I was very pleased to see, yes, see, for the first time in my life, this magnificent chorus and dance ensemble. It is very well made and reflects the strengh of the records, for those of us who only have heard them through records. The dance sequences are beautifully choreographed, the best one is the sailors dance, superbly excecuted by the dancers. There are several solo balalaika songs and of course, there is the beautifull chorus, with their deep, strong, forcefull and vibrant voices, that make this chorus unique in the world. The selection of songs pertains mostly to russian and other ethnic group traditional songs as well as military songs all accompanied by a well trained young orchestra.For those that are used to hearing the old records and the few cd's that have come out in the last 15 years, which are only a selection of the best of the emsemble throughout the years, you will notice that the chorus has thined out and a row of women singers has been added. It does not harm the integrity of the overall presentation, but what makes this chorus completely different is the powerfull male chorus, where bass and bariton singers are the stars. Most of the chorus singers are very young as well as two of the four male soloist. One of the old soloists you might recognize from the old ensemble, directed by Boris Alexandrov, Yevgeny Belyayev, sings several of his trade mark songs beautifully.I wish and hope to see more of this ensemble in the future, as well as some day see the old chorus and band reproduced in a cd. You will not be disappointed with this production, considering the circumstances the country has had to overcome.