Aleksandrov Ensemble Russian Army Choir. Photograph courtesy of ITAR TASS

Earlier in the month we told you of the famous Russian Army Aleksandrov Ensemble Choir attempting to represent Russia at Eurovision 2014 (see here). Now we can bring you more details on their potential Eurovision entry.

Eurovision rules allow for only 6 performers to be on stage for the contest performance. With 186 members of the choir to select from, the decision has been made to choose two teams — a main one and a reserve. The soloist of the main team will be Boris Dyakov.

Boris Dyakov – Russian Army Choir. Photograph courtesy of neue-stimmen.de

Boris Dyakov was born in Moscow in 1982 and began his musical studies as a violinist. Winner of both the Bella Voce and Ippolitov-Ivanov competition, he was the principal soloist in the Aleksandrov Red Army Ensemble from 2005 to 2009, with whom he appeared in concert in China, Poland, Morocco, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Turkey, Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, India and Canada. Here is a video of Boris performing lead vocals with the Aleksandrov  Red Army Ensemble.

Dyakov said of the Eurovision attempt ““We have a richest potential, my career in the ensemble is a milestone in my life. The company’s repertory features a colorful palette of genres, from opera to folk song, and I love it very much. A singer here has everything needed to perfect his professional and creative skills.”

The reserve soloist is Yevgeny Bulochnikov.  According to Russian media “Itar Tass” along with the lead singer, there will also be two musicians from the orchestra and three ballet dancers on stage. Which instruments the musicians will play has not yet been revealed.

The Aleksandrov Ensemble’s attempt to enter Eurovision 2014 has gathered significant momentum in Russia with the general public. Bikers from the motorbike club “Night Wolves” announced, “If you (Aleksandrov Ensemble) go, we are coming with you in a whole column of motorcycles.” That is a seriously long cavalcade of bikes potentially going from Moscow to Copenhagen.

The lyrics for the song have been written for the entry and now the choir are searching for a composer to create the melody for their song. In the meantime, the army ensemble is planning a foreign tour with over 40 concerts in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the second half of December they will be performing in China.

Author/Website co-founder and Editor in Chief Garrett Mulhall

Source – Russia Behind The Headlines (UK), ITAR TASS and Eurovision Ireland