A jazz concert is an occasion when both musicians and audience members feel actively engaged, enthusiastic and excited. Heart-touching sounds of the saxophone, rhythmic percussion solos and expressive bass guitar chords took the audience on a journey into the world of jazz.
The Maya Kulieva Turkmen National Conservatory’s Small Hall hosted a concert performed by students of the Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments. The venue was charged with the creative drive and intense excitement.
Talented students of the Conservatory try to master not only academic music but also adopt various musical styles, including jazz that became popular in the 1920s.
The members of the Ragtime band are students of the Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments. The band takes its name from the eponymous work by composer Walter Donaldson.
The student band was formed by Natella Bagirova, a teacher at the Conservatory. A big fan of pop and jazz music herself, she helps the young musicians to develop their talents and plays as an accompanist.
– In May of 2020, we gave our first concert which was a big success, Natella Bagirova says. – We performed the play ‘Ragtime’ and it was so warmly received by the audience that it became the distinctive signature of our band. For today’s concert we have prepared no less impressive compositions. For instance, Adolf Schreiner’s ‘Immer Kleiner’ (Always Smaller), a humorous fantasy for clarinet.
The original piece was performed by Baba Mukhammedov. During his performance, the musician took the five pieces of his clarinet apart, but the spirit-stirring melody continued to play even when the lad had only the clarinet mouthpiece, the upper end of the instrument, in his hands. The thrilled audience greeted the musical ‘trick’ with a round of applause and shouts of bravo.
Baba Mukhammedov, who is due to graduate this year, not only delighted the listeners but also touched their hearts. Baba performed a song composed by himself for his mother, who was present at the concert, and gave her a bouquet of flowers as a birthday gift for her. Impressed by such a moving surprise, the audience members gave the student’s mother a burst of applause. Some of them were even moved to tears.
The composition by James Horner for the movie Titanic added to the lyrical atmosphere during the concert. Works by Michael Jacksons, Isaak Dunayevsky, Joe Garland, Rovshan Nepesov, and other composers were also performed by the two saxophonists, the flutist and the pianist.
The music enthusiasts were truly grateful to the event organizers: Natella Bagirova and Honored Teacher, Associate Professor at the Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments Berdyniyaz Rejepmedov, as well as the talented young performers, who had given them the eclectic musical treat and put them in a cheerful mood.
Svetlana CHIRTSOVA
Photo: Yuri SHKURIN
