Eugene Doga told how the anthem of Chisinau was written

The melody for the song “My White City” appeared in 1971. Initially, it was conceived as part of the music track for the documentary film about Chisinau directed by Ion Mizha and George Vode. The composer, member of the Council of the Russian Musical Union Eugene Doga told the story of creation of the work, which later became the anthem of the city, in an exclusive interview to Sputnik radio station.

According to the maestro, initially he was offered other poems for which he could not write music. “The text must be written so that anyone can sing it. If there is no music in the poem, there is nothing to sing. Then I asked for other texts,” said Doga.

He noted that he had only half a day to write the music, because the next day he had to go to Moscow.

“I was still sleeping when Ion Mizha and George Vode came to me. They handed me an A4 sheet with a different text. Without getting out of bed, I turned to the piano and began to play. I had a feeling that I had been playing this all my life,” Doga recalled.

To the question whether he would agree, if asked, to write another melody -the anthem of Chisinau, Doga said that he would never do that.

“It is well known that they do not enter the same river twice. The anthem is a symbol, and the symbols do not change at every step. They, like the name of a person, are given for life,” he noted.

Sofia Rotaru performed the song “My White City” for the first time. Thanks to this song as well, Sofia Rotaru gained fame, and she is still loved.

The song became Chisinau’s anthem when the capital celebrated its 560th anniversary.