In honour of the 10th anniversary of the agreement on relations between Turkmenistan and Italy, an opera concert of works by Giacomo Puccini was held at the National Music and Drama Theatre named after Magtymguly.

The Italian Embassy in Turkmenistan, with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, organized a concert for Ashgabat residents and guests of the capital with the participation of the famous opera tenor Matteo Lippi. For the first time, Puccini's arias were performed on the Turkmen stage.

Together with the Italian tenor, the concert featured musicians from the State Symphony Orchestra of Turkmenistan under the direction of Rasul Klychev, vocalists Bahar Durdyyeva (soprano) and Gozel Annahanova (soprano). 

The concert program also included three famous operas by Puccini - «Bohemia», «Yearning» and «Madam Butterfly». The charming voice of Matteo Lippi beautifully complemented the singing of Turkmen vocal masters. The symphony orchestra performed several works by the Italian composer with inspiration.

– Despite the fact that Matteo Lippi is a world-class star, he is very easy to communicate with, – Rasul Klychev comments behind the scenes.

And the singer himself, talking about his visit to Ashgabat, notes that he is glad to meet professional Turkmen singers and musicians.

The concert left pleasant memories for the performers and listeners, and we wish Matteo Lippi to visit Ashgabat more than once.