The "Road to Yalta" music festival ended in Moscow with a grand gala concert

The "Road to Yalta" international music festival ended with a big gala concert. Songs about the Great Patriotic War were performed by duets of Russian and foreign artists on the stage of the Moscow Musical Theatre. 

Foreign words fall on a familiar melody. A few verses sound in Russian, the rest in the performer's mother tongue, those are the rules. First prize winner Karen Sosa Limones from Ecuador was awarded for the hit "Beloved Town". She was competed by singers from 15 countries, including Brazil. Ricardo Oliveira, for example, added a rousing dance to his performance. 

"I was interested because of the rhythm and tempo. This matches the Brazilian rhythms. I tried to translate the song in such a way that I didn't lose that rhythmic feeling," said festival participant Ricardo Oliveira.

The jury, headed by the permanent chairman Lev Leshchenko, also appreciated the talent of the Chinese representative. Yang Pu came in second with "Farewell! We are leaving the cliff-shore".  

This year, the organisers of the festival received 250 entries from almost fifty countries. The prospective contestants had to go through pre-selection, competitive auditions and several semi-finals. The work for the jury this time was more difficult than usual, the organisers admit. 

“From the first reaction of the audience, we know that the festival is reaching a new level. This level is highly professional," said Ernest Mackevičius, artistic director of the festival.

“Professionals are performing. The quality of this competition, the quality of the music material, appeals to them. This is also very important. The musical material is amazing," added Mikhail Shvydkoy, a member of the festival jury.

The action on stage could be seen from hundreds of kilometres away: the images were transmitted to outdoor screens. The organisers have also launched a webcast. Vladimir Putin called the "Road to Yalta" festival a large-scale creative project. The Russian president sent his greetings to all the contestants. It has been held regularly since 2019. Many of the performers said they would definitely be coming to the next festival.

Photo: TV BRICS