Mato Valtonen interviewed about a different time: In 1993, the Finnish band Leningrad Cowboys performed with the Red Army Choir in Senate Square in Helsinki to 30 000 people (Helsingin Sanomat via Google Translate)
Mato Valtonen interviewed about a different time: In 1993, the Finnish band Leningrad Cowboys performed with the Red Army Choir in Senate Square in Helsinki to 30 000 people (Helsingin Sanomat via Google Translate)
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Edit: 70 000 people. My typo in the headline.
This concert took place in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the Soviet institutions were still more or less unchanged. The idea of getting the Red Army Choir to perform with a western rock band seemed outlandish, but it apparently happened relatively easily. People in Finland and in the west in general were genuinely hopeful about the future of Russia, and at least in Finland, sort of impressed that the disintegration of the Soviet Union had been as peaceful as it had been up to that point. The war in Chechenya had not started yet, never mind everything that followed after that.
There’s a [clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5GRpA5H3CI) of the Leningrad Cowboys and the Red Army Choir performing Sweet Home Alabama in a concert. It’s funny because it’s something that I wouldn’t believe happened if there wasn’t a recording of it.
This was awesome.
Nearly whole choir died 2016 when their airplane fell near sotši
I used to work for Mato back in the day. He was a straight up honest man, and trustworthy. He used to tell stories about doing business in Russia, that after a lot of work you get a deal done with the guy in charge, and then something happens, there’s a new guy in charge, and everything you agreed on was forgotten.
Based on how he was back then, I’m sure that he wouldn’t have had anything to do with Putin’s russia. It’s not just something he says to look better.
It was awesome to see it live!