Singers and orchestra members of Red Army Choir, also known as the Alexandrov Ensemble, perform in Moscow, Russia March 31, 2016.STRINGER/Reuters
The Russian military choir that lost most of its singers in a plane crash Sunday is often described as the Kremlin's "singing weapon."
The Alexandrov Ensemble, sometimes referred to as the Red Army choir, was founded in the 1920s. It won global fame with its patriotic repertoire during Soviet times, but in recent years has sought to cater to modern audiences. Many of its performances have gone viral, including a rousing rendition of Daft Punk's Get Lucky by singers in full military dress at the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Sixty-four members of the ensemble, including director Valery Khalilov, were heading from Sochi to Russia's air base in Syria to perform a New Year's concert for troops when their plane crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday. All 92 people on board are presumed dead.
"It's difficult to grasp the scale of that tragedy," Moscow city's culture department head Alexander Kibovsky said in televised remarks. "They were raising pride for our culture, our country, across the entire world."
As word of the crash spread Sunday, people placed bouquets of flowers outside the ensemble's Moscow headquarters.
"We all loved this ensemble," said Moscow resident Mark Novikov. "We valued it. They are our brothers, our friends, our colleagues."
The 186-member ensemble includes a band and a dancing troupe along with the choir that had about 70 singers. Viktor Yeliseyev, head of the rival choir of the Russian National Guard, said most of the Alexandrov Ensemble's singers were on the plane.
Among the few who stayed back was soloist Vadim Ananyev, whose wife just delivered a baby and pleaded with him to remain at home to help. The couple has three small children.
"I feel as if I were hit over the head," he said. "I still can't believe it. They are telling me now I was born with a silver spoon."
The Interfax news agency said another member of the choir was denied access to board at the last minute because his foreign passport has expired.
The choir has made a number of appearances across Canada. It visited Quebec City repeatedly, including a performance at a 2008 military tattoo celebrating the 400th anniversary of that municipality.
Quebec City was also the site of a hockey showdown, dubbed Rendez-vous '87, between the Soviet national team and a squad of NHL all-stars, an event which featured a collaboration between the Russian choir and noted Canadian producer David Foster. According to a story from The Canadian Press, the composer of the famine-relief song Tears Are Not Enough worked with the Russians to record the official song for the 1987 event. The song's music was written by Mr. Foster and its lyrics by Canadian television star Alan Thicke, who died earlier this month.
The Russian choir was founded in 1928 by composer and conductor Alexander Alexandrov. After his death in 1946, it was led by his son, Boris Alexandrov, who headed the choir for more than 40 years, making it famous worldwide.
Pavel Kogan, the director of Moscow State Academic Symphonic Orchestra, described the choir as "a symbol of the country."
"It was impossible to imagine what happened, even in a nightmare," he said, according to online publication Snob.
With a report from The Globe and Mail