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Russia's Alexandrov Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Russian Army opened its latest Türkiye tour to a sold-out crowd Friday evening at Istanbul's Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre, sharing the stage with Turkish rock musician, composer and actor Hayko Cepkin.
The concert opened with the national anthems of Türkiye and Russia, a tradition the ensemble has followed for years. Türkiye's "March of Independence" was performed in Turkish and drew a standing ovation from the audience.
The concert program, especially prepared for the tour, included the ensemble's best-known military and Russian folk songs and dances, alongside nine Turkish works performed in Turkish, among them the Turkish national anthem, "March of Independence," along with military marches and popular songs including "Ceddin Deden" (the 1911 "Turkish March") and "Cumhuriyetin Onuncu Yili Marsi" ("March of the 10th Anniversary of the Republic").
Soloist Kristina Fush performed "Canakkale Turkusu."
Cepkin joined the ensemble for two duets: "Yazimi Kisa Cevirdin" with ensemble soloist Yekaterina Zhukova, and "Izmir Marsi" ("Izmir March") with Honored Artist of Russia Maksim Maklakov.
Cepkin also performed, with the ensemble's choir and orchestra, a song from the historical drama series "Magnificent Century," which is popular in both Türkiye and Russia.
The ensemble prepared two premieres specifically for Turkish audiences.
One was the folk song "Give Me Fire, I'll Light My Cigarette," based on the story of the sinking of the Turkish submarine Dumlupinar in the Dardanelles Strait in 1953. Cepkin also performed this piece.
The ensemble's ballet troupe presented "Summer Festival," a dance not performed in many years and specially prepared for the Turkish tour.
Soloist Sofia Ramzes of the Moscow-based "Young Alexandrovites" studio performed the Turkish song "Yaylalar" ("Ay Aksamdan Isiktir") together with Cepkin.
In the concert's finale, the two performed "Katyusha," with Cepkin singing in Russian and Ramzes singing in Turkish.
Audiences greeted the performances with approving shouts and applause that grew increasingly enthusiastic toward the concert's close.
The ensemble closed with an encore of its signature, internationally beloved song "Moscow Nights" ("Podmoskovnye Vechera"), to an ovation from the crowd.
Following Istanbul, where the ensemble was set to perform a second concert Saturday, the tour continues to Izmir, Antalya and Adana before concluding July 4 in Ankara.
The Alexandrov Ensemble first visited Türkiye in 1989 as part of a tour spanning Türkiye, Andorra, Luxembourg, France and Belgium.
The current visit marks the ensemble's 19th tour of the country.
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