Madonna urged to sing revolutionary anthem
Russian Communists urged Madonna to sing a revolutionary anthem like the Marseillaise when she performs in Russia on August 2 near the palace stormed by the Bolsheviks in 1917.
The pop singer should make a gesture of modesty and respect during her concert on St. Petersburgs Palace Square next to the Winter Palace, the Communists of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region said in an open letter published yesterday on their web site. They urged Madonna to don a sailors striped vest and to sing one of the favorite revolutionary tunes as tribute to the Great October Socialist Revolution, according to the letter.
Madonna will make her second concert appearance in Russia as part of her Sticky and Sweet tour, performing in the countrys second biggest city and its former imperial capital.
Her first Russian concert three years ago in Moscow was marred by protests of Christian Orthodox activists who objected to her performance of the pop ballad Live to Tell, where she sings wearing a crown of thorns while dangling from a cross.
The storming of the Winter Palace on Oct. 25, 1917, according to the Julian calendar, has been seen as the climax of the Russian revolution when Bolsheviks overthrew the so-called provisional government and secured their grip on power following Tsar Nicholas IIs abdication earlier that year. The Winter Palace now houses the Hermitage Museum.
From Bloomberg.com.