The Magtymguly National Music and Drama Theatre hosted a concert by French pianist Christine Fonlupt, accompanied by the State Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Resul Gylyjov.

The concert program presented by Christine Fonlupt consisted of works by renowned French composers dedicated to women. Music by Claude Debussy was performed. His “Arabesque No. 1” immersed the audience in an atmosphere of serenity and dreaminess. With a light touch on the keys, Christine performed the Prelude “Clair de Lune” from the Suite bergamasque. This lyrical piece, in which the outline of a female silhouette seemed to emerge in the soft moonlight, was met with warm applause from the audience.

In addition to Georges Bizet—the composer of the famous opera “Carmen”—Christine Fonlupt also performed works by two women composers. One of them was Cécile Chaminade, who achieved worldwide recognition. Christine performed her piece “Terpsichore,” dedicated to the goddess of dance.

Works by Mel Bonis about seven legendary women, including Desdemona, Ophelia, and Salome, were also warmly received by the audience. Mel Bonis is the pseudonym of Mélanie Hélène Bonis, which she adopted to conceal the fact that she was a woman.

Although the concert came to an end, neither the audience nor the musicians wished to part. As an encore, a piece by Turkish composer Fazıl Say titled “Black Earth” was performed.

At the end of the evening, a press conference was held in the theatre foyer, where Christine Fonlupt told media representatives that she was on a Central Asian tour with a program dedicated to women. It was her first visit to Turkmenistan, and she expressed her delight at being in Ashgabat, noting its magnificent concert hall, wonderful audience, and talented symphony orchestra musicians, with whom she achieved complete mutual understanding from the very first rehearsal.