The Maya Kulieva Turkmen National Conservatory has played host to a concert that continued a series of musical events to celebrate the 140th anniversary of Ashgabat. The Conservatory’s eight departments presented the spectacular program showcasing a richly diverse array of pieces and performers.
Performing on stage were the institution’s best students, whose creative energy and wonderfully engaging performance styles will influence the development of national music.
The journey into the inspiring world of music began with distinctive traditions of the art of bagshy and dutar playing. Second-year student Kurbanmurad Hojakuliev (the Department of Folk Music) performed ‘The Festive Melody’ by Sapar Mammiev accompanied by accompanist Narmina Ali-Zadeh. The piano and dutar duo made a harmonious whole.
Fourth-year student Bairamgul Amangeldyeva (the Department of Folk Instruments) played Pablo de Saraste’s Gypsy Airs (Zigeunerweisen) on the old beautiful-sounding qanun. The mesmerized audience gave Bairamgul and accompanist Sona Nuryeva a round of applause.
Fifth-year student Merdan Charyev (the Department of String Instruments), who performed ‘The Slavonic Dances’ by Antonín Dvořák, captivated the listeners with his original style. The exquisite violin sounds filled the air with cantilenas followed by highly energetic and vigorous passages, perfectly paired with the enchanting piano chords played by Stella Faramazova, an accompanist and winner of international competitions.
The concert program also featured opera arias. The heart-piercing ‘Shasenem’s Entreaty’ from the opera ‘Shasenem and Garyp’ by Dangatar Ovezov and Adrian Shaposhnikov was performed by fifth-year student of the Department of Vocal Performance Guljamilya Saryeva. The musical event also saw Amangeldy Amanov, a teacher at the Conservatory (the Department of Vocal Performance) singing the part of Count di Luna from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera ‘Il Trovatore’ (‘The Troubadour’) to Merjen Amanova’s piano accompaniment, his daughter and a student of the Chamber Ensemble Department.
The Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments presented four fascinating pieces: ‘Sirtaki’ by Sergey Rozhentsov, Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’, ‘The Butterfly’ by Alexander Ilyinsky, and ‘In the Mood’ by Joe Garland. In my opinion, members of the band Ragtime: fifth-year student Baba Mukhammedov (saxophone), fourth-year student Ilgiz Galimov (saxophone), second-year student Kakageldy Kurbanmuradov (percussion) and teacher Natella Bagirova (piano) were inimitable.
Chary Nurymov’s truly impressive distinctive melos ‘Fantasy Impromptu’ performed by Ogulkeik Hojakurbanova, a fifth-year student of the Piano Department and a prize-winner of national and international competitions brought the concert to an end.
- This is the first concert of its kind organized at the Conservatory, which brought together the most talented students, the best of the best, representing every department, Rector of the Turkmen National Conservatory Rasul Amangeldyev said during the conversation. – We hope events with such a powerful and ambitious message behind them will become traditional and will help young musicians to fully explore and develop their creative potential.
Tamara GLAZUNOVA
Photo: Aleksey GIMALITDINOV
