Leningrad Cowboys & The Alexandrov Red Army Ensemble (1993)

Rock meets classic folk music in this most unusual of concert films. It was on Senate Square in Helsinki in 1993 when the Leningrad Cowboys joined the Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble for a unique blend of music and spectacle. The Leningrad Cowboys had been created by director Aki Kaurismäki for a previous film while the Red Army Chorus was formed to preserve Russian folk music. What might seem an impossible combination of musical styles and tastes actually becomes a sublime cosmic experience, especially when the Red Army musicians pick up their balalaikas to join the Cowboys.