The first stage of the competition for the best anthem of Irkutsk has ended

In Irkutsk, the first stage of the contest for the citys best anthem has ended. In a few days, residents submitted 50 versions of the future song. Among the participants are professional musicians, teachers, veterans and homemakers, and the works will be judged anonymously by a jury of writers, composers and music teachers. The intrigue remains. Some contest songs have already appeared online, where they were criticized for weak lyrics, and the fate of the anthem will be decided by April 20. If the jury does not choose a worthy version, the main prize of 50 thousand rubles may remain unclaimed.

Another initiative by the city administration was the contest for the best anthem of Irkutsk. Today its first stage has come to an end. Until 6 p.m. on Friday, people could bring their versions of the future masterpiece to the Department of Culture. Hardly had it begun when the contest caused a stir in the city. Anton Chernyshov will tell us about this, as well as who will choose the best anthem of Irkutsk and how.
Applications were being brought in even in the last minutes before submissions closed. In total, fifty anthem versions were submitted to the contest. Among the authors are professional musicians, teachers, veterans, and even housewives.
The anthems will be judged by the contest jury. It includes writers, composers, music teachers, and cultural figures. For objectivity, the best anthem will be chosen according to a special scheme. Svetlana Dombrovskaya, head of Irkutsk’s Department of Culture: "All the materials submitted to us are numbered in a certain way. In the order they were received. There is no information about the authors of the lyrics or the music".
But some information has already leaked onto the internet. Alexander Verkhozin sings in a choir that took part in recording one of the anthem versions, and he posted it on his blog on the internet. And soon four more contest songs appeared online. Alexander Verkhozin, blogger: "When I read it, I was horrified. These are bad lyrics. There is very little poetry there, really. A lot of pathos. Sometimes the lyrics are guilty of stylistic errors, grammatical ones, phonetic ones".
The fate of the anthem will be decided by April 20. And it is possible that the jury will never choose the best song for Irkutsk. Then the main prize — 50,000 rubles, as well as the recognition of Irkutsk residents, will go to no one. But let us still wait for the results of the contest.