On the eve of Victory Day, the theatrical performance of “Little Stories of the Great War” was held at the State Republican Academic Korean Theater of Musical Comedy. The actors dedicated their performance to the 73rd anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. Like all the previous concerts over the past years that took place on this day, this one was a charity too.
Such performances have their audience, their unique character and they are important to the history of their native country, whose sons and daughters took up arms in difficult times and stood up to protect the world from the fascist plague. Every time I come to such concerts, I never cease to be amazed at the solidarity of everyone who came to the theater, the amazing silent unity of actors and audience, whose hearts beat in unison. The same songs of the war years, that were heard many times in different performances and in different years, are presented today with renewed vigor, empathy and excitement.
There were representatives of different generations in the hall. There are those who were barely twenty during the Great Patriotic War, and there are those who are barely in their twenties today. But all of them felt sentimental throughout the entire performance, and when it was nearing the end and the singers were singing the song by composer David Tukhmanov based on poems by Vladimir Kharitonov “Victory Day”, the audience stood up and joined in on the song,
the one that for several decades on May 9 has been like an anthem to so many people, like a triumph of ideas of the world, like a joy that promises both a bright future and a life of peace.
Victory Day smelled of gunpowder.
It is a holiday with gray hairs at the temples …
The war rudely came into the lives of innocent people, it became a tragedy in the fate of entire generations, families and countries. A touching story about two young people, yesterday’s schoolchildren, who had dreams of becoming a doctor and a pilot,and whose life changes dramatically. They go to the front as volunteers. And so, wearing overcoats, she goes to the battlefield as a nurse, he through accelerated courses becomes a military pilot. Their classmates, pushing back their dreams of studying for a bright tomorrow, which is impossible without the Victory over fascism and without their participation in this sometimes deadly fight, went to war. They write letters to their mothers, recalling the years before war and, having grown up in an instant, regret only one thing – how little they showed affection, gave attention and understanding to their mothers. The mothers who send their children to the very inferno have to believe and pray their children would come back home alive and unharmed.
Wait for me and I’ll be back
Should you wait for me strong.
Wait for me when sky is black
And the sun has gone.
How many hearts were filled with hope of victory of life over death, peace over war, love over hatred thanks to Konstantin Simonov…
But even during the war, people lived. They fulfilled their main purpose – they beat the enemy, entered into an unequal battle, held out to the last shell. But even there, in the trenches, they found the strength to rejoice even in those moments of life when they were waiting with horror for their next battle. At the front, just as in ordinary life, people found each other, met their love, and were hoping for an early end for the war. In the moments between battles, some even got married, but the war tragically tore them apart, bringing grief to people. But even then, people held on to faith and hope. In one of the scenes the main character proclaims: “I lost Baurzhan, but I don’t regret a thing. Love each other! Tell each other how you feel more often. Appreciate each other, before it is too late! “
Unfortunately she didn’t have the chance to love for long, and the merciless war is to blame.
About front-line stories: this story is full of human tragedy, many people were stripped of their right to life, each one could have had the life they dreamt of, they could have been with their loved ones, could have spent their last days with their children. But the war took all that. Those were the same people like us sitting in the hall today. It is up to us now to remember those who gave their lives for our future, it is thanks to them that we were all there watching the performance. So together with the actors on stage, we payed tribute to the heroes of the war, our fellow Kazakhstanis, all those brave people sacrificing themselves for a bright sky above our heads. On screen, the documentary footage was shown of the battles and information about the heroic feat of the Kazakh people.
Each of us remembers the feat of the 316th rifle division of General I.V. Panfilov, which was formed in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It fought in the Battle of Moscow. It was 28 Panfilov soldiers who on November 16, 1941 fought a four-hour battle near the Dubosekovo station, taking on the blow of 50 German tanks, and preventing them from breaking into the capital. Almost all of them died, all of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. We should also remember the brave soldiers of Tolegen Tokhtarov’s division, a valiant submachine gunner who destroyed 150 Nazis in one battle, and Malik Gabdullin, who repelled German attacks five times near the village of Borodino in one day. Many Kazakh girls and boys were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, most of them posthumously. One of them is Sultan Birzhanovich Baimagambetov, the defender of Leningrad. He accomplished a feat by closing the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his body, repeating the immortal feat of A. Matrosov. And the names of two glorious daughters of the Kazakh people became a golden chronicle in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Aliya Moldagulova became the first Kazakh woman to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. She led her battalion to attack. Even being mortally wounded, Aliya killed the officer who wounded her with a machine gun. Manshuk Mametova was only twenty-one years old when she performed her fearless feat. She was left completely alone, the enemies were advancing, but, having only three machine guns, for several hours Manshuk held back the fierce attacks of the enemy. She also received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, posthumously … There are a lot of examples of an immortal feat, and today, remembering those harsh days, we bow our heads to the fallen – those who forever remained on the battlefields.
After the end of the war, reports of casualties shocked the whole world. 50 million people died during the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union suffered the biggest losses – more than 27 million people. Approximately 610 thousand of them are Kazakhs, despite the fact that over one and a half million of our compatriots were called up during the entire war. Front-line letters are a particularly exciting topic. On the screen are lines from letters scorched by the war: “Remember, people, at what cost happiness is won!”. And now the band “Premium” raises this layer with a song that they have been performing for many years in a row. “Father’s Letter”… How many of these letters with simple, heartfelt wishes were received by young women who had to raise their children on their own, endure both hunger and devastation with them.
“I am reading a letter
That has become yellow over the years,
There is a field army post office number
In the corner of the envelope.”
After the performance and the songs of the war years, which also told about human destinies, love stories, fortitude, courage, I would like to rephrase the name of the performance to “Little stories of heroic destinies”. Indeed, it was precisely due to the fact that no one in that war thought about personal happiness, realizing that it was impossible without Victory, the Victory was accomplished.
Tamara TIN
