Final performance of the “Mid-Century Songs” laboratory, which took place from March to May at
The Blue Ball Is Spinning And Turning
- Date:
- 31 May 2025,
17:00–18:30
- Age restrictions
- 6+
Curators
Galina Luppo, Polina Zotova
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The events of the World War II affected the traditions and customs of communal singing among both urban dwellers and village inhabitants. But whilst the urban musical environment of the 1940s-1950s is thoroughly documented, information about folk choral culture of that time has been preserved primarily through the efforts of folklorists of subsequent generations.
Photo: Vadim Shtein
During the Mid-Century Songs laboratory, we listened to recordings from contemporary and historical folklore expeditions, discussed the origins of songs, versions of lyrics, possible arrangements, and prepared a small performance by enthusiastic professionals—lovers of folk culture and regular participants of the In Full Voice programme. The resulting performance is not a reconstruction of the past, but rather a contemporary view of the preserved heritage and an attempt to perform it now, in a manner that feels appropriate and significant.
Arranged in a specific order, these songs reflect the natural flow of life, continuing even during the challenging war years: from youth, maturation, and flourishing—through love, marriage, overcoming obstacles—to a logical finale and the emergence of the next generation as another cycle begins. This narrative includes Cossack tunes, glorification and recruitment songs, ditties, waltz, romances, a troparion, and popular melodies from the 1940s—1950s, to which village authors added their own lyrics. For example, the romance The Blue Ball Is Spinning And Turning was originally written in the mid-nineteenth century and found new life on Soviet cinema screens in the late 1930s. During our concert, we will perform Mikhail Isakovsky’s song Through Forest, Fields, Along the Straight Road to this melody.
The opportunity to speak and sing together about lived experiences—expectations, hopes, faith in better times,and the return of life to its natural course—allows us to feel closeness and kinship with people who lived, struggled, and died decades ago.
Host
Pavel Kryukov
Musicians
Alexander Kachalov, Elena Litvinenko, Alexey Terekhov, Elena Varova
Choir
Vera Adushkina, Roman Anisimov, Dmitry Falin, Alexey Grebennikov, Natalia Kryukova, Mila Marukhina, Maria Morozova, Ksenia Novikova, Anastasia Nuzhdina, Olga Omelyanchuk, Lara Pichugina, Yulia S, Masha Shevtsova, Alyona Tsss, Yulia Vazyulya, Tatyana Zobkova