Composers and musicologists speak in defence of current national anthem of Dagestan

Alexandra Pakhmutova, Andrei Eshpay, Alexander Sokolov and other famous Russian composers and musicologists have sent a letter in defence of the current national anthem of Dagestan to the head of the republic Ramzan Abdulatipov, who had offered to adopt a new version of the anthem.

Earlier, the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov offered the Deputies of the National Assembly of Dagestan to adopt a new version of the anthem. Many musicians, civil activists and local residents were angered with the fact that Abdulatipov called the current version of the anthem "funeral music".

Upon Abdulatipov's instruction, the Ministry of Culture began working towards setting up an organizing committee, which should submit its recommendations on the new anthem.

"We've listened to the anthem and concluded that it was created by Chalaev, an unsurpassed master of key hymn chants, which combine the glorifying monumentality and song lyricism. The anthem of Dagestan accumulates the combined 'tonal image' of the multinational country," says the letter addressed to the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov. The letter was posted by Miyasat Muslimova, a member of the Russia's Union of Journalists and a member of the Union of Russian Writers, on her website on the Facebook.