“Free Russia Anthem” is a song written in support of the Anti-War Movement in Russia.
It represents an alternative to the imperial ideology that emerged in the country at the beginning of the 21st century.
Idea
The central theme of the song is three humanistic values. According to the author, these values align with the core principles of a developed society in the 21st century: Freedom, Happiness, and Love. These values are closely interconnected and intertwined with one another.
Creation History
2022, March: Bjorn announces in a post on Twitter that he is joining the BSB movement and beginning work on an anthem for the movement.
2022, March: Bjorn shares the idea with a music premiere on YouTube, calling it “New Song.”
2022, April – October: Bjorn works on creating the scores and mixing the orchestra.
2022, November: The search for choir vocalists begins. Bjorn gathers participants through Telegram chats of the “Kovcheg” project.
2022, December: The soloists record their parts individually in studios in Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Russia.
2023, January 1: Bjorn releases the Full Version of “New Song” on his YouTube channel and on all streaming platforms, coinciding with the New Year.
2023, December 30: The Ceremonial (short) version of the Free Russia Anthem is released.
White-Blue-White Movement
In 2022, several tens of thousands of Russians joined the Free Russia Flag movement.
In the Free Russia Flag Telegram channel, the community discusses the principles of building a civilized society in Russia.
Bjorn participates in the discussion and conducts surveys asking, “What would you like the new national anthem to be like?”
One of the main criteria became its “anti-imperial” nature.
Participants agreed that it should be a ceremonial song, while avoiding manipulations leading to anti-humanistic ideas.
Democratic Community of Russians in Cyprus
The main support came from the BSB diaspora in Cyprus – the Democratic Community of Russians in Cyprus.
The participants and leaders of the movement made it clear from the beginning that they see this song as an important element in the democratization of Russia.
They were involved in both the initial funding and the subsequent promotion of the project.
Ark Choir
To create a full-fledged choir, it was necessary to find 20 professional vocalists. Normally, choir rehearsals for such a production take up to 1 month.
Bjorn considered it too risky and difficult to invite colleagues who were still in Russia.
At the same time, many musicians left Russia between March and October 2022.
It was during this period that the “Ark” project began.
Using “Ark Culture”, Bjorn spent several days writing to different vocalists. As a result, 6 people joined the project.
In early December 2022, Bjorn found a studio for each of them in the city where they had settled. Some already had a studio microphone and recorded at home.
Each of the vocalists gave their all. They all recorded several takes, using different singing styles. Several vocalists sent alternative parts, singing in intervals to “expand” the choir’s sound.
Bjorn spent several weeks mixing the vocal parts, which had been recorded in various genres, into a unified choir.
Kazakhstan:
Almaty
Karaganda
Astana
Temirtau
Georgia:
Tbilisi
Orchestra
Both versions of the anthem involve all sections of a classical full symphony orchestra:
- Strings (violins, violas, cellos, double basses)
- Woodwinds (flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, contrabassoon, bass clarinet)
- Brass (horns, trumpets, trombones, tubas) and percussion (bass drum, timpani, cymbals)
- Piano and harp
Musical Characteristics
The full version of the anthem is played in four keys, with a 4/4 time signature.
It begins in G major at a tempo of 70 bpm, accelerating to 130 bpm in the “Risoluto Vivace” part, and ends in B major.
The full version is approximately 4 minutes and 50 seconds long.
The short version of the anthem lasts about 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
Song Structure
Historical video for the Short Version
This version is dedicated to all those who fought for Freedom and against tyranny in different eras, represented by the figures of those times.
These are:
- Dmitry and Martha Boretsky (and the Novgorod Republic), 15th century
- Stepan Razin (and the Free Cossacks), 17th century
- Yemelyan Pugachev (and the Free Cossacks), 18th century
- Alexander Pushkin (and the Decembrists), 19th century
- Andrei Sakharov (and the dissidents), 20th century
- The Anti-War Movement of Free Russians, 21st century
From June to December, Julie Wintertale created 6 unique illustrations, which were included in the video. On Patreon, fans of the idea had the opportunity to purchase the drawings in digital form in their original quality.
Bjorn is a singer, composer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and music producer.
He grew up in a musical family in the Urals. At the age of 17, he moved to Saint Petersburg, where he participated in several rock bands.
He writes librettos for songs in Russian, English, and French.
He participated in the Hans Zimmer competition as a symphonic composer.