It was 30 years ago that Russia got its current Flag and National Coat of Arms. The existing
Adopted by the Order of President of November 30, 1993, the National Coat of Arms is a concerted pattern of images and colors illustrating the idea of state unity and tightly connected to the country’s history, traditions and identity.
Ms Evegenia Chizhova, Head of Advertising and PR of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival Directorate,
said:
“As the 2023 Spasskaya Tower Festival leading theme is the State Insignia, we have developed
a special logo for the sixteenth run of the tattoo based on the symbols illustrating both Russia and
its military music culture. As the central piece we choose Moscow’s coat of arms, with
a Moscow Kremlin tooth (or a merlon) on top, symbolizing Red Square, the one and only venue
of the Festival. In its central part there are two elements — a lyre as a symbol
of music, inspiration, and art, which also makes part of the emblem of the Military Band Service
of the Russian Armed Forces, and a drumstick, as no military conductor can deal without this
crucial device. The logo is set against white, blue and red colors, the same you see on the Flag”.
This is the official logo of the 2023 Spasskaya Tower Festival and it will be used along the Festival and its promotion campaign.
The Spasskaya Tower Festival is carried out following the Order of President of Russia Vladimir Putin under the patronage of the Public Council led by Mr Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and with the continued support of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Moscow Government Department of Culture. The Festival also enjoys support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives through a presidential grant.