In this painting, you can (almost) ‘hear’ a famous song about the Volga!

The most famous composition for the anniversary was ‘On the Wide Volga’, written by poet Yevgeny Dolmatovsky and composer Boris Mokrousov. They wanted to create something celebratory, but soon realized they needed something for the soul. Thus, the ‘Sormovo Lyric’ was born: 

“Na Volge shirokoy, na Strelke dalekoy gudkami kogo-to zovet teplokhod. Pod gorodom Gorkim, gde yasnyye zorki, v rabochem poselke podruga zovet.”

"On the wide Volga, on the distant Strelka, a steamship's whistle calls someone. Near the city of Gorky, where the dawns are clear, in a workers' settlement, a friend calls."

The song truly became a beloved and popular song. So much so that, for the next round anniversary, five years later, artist Alexey Varlamov practically brought the hit's lines to life in his painting ‘Along the Wide Volga’.

Aboard a pleasure boat, a cheerful group of workers sings to the accompaniment of an accordion. This large-scale painting is a fine example of socialist realism: the artist depicts several generations of factory workers on a fine-weather voyage. The composition is designed so that viewers can "transport" themselves onto the boat, becoming fellow travelers with the Sormovo workers.

* You can learn more about Alexey Varlamov’s work and works by other artists at the ‘Open World. Contemporary Art of the Nizhny Novgorod Region’ exhibition at the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg, which runs until November 23, 2025.