Today, the final round of the “Çalsana, bagşy” creative review organized by the Ministry of Culture of the country took place in the Mukams’ Palace of the State Cultural Center.

A unique project of its kind, established in January of the last year within the framework of the “Türkmeniň Altyn asyry” competition proclaimed by the President of Turkmenistan, has become an integral part of the events of the year “Happy Youth with Arkadag Serdar”.

The cultural action aimed at popularization and continuity of the heritage of the national musical culture, its traditions, in particular, the original school of Bakhshi promotes the creative realization of young people, their familiarization with the richest spiritual treasury of the people.

Solo playing on the dutar is a phenomenon of Turkmen music, recognized as an outstanding phenomenon of the instrumental culture of Central Asia. A vivid confirmation of this was the inclusion of the folk craft of making dutar, performing musical art on it and the art of bakhshi in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

In the welcoming Address of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, sent to the “Çalsana, bagşy!” contest’s participants, it was emphasized that the commissioning of Specialized Art School named after Sakha Jepbarov and Children’s Art School named after Shukur Bakhshi in Arkadag city is of great importance in enhancement of love for the national musical art and the education of young musicians in the hearts of the young generation.

“Currently, Turkmen culture and art are experiencing a spiritual revival, uniting our people. In the era of the Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state, large-scale work is being carried out to develop national culture and art, strengthen the material and technical base of specialized institutions, identify and support young musicians striving to develop Turkmen art,” the President of the country noted in his message.

Turkmen citizens aged from 18 to 35 took part in the creative marathon of folk musicians and bakhshies, which testifies to the great attention, paid in our state to youth policy, one of the directions of which is to introduce the younger generation to the treasury of national culture, to identify and encourage their creative abilities.

Along with this, the competition is designed to strengthen the traditions of mentoring, preserve the connecting thread of the times, and become a contribution to the popularization of musical art, which is given special attention in the country. So, in the final round of the “Çalsana, bagşy!” contest 12 musicians-dutarists and the same number of bakhshies – from Ashgabat and velayats came out. Among the finalists are 5 girls.

There are many fables and legends about the outstanding abilities of Turkmen women in singing and playing the dutar, in which they often surpassed the famous Bakhshies. The connection between the talent of unequalled carpet-makers and the skillful performance of national music on the dutar is subtly noticed in the book of the Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov “Bakhshies – Harbingers of National Happiness”.

Evidence of special respect for folk musicians and storytellers is also the fact that the art of bakhshi is studied and widely propagated in our independent Homeland. A special department for the preparation of bakhshi has been established at the Mai Kuliyeva Turkmen National Conservatory, as well as in other specialized art schools of the country. In Dashoguz velayat, where many legendary performers of ancient destans come from, the Museum of Local Lore has an exposition dedicated to the works of famous virtuoso masters, popularizers of Turkmen folk music and classical poetry. In the northern region there is a monument to the main musical instrument of Turkmen – dutar, there is a mausoleum of the patron saint of singers and musicians of the East – Ashik Aydin Pir.

The modern generation of “populists” preserves and develops the traditions of Turkmen music, being equal to its creators and keepers, which was perfectly demonstrated by the participants of the final round of the “Çalsana, bagşy!” contest.

The creative competition was preceded by the performance of the instrumentalists, reflecting the unique style and originality of the performing manner characteristic of certain regions of Turkmenistan.

The melody “Çalsana, çalsana, çalsana bagşy” performed by all participants presented a rich palette of musical national culture.

During the concert, Turkmen folk melodies “Kepderi”, “Gyrmyzy”, “Sataşdym”, “Düşmüş” and others were played.

Replacing each other, representatives of folk music and song art of all velayats and the Turkmen capital took the stage. Each performance included several numbers – instrumental music, performance of fragments of destans, as well as singing art.

Along with the young men, the Bakhshi girls from Ashgabat and other regions of the country demonstrated their singing abilities and playing the dutar, who brilliantly performed folk songs “Eýlediň”, “Weý ýar”, “Köne güzer”. A special intonation was brought by a fragment from the destan “Gerogly” – “Teşnit”.

The concert program reflected the main ideological orientation of the current talent show – the glorification of the Turkmen musical culture and its peacemaking principle.

The final chord of the current show was the performance by all its participants of the song “Arkadag Serdarly bagtyýar ýaşlar”, dedicated to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, under whose leadership grandiose transformations are being carried out in Turkmenistan for the benefit of the people, for the sake of the further prosperity of the beloved Homeland, national culture.

The silver sounds of dutar – wonderful music of peace and fraternity – sounded joyfully and soulfully under the arches of the magnificent hall of the Mukams’ Palace.

Therefore, the most exciting moment of the final creative marathon – summing up its results and announcing the winners – has come.

During the solemn ceremony, the organizers emphasized that the “Çalsana, bagşy!” contest attracted a significant number of talented representatives of the younger generation, who with their songs and music enthusiastically glorify their native Motherland and its achievements in the era of the Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state.

The names of 12 winners – musicians and bakhshies – were announced to a standing ovation of the audience. They were awarded a special diploma and a gold chain of the President of Turkmenistan. The laureates of the “Çalsana, bagşy!” creative contest were presented valuable gifts.

The contest’s participants sent a grateful message to the head of state, assuring that they would make every effort and energy for the development and improvement of the national music and song art, becoming worthy successors of the creative path of the bakhshi masters.