Russian's Olympic song hits all the right notes

When the song Beijing premiered in Moscow on Tuesday, many listeners were amazed to discover that it was written not by a professional musician but a retired military doctor from Russia, Vladimir Vorobyov.

"I am flying to a land distant and fertile. Fantastic China covered with white snow. Behind the Great Wall my destination appears. Beijing is waiting for the Olympic athletes," read the lyrics.

"I really wanted to write a song about Beijing as the host city of the Winter Olympics, a global event. In news stories, I saw what a huge amount of work China has been doing to prepare for the Games," Vorobyov said.

He explained he aimed to compose "a solemn and inspiring" song with the lyrics and melodies in harmony with the emotions of athletes, fans and organizers.

However, Vorobyov's task wasn't so easy, especially considering he has never been to China nor does he know how to speak Chinese.

Vorobyov admitted progress was slow when he first set himself the song-writing task in August, but "a miracle" occurred in early October after he had watched hours of online videos about China in search of inspiration.

"At night I dreamed that I was in China. I woke up with an amazing feeling as if I had just returned from a trip there. In the morning, the first lines of lyrics appeared and the tunes began to emerge. By the evening, I was already humming the song," he said.

His creative feat was even more impressive given that Vorobyov, born in 1957 in St. Petersburg, has never had professional music training.

He enrolled in a military medical academy in 1974 and graduated as a doctor in 1980. Five years later, he started postgraduate studies and later taught at the academy, specializing in skin diseases.

In his youth, Vorobyov, who has created more than 20 songs since 2007, was keen on writing poems and composing music.

He enjoys playing a wide variety of sports such as soccer, volleyball and basketball, and in his youth also counted boxing, wrestling, kettlebell lifting and chess among his hobbies. These days, he stays in shape with morning exercises for 40-50 minutes each day.

"If time allows, I want to watch the competitions in Beijing. I like ice hockey, cross-country skiing and figure skating in particular," said Vorobyov, who will celebrate his 65th birthday in February when the whole world will be watching as Beijing 2022 gets underway.

He added that he hopes the Winter Olympics will be staged to the highest possible standard and all the athletes will perform to the best of their abilities.

Xinhua