slothis · English

St. Petersburg's 313th Anniversary Concert

2016-10-07 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

After returning to my accommodation and having a quick dinner, I headed out to the square in front of the Hermitage just before 9 PM. I heard that companies don't get the day off just because it's the city's anniversary, but the streets were packed with people. Police officers, who had been hard to spot lately, were stationed all over the streets working hard to maintain order. Amidst all this, some street artists were excitedly playing music. The festival atmosphere gradually peaked with people dancing and waving flags symbolizing St. Petersburg and the Russian national flag.

People gathered in the square, a large screen, and the backs of police officers in uniform.
There were two entrances, but the one I went to was blocked off. I only realized they wouldn't open it until the concert ended after spending 30 minutes getting annoyed about why they weren't letting us in.
Many people walking on a street lined with European-style buildings.
A large crowd gathered in a spacious square and a monument visible in the distance.

After standing at the wrong entrance for 30 minutes, I barely managed to get in through the other one. The area in front of me was already completely packed with people. I expected the majority to be tourists, but surprisingly, there were a lot of Russians. I tried to squeeze my way toward the stage as much as possible, but I had no choice but to watch from afar. Ah... those dancers from yesterday were really pretty.

It's finally starting!

A large crowd gathered in front of an outdoor stage and a large screen.

Fortunately, there were screens set up, so it wasn't boring even from a distance. The speakers were incredibly loud, so there was absolutely no problem hearing the music. The funny thing was that every time a performer came out, people would whisper and talk among themselves. I couldn't tell if they were critiquing them or asking who they were, but compared to me—who only knows one Korean opera singer, Sumi Jo—the people gathered here were watching with considerable knowledge.

Seeing the people here, who encounter everything from modern to classical art, music, and dance in their daily lives, made me realize how different their cultural depth is. A characteristic of so-called developed countries is that the range of tastes individuals can enjoy is broad. You might think such a difference is no big deal, but I know how much of a strength this is in a modern society that emphasizes diversity. In that regard, even though Russia currently only stands out militarily, I believe they could soon surge ahead in economics and culture as well. Of course, that's assuming their politics return to normal.

A male vocalist shown on a large screen on an outdoor stage.
A brightly lit outdoor stage and a female singer shown on the screen.
A female vocalist singing shown on a large screen.
The singer who received the biggest applause. Her name was Anna something, and right before and after she sang, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
Ballet dancers in red costumes dancing to an orchestra performance.
People in dresses dancing on a stage under a fancy chandelier, and an orchestra.
They're dancing what they practiced yesterday!
Vocalists performing with an orchestra on a stage under a fancy chandelier.
A male and a female vocalist singing on a stage illuminated by green lights.
Two male and two female opera singers filled the entire stage today. Even though there were only four of them, the repertoire wasn't boring at all.
A vocalist in a red dress singing in front of an orchestra and choir under purple lights.
A vocalist in a red dress and orchestra members bowing on a stage with purple lighting.
The soprano who played a doll. It was mind-blowing how high her voice could go. To me, she was the star of the show.
If you come to St. Petersburg in May, you can watch performances like this for free.
The backs of a large crowd watching an outdoor stage equipped with a large screen.
People gathered in the square in front of an illuminated palace in the dark evening, watching the stage.
People standing in a square with an illuminated palace and a tall monument.

I thought it would end in an hour or two, but it didn't finish even after three hours. Perhaps because of that, there were a couple of times when elderly people fainted and paramedics had to rush in. Fortunately, they all regained consciousness right away and went home, but seeing people collapse again after witnessing it at military boot camp made me think I should head home too. Plus, it got way too cold after the sun completely set. It's a shame, but that's it for today.

Streetlights are on in the dark night street, and many people are walking along the road.
Many people are gathered around and watching a person playing the guitar and singing on the street in front of a building.

A different genre of music was playing on the streets. I could hear the music of Viktor Tsoi, the leader of the band Kino, whom I had encountered on Arbat Street in Moscow. To Koreans, who care deeply about ethnic roots, he might just be a "Korean musician with Russian nationality" who showed the excellence of our people, but to the people here, he is like the spirit of Russia that they wouldn't trade for anything. I only realized how much they love Kino and this musician—who boosted Russia's musical pride and spoke for the hearts of the Russian people—when I saw them singing "Blood Type" (Группа крови) in unison. Even though he was active in the late 1980s under intense Soviet surveillance, his lyrics are so rebellious that you'd have to risk your life to sing them. If you hear Kino's music while traveling in Russia, I highly recommend stopping to listen along with the people around you.

Recently, Yoon Do-hyun (a Korean rock singer) remade it in Korean. It's usually hard for Yoon Do-hyun to lack delivery, but the original song is just too good.

Blood Type - The 9th Company

Группа крови [Gruppa krovi]
Blood Type

Verse 1.
Теплое место, но улицы ждут [Tyoploye mesto, no ulitsy zhdut]
A warm place, but the streets are waiting
Отпечатков наших ног. [Otpechatkov nashikh nog]
For our footprints.
Звездная пыль - на сапогах. [Zvezdnaya pyl' - na sapogakh]
Stardust on our boots.
Мягкое кресло, клетчатый плед, [Myagkoye kreslo, kletchatyy pled]
A soft armchair, a checkered blanket,
Не нажатый вовремя курок. [Ne nazhatyy vovremya kurok]
A trigger not pulled in time.
Солнечный день - в ослепительных снах. [Solnechnyy den' - v oslepitel'nykh snakh]
A sunny day in dazzling dreams.

Chorus.
Группа крови - на рукаве, [Gruppa krovi - na rukave]
Blood type on the sleeve,
Мой порядковый номер - на рукаве, [Moy poryadkovyy nomer - na rukave]
My serial number on the sleeve,
Пожелай мне удачи в бою, пожелай мне: [Pozhelay mne udachi v boyu, pozhelay mne:]
Wish me luck in battle, wish me:
Не остаться в этой траве, [Ne ostat'sya v etoy trave]
Not to stay in this grass,
Не остаться в этой траве. [Ne ostat'sya v etoy trave]
Not to stay in this grass.
Пожелай мне удачи, пожелай мне удачи! [Pozhelay mne udachi, pozhelay mne udachi!]
Wish me luck, wish me luck!

Verse 2.
И есть чем платить, но я не хочу [I yest' chem platit', no ya ne khochu]
I have the means to pay, but I don't want
Победы любой ценой. [Pobedy lyuboy tsenoy]
Victory at any cost.
Я никому не хочу ставить ногу на грудь. [Ya nikomu ne khochu stavit' nogu na grud']
I don't want to step on anyone's chest.
Я хотел бы остаться с тобой, [Ya khotel by ostat'sya s toboy]
I would have liked to stay with you,
Просто остаться с тобой, [Prosto ostat'sya s toboy]
Just to stay with you,
Но высокая в небе звезда зовет меня в путь. [No vysokaya v nebe zvezda zovet menya v put']
But a high star in the sky calls me to the road.

Source: Daum Cafe

Expenses

Total Expenses: 645 RUB, €20

Total Trip Expenses: 525,936 KRW + 46,558 RUB + $312.26 + €40