Colonel Nikolai Rabovsky, Artistic Director
& Conductor
The Incomparable Red Star Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble were
created in the USSR Strategic Missile Forces in January 1977.
In its first stage, the ensemble performed concerts primarily for
troops of the Missile Forces. It was in 1989 that the ensemble expanded its artistic
horizons. The work of the ensemble was no longer limited to entertaining
the troops, but also involved participation in arts festivals in
many cities of Russia. Then, came the move into top concert halls
of Moscow and the eventual embarking on foreign tours to Switzerland,
France, Great Britain, Ireland, Belgium and the United States. They
also performed regularly on radio and television.
Thanks to the distinctive creative nature of the ensemble, with
its youthful (average age of the performers is 27 years old) personnel,
the ensemble is regarded as leading performing group of the armed
forces.
Currently, the Ensemble has plans for recordings, television specials,
participating in arts festivals in Russia, the Ukraine, Belorussia,
and touring Europe and the Far East. The Red Star is the only military
ensemble out of Russia that performed in Hong Kong before and after
the legendary reunion of Hong Kong with Mainland of China.
Nikolai N. Rabovsky was born in 1947 in Baku, Azerbadjian. His father was an active office of the Soviet Army at that time. As a young child, Nikolai showed a lot of interest in piano playing, as well as in singing. In 1955, he was accepted into the Choral School in Moscow, Russia. His love for choral music didn’t stop at being accepted into the major coral institution of Moscow. The young Nikolai decided that he would like to know more about choral music through the knowledge of a choral conductor.
Upon graduating from the Choral School, Nikolai went on to study conducting at the prestigious Gnesin Conservatory in Moscow. His teacher was Professor Chernov. After graduating in 1966, he stayed on to continue his choral conducting education with Professor Sukhanov.
In 1971, Nikolai went to serve in a Soviet Army. Based on his education, he served as a choral conductor of a Local Army Division Ensemble of Song & Dance. Then, in 1976, he was transferred to another Army Division Ensemble.
Upon leaving the military in 1981, Nikolai Rabovsky was invited to be an assistant conductor of the Red Star Red Army Chorus & Dance Ensemble. Only in April of 2009, after Colonel Bazhalkin, formed leader of the Ensemble has retired, Nikolai was given the position of a Chief Conductor of the Ensemble, as well as a new rank of a Colonel. He is currently the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Red Star Red Army Chorus & Dance Ensemble.
WHAT THE CRITICS AND PRESENTERS SAY:
“The young dancers in the mini-Moiseyev numbers are first
class
and the vocal soloists are, in fact, opera singers.” - Anna Kisselgoff, NY Times
“...they (dancers) executed a number of flamboyant, gravity-defying
maneuvers, including pirouettes and leaps. At the same time, they
didn’t wander too far from the graceful poise grounded in
years of formal ballet training.” - Ted Shen, Chicago Tribune
“The singers’ control of dynamics, from little pinpricks
of sound to a vocal tornado, was remarkable. Their orchestra consisted
mostly of strings, muted trumpets, percussion, and button accordions,
flawlessly played...But, of course, the dancers were the highlight
of the performance.” - Susan Pena, Reading Times
“Russian Musicians, Dancers Dazzle The Crowd.
The Incomparable Red Star Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble
lived up to its loftily billing in a brilliant show.” - Maureen Bogues, Lincoln Star
“It was a colorful mixture to both eye and ear. Songs of love
or melancholy alternated with ones of mischief or comedy, interspersed
with wonderful dances
of amazing vitality...The speed of the footwork was memorable,
as were the great leaps and furious, squalling turns,
the timing and the humor, the perfect symphony of
the male and female dancers.” - Philipps Kiraly, Seattle Post
