This is a list of recordings made by the Alexandrov Ensemble (under various titles) since 1928. Within each section (CDs, LPs, 78s etc.) they are in alphabetical order of record labels.
(dir: I. Jugashvili. Musical dir: Boris Alexandrov. Compilation of recordings ca.1960 released 29 April 2008, filmed in Soviet Union, in Russian, 71mins. The Russian technique at that time was to make a silent colour film on location, then dub the sound in the studio. However, there are some superb soundtracks here, if a little crackly.)[2]
Forward, On the Way or Let's Go (Choir rocks or sways as if marching. Filmed on Red Square near St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.)
The Birch Tree (soloist: N.T. Gres. Filmed on location in countryside.)
Under the Elm Tree, Under the Oak (soloist A.T. Sergeev. Filmed on location).
Kamarinskaya (arr. M. Glinka. Balalaika soloist: B.S. Feoktistov. Filmed in studio.)
The Golden Rye (soloist: E.M. Belyaev. Filmed on location.)
Dance of the Soldiers (music: B. Alexandrov. Soundtrack: Alexandrov Ensemble. Ensemble dance troupe filmed in Moscow.)
Dance of the Zaporozhye Cossacks (soundtrack: Alexandrov Ensemble. Ensemble dance troupe filmed in studio.)
Forward, On the Way (reprise. Excerpt from track 1.)
Silva America: The Alexandrov Red Army Choir Orchestra - Live in Paris
(SILDV 7004, B00076ON32 Region 1 DVD.[3] Live performance in Paris 16/17 December 2003. Dir: I. Jugashvili. Released 8 February 2005, in English, 124 mins.)
(Released 2007. Compilation celebrating Amiga's 60-year anniversary. 4-CD set with 85 tracks, including the folk song Im schönsten Wiesengrunde sung by V. Nikitin recorded at the August 1948 Peace Concert at the Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin.)[4]
Analekta: The Red Army Chorus, the Best of the Original Ensemble, AN28800
Along the Peterskaya Road (French: Le Long de la Peterskaia) (1960)
The Liberation Song (French: Le Chant de la Liberation) (1960)
The Eastern Front: Letters From the Front, Front 003
(Compilation of original recordings alternating with modern atmospheric artworks, released May 9, 2006 "to celebrate the 61st Anniversary of Great Victory in World War II". Dedicated to Soviet fighters and their allies in World War II. Sold in a thick A3 paper, folded into a triangle to imitate the triangular-folded World War II servicemen's letters from the Soviet front. A facsimile World War II photo of Soviet servicemen is included. The CD contains a bonus video of the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945. CD in Russian; paper cover in English.)[10][11]
Nothing bad can happen to me, inspired by Dark Night, originally sung by M. Bernes in the Soviet movie Two Soldiers, 1942. (Neon Rain, France 2005/06).
Song of a Front Truck Driver (M. Bernes, 1945).
Soldier's Father (Silence and Strength, Israel, 2006).
Volchovskaya Drinking Song (Unknown soloist, 1942).
The War Went On . . . (Silence and Strength, Israel 2006).
(Conductor: Boris Alexandrov. Apparently much of this is re-mastered 1956 tracks from EMI CDC-7-47833-2. . Soloists include: Evgeny Belyaev and Ivan A. Didenko).[16]
Included are: Kalinka, Lovely Moonlit Night, Along the Peterskaya Road, Kamarinskaya, You Are Always Beautiful, Cossack Dance, Ukrainian Poem, Song of Youth, The Birch Tree, Bandura, Oh No John, Song of the Volga Boatmen, Annie Laurie and the Soldiers' Chorus from The Decembrists.
Ensemble Independent: 70th Anniversary: The Alexandrov Red Army Chorus, AA980001-2
(2-CD set. Compilation released 1998, 70yrs after the Ensemble was created in 1928. Conductors: Boris Aleksandrov, Igor Agafonnikov, Victor Fyodorov. Packaging includes information booklet in Russian, English, French and German. Included are: The Birch, Katyusha, Little Bells, Polyushko Pole, Sacred War (Svyaschennaya Voyna), Samovars, Along the Road to Peterskaya, Nightingales, Kalinka, Rough Sea Spray (duet E. Belyaev and A. Kusleev), Nut Brown Girl, The Elm and the Oak, Road, Black Eyes, Let's Go!.)[17]
Forever Gold: The Red Army Choir, FG317
(Dir: Boris Alexandrov i.e. pre-1987, compiled 2005):[9]
Madacy: Alexandrov Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble 1, Live, ASIN: B00063QKEQ
(Released January 1992. Tracks: O Canada, USSR National Anthem, Sailor Dance, Ukrainian Poem, Festive March, Palekh Box, Cossack Song, Do Russians Want War?, Mon Pays, Cossack Cavalry Dance.)[19]
Madacy: Alexandrov Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble 2, Live, ASIN: B00063QCEO
(Released January 1992. Tracks: Love Lights the World, Dance of the Cossacks, Sorochinskaya Market, Holiday March, Partisan Song, Song of the Volga Boatmen, Black Eyebrows, Cossack Song, Ukrainian Folk Song.)[20]
(Compiled and released 2005, for the 60th anniversary of 1945. Military songs. ASIN: B000P3TD5U. Only 5 songs are by the Alexandrov Ensemble: Nos 1,3,11,12,19.)[21][22]
Melodiya: Wartime Choruses, in memory of 9th May 1945, MCD207, Out of print
(Probably released 1985, 40yrs after 1945. Conductor: Boris Aleksandrov. Included are: Sacred War or Svyaschennaya Voyna, Song of the Dnieper, In the Sunny Field, Road, Evening on the Roadstead, Nightingales (soloist E. Belyaev.)[23]
Melodiya Russian: 50th Anniversary of Victory Day 1945, RDCD00434
(Released 1995. Conductor: B. Aleksandrov. Only 4 songs are by the Alexandrov Ensemble. Included are: Nightingale (soloist E. Belyaev), Evening on the Roadstead, Where Are Your Arms, Take the Mantle.)[24]
Melodiya Military Archives Records: Red Army Ensemble Military Music, MAR-RAM1967
(2-CD set. Recorded 1963/67. Release date possibly 1967. Conductor: B. Aleksandrov. Included are: Sacred War (Svyaschennaya Voyna), Polyushka Pole, Evening in Moscow Suburbs, Song of Youth, USSR National Anthem, Let's Go!, Kalinka, Moonlight, Soldiers' chorus from the opera Faust, You Are Always Beautiful, Nightingales (soloist E. Belyaev), Soldiers' chorus from the opera The Decembrists, Along the Peterskaya Road.)[25]
(Compilation released 2006. Recorded 1948–65. In Russian 75 mins. Not all tracks are by Alexandrov Ensemble. Included are: Track 1. Sacred War or Svyaschennaya Voyna, 3. Front Line in the Forest (soloist G. Vinogradov), 5. Friends (soloist E. Belyaev), 7. John Cornflower (soloists L. Kharitonov and I. Bukreev), 9. Treasured Stone (soloist M. Reyes), 12. Rustling Bryansk Forest (soloist G. Abramov), 17. Evening on the Roadstead (soloists V. Bunchikov and V. Nechaev), 19. Katyusha (soloist G. Vinogradov), Oh Roads or Eh Dorogi (soloist G. Vinogradov).)[27]
Melodiya: Kalinka, Popular Russian Songs, ASIN: B000E1JO0W
(Released 2003. Conductor Igor Agafonnikov. Tracks are: Following song (M. Glinka, N. Kukolnik), Soldier's song from the opera The Decembrists (Y. Shaporin), The Sun has Disappeared Behind the Mountain (M. Blanter, A. Kovalenko), Nightingales (V. Soloviev-Sedoi, A. Fatianov), Field (L. Knipper, V. Gusev), Along the Valleys and Mountains (Partisan song, arr. by A. Aleksandrov), Doncy-guys (Traditional song, arr. by B. Aleksandrov), Rock (Traditional song, arr. by B. Aleksandrov), The Cossack Was Riding over Dunai (Traditional song, arr. by V. Ogarkov), My Beloved One Lives (Traditional song, arr. by V. Ogarkov), Dark Eyes (Traditional song, arr. by V. Ogarkov), Twelve Robbers (Traditional song, words by N. Nekrasov, arr. by V. Ogarkov), The Bell is Ringing Monotonously (Traditional song, arr. by A. Sveshnikov), I Will Harness a Troika of Swift Steeds (Traditional song, words by N. Nekrasov, arr. by V. Ogarkov), Slavyanka Partying (V. Agapkin, V. Fedotov), Masculine Boldness Went on the Spree (From the opera "Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky)[30]
Olympia: Wartime Choruses: Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army, ASIN: B000Y15TLU
(Release date unknown. Russian songs from World War II.)[31]
Silva Classics: The Best of the Red Army Choir, SILKD6034
(Compiled 2001/02. Conductors: V. Fedorov; B. Alexandrov; I. Agafonnikov; Y. Petrov; A. Maltsev; K. Vinogradov; E. Misailov; N. Mikhailov; E. Pitianko; V. Korobko; V. Samsonenko)[32]
Teldec: Kalinka, Red Star Red Army Chorus, 090317730721
(Released Sept 1992. Artists are: Evgeny Belyaev, Evgeny Grekhov, Nikolai Nizienko, Sergei Dzhemelinsky, Valery Zazhigin, Vladimir Deshko. 67 mins. Tracks are: Regimental Polka, Kalinka, Symphony no 4 in D major, Op. 41 Poem of the Komsomol Fighter: Polyushko Pole, Song of the Volga Boatmen, The Sun Set Behind a Mountain, Swallow (Armenian Folksong), Pine Trees are Rustling, Kamarinskaya, Brave Don Cossacks, Wait For Your Soldier, Dark Eyes, Someone's Horse is Standing There, In the Sunny Meadow, The Cliff, Tale of Tsar Saltan: Suite, Op. 57 - Flight of the Bumblebee, Dark Eyebrows, Dubinushka, Song of the Volga, On the March.)[39]
(2-CD set. Released 1998. Only 9 of the tracks are by the Alexandrov Ensemble under conductor B. Alexandrov. The rest are by the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Moscow Military District, led by E. Victor. Tracks by the Alexandrov Ensemble include: Moscow, Ah Nastassia, Nut Brown Girl, Death of Varyag, Oh You Rye (soloist E. Belyaev), Little Bells, Rough Sea Spray, Along the Peterskaya Road (soloist S. Frolov), Song of the Volga Boatmen.)[40]
(5-CD set of 80 Russian folk songs, in which the Alexandrov Ensemble under conductor B. Alexandrov features on the 2nd and 3rd CDs. Tracks by the Alexandrov Ensemble include: Ah Nastassia, Let's Go, Evening on the Roadstead, Troika, Nut Brown Girl, Rough Sea Spray (duet: E. Belyaev and A. Kusleev), Tanks, Men, Oh You Rye, Cantata Alexander Nevsky from My Homeland (by Alexandrov).)[41]
Unknown label: МК-МУЗЫКА MKM117
(Recorded 1956/63. Released 2002. In Russian. Conductor: B. Aleksandrov. Included are: Song of Youth, Annie Laurie, The Birch, Kalinka, Bandura, You Are Always Beautiful, Oh No John, Road to Peterskaya, Soldiers chorus from The Decembrists, Kamarinskaya. Soloists include E. Belyaev.)[42]
Ariola: The Red Army Ensemble, Royal Albert Hall, 503 278
(Recorded London 24–26 March 1988; released 1988. 2-cassette set. A leaflet is included, with images showing that this is the same performance as in Prism VHS PLATV310. The VHS shows 32–36 in the choir, but the Ariola cassette leaflet lists 50 named choristers.)[43]
1B: Barinya, Live and Don't Be Sad (soloist Galina Chernoba), Above Clear Fields (soloist Galina Chernoba), Yesterday (soloist Alexei Trubochkin), Di quella pira from Il trovatore (soloist Stepan Fitsych), La donna e mobile from Rigoletto (soloist Stepan Fitsych), No John (soloist V. Liksakov), Brave Soldiers (soloist V. Kuleshov).
2A: Unharness Your Horses Oh Guys, Cossack Dance, Cold Waves Lapping (Varyag), Quiet Quiet from Rigoletto, Korobeiniki (duet Tatiyana Tishura, Mikolai Polozkov), Serenade of the Stutterer (K-K-K-Katy) (actor A. Berezniak).
V1106 (now available as DVD B000ETRA2S - see above).
(dir: I. Jugashvili. Compilation of earlier recordings, filmed in Soviet Union, in Russian, 78mins. Conductor: Boris Alexandrov. Soloists include Evgeny Belyaev.)[45]
Prism Leisure Corporation: The Red Army Ensemble, Video Special, PLATV310
(Released 1990. Recorded London 1988. 60 mins. Dir. Rod Taylor. Principal conductor: Vladimir Gordeev. No information leaflet. Video shows choir of up to 36; orchestra and dance troupe are the usual size, though. When the tour reached Leicester, the small audience talked of rumours of 20-25 defections by Ensemble members, and of V. Kuleshov and his own choristers stepping in to partially fill the gap. Video programme includes a selection of 10 acts, taken from a list of 26 songs and dances listed on the box: 1. Dance (possibly Soldiers Friendship dance); 2. Cossack Goes to the Danube (soloist Anatoly Solovyanenko); 3. Dance (possibly Gopak - Ukrainian); 4. Two-Eskimos-fighting dance; 5. Dance (possibly Kazak); Brave Soldiers (soloist Victor Kuleshov); 7. Sailors' Dance; 8. Serenade of a Stutterer (K-K-K-Katy) (actor Alexandr Bereznyak) image;[46] 9. Dance (possibly Kamarinskaya); 10. Kalinka (soloist Anatoly Solovyanenko).)[47]
(Release date unknown. Cover has photo of B. Alexandrov conducting choir.)[48]
Melodiya: The Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army, 45C-001211-2
(Recorded/released ca. 1960. Sleeve notes in |Russian, English and French. B. Alexandrov pictured on sleeve. Tracks are: Stenka Razin, Aye Twas on the Hill, The Oak and the Elm.)[49]
Radio DDR 1 (Gesellschaft für DSF): Auf gutem Weg Mit Guten Freunden, 4 30 033 4 30 033
(Songs recorded Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin, August 1948, at the Berlin Peace Concert; speeches recorded 1988. Never released, but "given away as present for some members of the organisation Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft (DSF)" in 1988. Different cat. no. on sleeve: 4 35 033. Conductor: B. Alexandrov. Images of sleeve. Mückenberger has signed the front, but that is not Nikitin's signature on the back. The photo on the back shows the Alexandrov Ensemble and female dancers among great crowds beneath the facade of a ruined cathedral.).[51]
A1: Speech by Erich Mückenberger. Als Präsident Der Gesellschaft Für Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft Überreiche Ich Ihnen In Anerkennung Ihrer Verdienste Um Unsere Herzenssache Diese Schallplatte.[52] Erich Mückenberger was chairman of the German-Soviet Friendship Society 1978–1989, and this is his introduction to the recordings.
B1: Ich Freue Mich, Ihnen Mein Lied Zu Singen[54] (soloist V. Nikitin): not a song, but a spoken introduction by Nikitin to his performance of Kalinka.
Columbia: The Soviet Army Ensemble Volumes 1 & 2, 33C 1049 and 1050
10 inch LPs. Volume 1: 8 tracks. Side 1: Song of Youth, A Birch-tree in a field did stand (soloist I. Didenko), Far Away (soloist E. Belyaev), You are always beautiful (soloist E. Belyaev). Side 2: Kalinka (soloist E. Belyaev), Along Peter's Street (soloist A. Sergeyev), Bandura (soloists I. Savchuk and V. Fedorov), Soldier's Chorus (from The Decembrists, an opera by Y. Shaparin). Volume 2: 9 tracks. Side 1: Black Eyebrows (soloist I. Savchuk), Ukrainian Poem (soloist A. Sergeyev), Oh, no! John! (soloist A. Eizen), Over the Fields. Side 2: Volga Boat Song (soloist A. Eizen), Nut-brown Maiden (soloists N. Abramov and I. Savchuk), The Little Bells (soloist N. Abramov), Song of the Hammer (soloist A. Sergeyev), Tipperary (soloist K. Gerasimov).
Columbia: The Red Army Ensemble, SAX 2487 or 33CX 1844
EMI Angel: The Red Army Ensemble Vol.2, S36143. Out of print
(ASIN: B001OOKHCM. Most tracks recorded live in London 1963. Much information on back of sleeve.[61] Release date unknown. Conductor: B. Aleksandrov. Included are: Moscow Thunder, Moonlight, Polyushko Pole, Kamarinskaya, Ukrainian Poem (1956), That Night, Annie Laurie, You Are Always Beautiful, Cossack dance, Kalinka. Soloists include E. Belyaev.)[62][63]
Melodiya: 50th Anniversary set of 2 LPs, 33C20-08027-30, Out of print
(Recorded 1978. Conductor B. Aleksandrov. Soloists include I.S. Bukreev. Tank, Oh You Rye, Let's Go!, Soldier's chorus from the opera Faust, Nightingale (soloist E. Belyaev), Kalinka, Song of Youth, Crane, extract from Dubinushka (soloist A.T. Sergeev), Along the Peterskaya Road.)[67]
Melodiya: 60th Anniversary 2-LP set, C60-08163-6, Out of print
(Soloists include Ivan Skobtsov, Baritone. Included are: I see a Village, Uncle Nimra, Little Onion.)[73]
Sounds Superb/Music For Pleasure: Cossack Patrol, SPR 90022
Printed 1966 (12 tracks including: Cossack Patrol, The Cliff, Evening On The Roadstead, The Sun Has Set Behind The Hill, You Are Ever Lovely and John Reed Walks In Petrograd.)[74]
Sounds Superb/Music For Pleasure: The Red Army Choir Conducted by Alexandrov, MFP 2089
Supraphon: Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble, SUA-ST51182 or SUA 11182, Out of print
(Recorded ca.1960. Conductor B. Aleksandrov. Czech label. Included are: Moonlight, Song of Youth, Song of Russia, Sing Soldier! (soloist E.M. Belyaev), Let's Go!.)[76]
(Released 1951. Soloist V.I. Nikitin. Conductor A. Alexandrov. One song split between A and B side.)[85]
USSR, Aprelevsky Plant LPs: Down by Mother Volga and Storm Revel, B- 9504-8
(Released 1939. Tracks: A: Down by Mother Volga (arr. A. Alexandrov; soloist V.I. Nikitin); B: Storm Revel (soloist Petrov).)[86]
USSR, Aprelevsky Plant LPs: You Will Come Up, Red Sun and Oh, Yes You, Kalinushka, B- 8995-9
(Released 1939. Tracks: A: You will come up, the Red Sun (soloist F. Kuznetsov); B: Oh, Yes You, Kalinushka (duet: AV Shilov, AV Nikitin). NB: F. Kuznetsov could be identical with I. Kuznetsov.)[87]
A Soviet Army Chorus & Band compilation of 1956 recordings was released in the 1960s, with a photo of soldiers on the box. It included Kalinka (soloist: E. Belyaev), You Are Always Beautiful, It's a Long Way to Tipperary and Polyushko Pole (My Fields or Meadowland).
EMI Angel: The Red Army Ensemble Vol.2, ZS-36143. Out of print
(Most tracks recorded live at the Abbey Road Studios, London in February and March 1963. Release date unknown. Conductor: B. Aleksandrov; choirmaster K. Vinogradov; orchestral conductor V. Alexandrov. Stereo tape 7.5ips; 4-track. Information on the back of the box tells that there were more than 80 in the choir, and that 1963 live performances were at the Royal Albert Hall and in provincial cities. Songs listed on the box are: The Courageous Don Cossacks (traditional), Lovely Moonlit Night (Ukrainian folk song; soloist E. Belyaev), Kamarinskaya (soloist B.S. Feoktistov), Ah Lovely Night (soloist N. Polozkov), You Are Always Beautiful (soloist E. Belyaev), Kalinka (soloist E. Belyaev), A Birch Tree in a Field Did Stand (Beryozonka) (soloist I. Didenko), Song of the Plains or Meadowland (Polyushko Pole), Ukrainian Poem (soloist A. Sergeev), Annie Laurie (soloist E. Belyaev), Zaparozhtsi Dance (Soldiers' Dance) (music B. Alexandrov).)[88][89]
^Information from CD packaging. No dates are given, but as B. Alexandrov retired in 1987, and Korobko was directing the Ensemble in 2001/02, it is probable that the tracks were recorded at different times ranging from before 1987 to 2002.
^Listed on this disk as 1952, but probably 1950, (a) as it was originally on the B-side of the 1950 Supraphon 33013M recording of Song of Peace; and (b) probably 1951 or before, as this is GP Vinogradov's voice (unacknowledged) and he did not record after 1951.
