From October 10 to 13, an Autumn Musical Marathon was held in the Amphitheater of the historical and ethnographic complex Eternal City and the hall of the Aiwan complex of the Silk Road tourist center as part of the International Project Russian Seasons. The program of the marathon included concerts by Hibla Gerzmava, the Moscow Soloists Chamber Ensemble conducted by Yuri Bashmet, the Gnessin Ensemble of Contemporary Choral Music Altro Coro, directed by Alexander Ryzhinsky, and the State Academic Dance Ensemble of Dagestan Lezginka. The Russian Seasons project is carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
“Within the framework of Russian Seasons,the best creative companies in Russia come to Uzbekistan and give concerts at different venues throughout the year – in Tashkent, Samarkand, Olmaliq. A memorable event took place in Samarkand – it was whole season of the Russian Seasons project that included four concerts. During the first one, opera diva, People’s Artist of Russia Hibla Gerzmava and soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia Igor Golovatenko performed together with the orchestra of the Alisher Navoi Big Theater of Uzbekistan. The program included the best classical works and a small surprise for the Uzbek public. On 11 October, a concert of the famous choir of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Alto Coro took place. On 12 October, Yuri Bashmet conducted the Moscow Soloists Ensemble. At the final concert on 13 October, the artists of the legendary ensemble Lezginka demonstrated their art in its best and gave inspiration and an extraordinary mood to the public. The project took place thanks to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” said Svetlana Kondratyeva, director of the ANO for Promotion of Concert Activities Russian Seasons.
On 10 October, at the Amphitheater of the “Eternal City”, People’s Artist of Russia and the Republic of Abkhazia, the first ever winner of the Grand Prix of the International Tchaikovsky Competition (1994) Hibla Gerzmava (soprano) and the invited guest, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia opera troupe Igor Golovatenko (baritone) performed musical works by world famous composers – G. Verdi, P. I. Tchaikovsky, U. Giordano. Together the opera artists sang the duet of Leonora and Count di Luna from Verdi’s Il Trovatore. The Symphony Orchestra of the Alisher Navoi State Academic Big Theater of Uzbekistan was in charge of the musical accompaniment of the concert, and Denis Vlasenko, Artistic director and Chief conductor of the Theater’s opera troupe was at the conductor’s stand.
“I am proud of such strong cultural relations between Russia and Uzbekistan. It is very important. I came here with great pleasure. Together with the wonderful orchestra of the Alisher Navoi Theater and conductor Denis Vlasenko, together with Igor Golovatenko, who performed with me today, we gave a wonderful concert on an amazing stage in Samarkand. It is important for me that our concert takes place within the framework of the Russian Seasons. Music has always strengthened friendship between nations and united people. Samarkand is a wonderful ancient city with its own history, in this case the Eternal City. The people of Uzbekistan are always very open, warm, and hospitable,” noted Hibla Gerzmava.
On 11 October, residents and guests of Samarkand enjoyed an evening of choral music. The famous Gnessin Ensemble of Contemporary Choral Music Altro Coro, led by conductor and Artistic director – Rector of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Alexander Ryzhinsky, presented its concert program Masterpieces of Choral Music: From Classics to Contemporary. Altro Coro, which in Italian means “another choir”, is unique not only for its stunning sound, but also for its excellent program of works that are rarely heard. A special collection of musical masterpieces was prepared specially for the Russian Seasons in Samarkand: Sergei Rachmaninov’s Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, We Sing to Thee; Take Heart, Friends, We’re marching Onward by Dmitry Shostakovich, Where Is Our Rose by Georgy Sviridov , Don MacDonald’s Tabula Rasa and others. The program of the evening also included Russian and Uzbek folk songs.
On 12 October, in the hall of the Aiwan complex, musicians of the Moscow Soloists Chamber Ensemble (Artistic director and Chief conductor, People’s Artist of the USSR, Grammy Award winner Yuri Bashmet) played the works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Waltz from Serenade for String Orchestra, Lensky’s aria from the opera Eugene Onegin transcribe for violin and orchestra; a concert for violin and orchestra Summer Thunderstorm from Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, etc.
“This is not my first time in this amazing country, I know many musicians personally. We have a common musical mindset, this unites us. We have a fairly diverse program, it is a mosaic in a sense, there is everything in it for the Moscow Soloists to show themselves, in fact, as soloists. Some works were performed in Samarkand for the first time. For example, the adagio Nostalgia by the Georgian author, my great friend Enri Lolashvili, as he wrote this composition especially for me. In Samarkand we presented very beautiful, soulful, accessible music,” said Yuri Bashmet.
On October 13, the State Academic Honored Dance Ensemble of Dagestan Lezginka, recognized as a cultural heritage of Dagestan, demonstrated its mastery. The company toured 75 countries around the world and is the winner of 52 world-famous folk dance festivals among professional groups. In Uzbekistan, the Lezginka dancers presented a choreographic program by the Director of the ensemble, Honored Artist of Russia Dzhambulat Magomedov, “The World through Dance,” which combines Caucasian and Russian choreography.
“We know the Uzbek people as hardworking, friendly, warm, as a people with incredible originality. It is difficult to surprise the world famous ensemble Lezginka, which has visited over 70 countries of the world, but when we were in Uzbekistan last time, I was pleasantly surprised by the incredible interest and the attention that was shown to our company. Our expectations were met this time too. Everything was organized very professionally and on a dew level. I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the entire Russian Seasons team, the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan and everyone who was involved in the organization of the project for this. Today it is very important to bring our peoples closer to each other and turn them into one big family, showing our traditions, history, origins through the prism of choreography. Our cultures are very polar, but this is exactly why it is so wonderful to make a mosaic out of them,” said Dzhambulat Magomedov.
The artists of “Lezginka” performed several varieties of Lezginka dance, choreographic compositions Mountain Dance, Kumyk Suite, and Rhythms of the Caucasus, Avar girl’s dance Playful Girls and other choreographic pieces.
“The Russian Seasons project in Samarkand is a project that we have been working at for a long time. Thanks to the Russian Seasons, residents of our city and all of Uzbekistan had the opportunity to enjoy wonderful music. The Eternal City hosted a concert by opera diva Hibla Gerzmava, which was expectedly sold out. World-famous musicians also performed in Samarkand, including the great Yuri Bashmet. Russian Seasons is a wonderful gift for the people of Uzbekistan,” emphasized Daniyor Khusainov, director of the Eternal City complex.
The historical and ethnographic complex Eternal City and the Aiwan complex are part of the Samarkand tourist center Silk Road Samarkand – a unique multidisciplinary tourist complex that combines cultural, medical and business tourism facilities. It has become a modern landmark not only of Samarkand, but throughout Central Asia. The name for the center was not a random choice: from the 2nd century BC the routes of the Great Silk Road passed on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. One of the important stops for caravans of merchandise was ancient Samarkand. Eight world-class hotels, comfortable public spaces, parks, recreation and sports areas, concept restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as an international convention center and cultural facilities are located on the territory of Silk Road Samarkand.
We express our gratitude to the general information partner of the project, the international news agency Sputnik Uzbekistan!
Sputnik – up-to-date information about events in Uzbekistan and the world. Follow the news on the website and telegram channel Sputnik Uzbekistan.
We also thank the official information partner of the Russian Seasons project, the Interstate Television and Radio Company Mir , and the radio partner of the Russian Seasons project, the Federal Radio Station Radio Russia
