This was confirmed by today’s concert, which opened with the friendship song “I, you, he, she together – a whole country!” presented as a flash mob, followed by the poem “We are united!” The concert organizers successfully combined various cultures and traditions: the dance “Borneo” was followed by the popular song “Mother Earth,” while the cheerful Russian folk song “Golden Bee,” accompanied by rattles and spoons, transitioned into a traditional Malaysian dance. Beyond the original sound of familiar songs known to Russians from childhood, there was something common in the musical fabric or choreography, even between the creativity of peoples geographically distant from one another.
The amateur performers sang from the heart the songs that were closest to them. Ahmad Danish Haikad Bin Abdullah, Adrien Juliana, Lenton Benedict Raizel, and Saravanaraju Srinivasaraju brilliantly performed “You’ll be in my heart,” and after this popular song, the verses of the greatest Russian poet resonated in a special way:
“My friend, let us dedicate our beautiful impulses to the Motherland!”
Then came more Pushkin: “I remember a wonderful moment.”
And yet again: “By the bay, there stands a green oak…” and more…
The students of KSMU have a special affection for Pushkin; they know him well and read him with pleasure!
In this concert, everything was alive: modern compositions, folk songs, classical poetry, and national dances of different peoples. Each performance was met with enthusiastic applause.
In the finale of this wonderful concert evening, popular wartime Russian songs resonated, known in all countries and in all languages: “The Dark-Eyed Girl” and the audience-joined “Katyusha,” performed by the KSMU choir.
“A song is the soul of the people,” said the great Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky. Every nation has its own songs, but there is something common in the hearts of each of us. Russia has entered the lives and hearts of the students of KSMU with a melodic song. Perhaps—forever!