As the summer season drew to a close, an engaging concert-story entitled “The Musical Detective”, part of the new series “About Music. Children,” took place in the concert hall of the “Ashgabat” Culture and Recreation Park for the capital’s boys and girls. The concert was presented in a new and unusual format.

Taking on the role of a detective investigating musical mysteries was renowned pianist and Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Vladimir Mkrtumov, who transformed a classical music program into an exciting adventure for young listeners and their parents.

The program featured “The Cuckoo” by Louis-Claude Daquin; “Song of the Lark” and “The Doll’s Illness” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; “Blind Rain,” “The Crab,” and “Flight of the Kites” by Nury Halmamedov; “Santa Claus” by Robert Schumann, as well as other compositions.

The audience did not simply enjoy masterpieces of world classical music—they became full participants in the interactive performance. They helped unravel intricate plotlines, while children and adults answered the maestro’s questions and successfully solved clever detective riddles hidden in well-known piano compositions. Thus, by the end of the concert, virtually all the listeners had become detectives themselves.

Another delightful highlight of the musical event was the presentation of sweets and exclusive motivational cards to the most successful detectives, accompanied by wishes to develop a sincere love of classical music.

The fact that “The Musical Detective” is part of the “About Music. Children” series suggests that young classical-music enthusiasts can look forward to more exciting adventure stories from Vladimir Mkrtumov.