 The first ensemble soloist to perform this was Pyotr Tverdokhlebov, but the first to earn the title of Mr Kalinka was Victor Ivanovich Nikitin at the Berlin peace concert of August 1948, where he sang three encores of the song.The title is unofficial and awarded by the audience and journalists present at successful Ensemble concerts where "Kalinka" earns numerous encores.A definitive recording of "Kalinka" was made in 1963 at the Abbey Road Studios, London by the lyric tenor Evgeny Belyaev, with the Alexandrov Ensemble, under the direction of Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov.