Every year on the last Saturday of January in Russia International Day of Russian Romance is celebrated. This event was first held in 2018. It will be celebrated on January 28 in 2023.

Romantic (from Spanish romance) – a chamber vocal work for voice with instrumental accompaniment.

the term “romance” appeared 15th-16th in Spain. The term “romantic”, which spread in other countries, came to denote a genre of vocal music.

In Russia, romance novels were originally called audio works (including by a Russian composer), written with French text. Novels with Russian lyrics were called “Russian songs”.

In the 19th century, the development of romanticism was received in the works of composers of the romantic direction. Romanticism has become one of the leading genres, reflecting the characteristic trends of the era: an appeal to the inner, spiritual world of a person and the treasures of folk art. The creator of a new genre of romance is the composer Franz Schubert, the founder of the German and Austrian schools. Composers Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Mily Balakirev, Caesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov belonged to the Russian school of romance.

Alongside the chamber-vocal classics of the 19th century, casual romances designed for amateur singers and close to the song in form also developed. These two areas of romance were not isolated and were in constant interaction, especially in Russia.

At the beginning of the 20th century, urban and gypsy romance became widespread. The authors of such works were such amateur composers as Boris Fomin, Boris Prozorovsky, Marie Poiret. It is this period that can be called the golden age of Russian romance: performances by Nadezhda Plevitskaya, Anastasia Vyaltseva, Vera Panina gathered full houses.

After the October Revolution of 1917, romance was seen as a bourgeois remnant corrupting the proletariat and the peasantry. But even in this difficult period for romance, Isabella Yuryeva, Alexander Vertinsky, Tamara Tsereteli continued to successfully realize it. Many of these musicians emigrated to Europe, and Russian romance managed to conquer even an audience that did not know the Russian language. In particular, the novel “Dear tall” by Boris Fomin, sung by Alexander Vertinsky, loved the Europeans so much that a new English text appeared in this music.

Later, Alla Bayanova, Alexander Vertinsky, Isabella Yuryeva, who emigrated from Soviet Russia, returned to their hometowns and continued their careers successfully.

To this day, romance remains one of the most beloved musical genres in Russia, both among listeners and performers.

in 1997 first took place in Romansia – this was the name of the international competition for young artists of Russian romance. It was conceived as a competition of young singers who could continue the tradition of Russian romance in the future. For a long time this breed was perceived as almost dying, and the task of the organizers was to revive it, instill new forces. Among the winners of the first competition were Nikolai Baskov in the following years – Sergei Volchkov, Pavel Ivanov, Maxim Katyrev, Marina Poplavskaya and others.

Already in 2002, the status of the competition was: changed It was designated “international” due to the large number of foreign participants and the regions hosting the qualifying stages of the competition.

Very quickly, in the framework of “Romansiada”, “side” creative competitions appeared: in 2004 – the children’s competition of Russian vocal music “Hope of Romansiada”, in 2006 – the contest “Great Romansiada” for amateur vocalists and professional performers “, In 2008 – the festival of romance officers “Military Romansiada”, in 2011 – the competition of creators of modern romance “Author’s Romansiada”. Since 2017 Romansiada-Overcoming has been held for talented disabled actors.

in March 2017 agreement signed About the collaboration between the Romansiada Foundation for the Preservation of Russian Romantic Art and the Russkiy Mir Foundation.

25 October 2017 under the auspices of UNESCO accepted the competition “Romansiada” and the final event of the competition – International Day of Russian Romance.

The artistic director of the competition is Honored Artist of Russia Galina Preobrazhenskaya.

in 2013 he sent an open letter To the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin with an initiative to establish the Russian Day of Love on the last Saturday of January.

2018 International Russian Romance Day celebrated for the first time. A gala concert of the finalists of the “Romansiada” competition took place in the State Kremlin Palace.

In January 2019, old and modern romances performed by young artists from Russia and many other countries were staged at the State Kremlin Palace.

2019 International Russian Romantic Day became one of the winners of the competition presidential grants.

In 2020, the International Day of Russian Romance was also celebrated. celebrated with a big concert In the Great Hall of the State Kremlin Palace. Representatives of 20 countries, from Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Great Britain to Mongolia, China and Chile, spoke to the audience. The leaders of regional Russian romance competitions from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Germany, Italy and San Marino, North Macedonia, Belarus, Bulgaria and Russia participated in the concert.

Celebrating International Russian Romance Day in 2021, due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic passed in march In the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, he received awards from Russian cities, now performers of famous Russian theaters, ensembles and concert organizations.

26th International Competition of Young Actors of Russian Romance “Romansiada” in February 2022 opened “Donetsk Romansia”. Also among the participants of the competition were Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, Ostafievo (Moscow), Gatchina (Leningrad region), Tomsk, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Yerevan (Armenia), Turkistan (Kazakhstan), Minsk (Belarus). On December 4, the final of the competition was held in the Hall of Ecclesiastical Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

February 4, 2023 on the stage of the State Kremlin Palace program “International Day of Russian Romance in the Kremlin” from the series “Stars of Romansia in the Kremlin”.

The material has been prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.