I am proud of my Motherland ? People?s Artist of the USSR, Halyk Kaharmany Roza Baglanova

Dear Roza, we are glad to congratulate you on the Victory Day that we have marked quite recently! Could you remember the Victory Day of the far 1945? This day will never be forgotten. On this day our group returned from Poland to Moscow, and you cannot imagine what was on there. Everybody cried, laughed ? That was such happiness! The Day of Victory is a holy day. The Great Patriotic war was the most terrible ordeal for the nations; any war brings only sorrow, destruction, tears. It was tremendous disaster for the people. I was 21 at that time, now I am 88. During all these years I have been praying for peace. I pray to God not to send us such horror any more. What your songs were most popular among the soldiers? We sang songs in different languages, but, of course, everybody loved folk songs. I used to sing ?Samara-Gorodok? and native Kazakh songs. I was very petite and they used to put me on the tank and I sang. You have been awarded with Halyk Kaharmany title. When did you receive your first award? It was in 1945. I got a medal ?For War Merits?, which is special for me. By the way, I was awarded it twice. The first one was given to me by Marshall Konev, the second one by Rokossovsky. Handing out me the medal, Rokossovsky expressed his admiration and said: ?Now you are a ?petite rose? (?roza? is ?rose? in Russian), but soon you will become a pride of the Soviet art?. He must have had a second sight. In 1949 I received my first prize at the International Festival in Budapest where I performed together with Maya Plisetskaya, Mstislav Rostropovich, Igor Oistrakh ? David Oistrakh?s son and Zara Dolukhanova. We sang in front for 15 hours a day, I finished the war in the rank of Guards Private. I performed twice personally to Stalin. At one of these concerts in 1949 by his request I sang legendary front-line song ?Samara City ?. Standing, Stalin and the whole room listened to her. Almost five years I was at the front. When our army prepared for an offensive, I performed for soldiers. Because the title ?Halyk Kaharmany? is equal to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union, it is very valuable for me. I appreciate it so much as two medals «For fighting merits». When Nursultan Nazarbayev awarded me with this title, he said: ?You inspired people at the front and in the peacetime. I hear your voice from the birth?. Whom can you note among modern singers? Many of them, for example, Makpal Zhunussova. I was very disappointed with the fact that the entertainment has unfortunately lost its positions. Kazakhstan has a very good level of music education. But there are two things worth thinking about. The first thing is serious repertoire, composers and poets have to create deeper and more professional works, the second one is education of a listener. And the last question, you have lived through several different historical periods. How do you estimate the socio-political situation in Kazakhstan, reforms held by the country? I am very proud of our Homeland. Owing to our President Kazakhstan has enhanced its credibility at the world stage in a short term. Touching upon the crisis, there is the crisis period, but we experienced a fruitful period of economic growth, which allows maintaining positions now, at this difficult time. I want to note that Nur Otan Party, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. It is a party of patriots, and patriotism is a sense, which should be raised in everyone. Touching upon civic consciousness upbringing, art, in particular a song has a great influence on it. It will be great to create a serious professional musical band under the Party, praise our Kazakhstan, raise our children and popularize the national traditions. I think, that it is necessary to do?