Musicians of the State Symphony Orchestra conducted by conductor Rasul Klychev are on tour in Germany these days and participate in the summer music festival, which takes place annually in Bayreuth, Bavaria. These days, the German town is turning into a magnificent concert venue, and the natural scenery is a bizarre urban architecture with a symbiosis of medieval and modern architecture. Musical elite from all over the world come here every summer.

This year Bayreuth – the birthplace of the great masters of music Wagner and Liszt, for the 73rd time gathered more than 520 young performers and cultural managers from 30 countries - the USA, China, Serbia, Portugal, Greece, Ukraine, Australia, as well as various musical groups from Bavaria. The Youth Chamber Orchestra of Turkmenistan under the direction of conductor Rasul Klychev is already a regular at the Bayreuth Festival – Turkmen musicians are traditional participants of the cultural action and have been coming to Germany for several years. They perform on various stages of picturesque Bavarian localities and introduce participants and guests of the festival to the national musical culture of Turkmenistan.

"Rituals" is the motto of this year's festival of young artists. In his welcoming address, Bavarian State Minister of Science and Art Markus Blume, explaining this thematic choice, said: "Cultural traditions and common values of society are reflected in its rituals – at the same time they are constantly evolving. It is this fusion of traditions and transformation that distinguishes the festival of young masters and makes it a unique space in which something new can appear."

The festival will give music lovers more than 80 concerts. There will also be master classes, educational seminars, lectures and open-air musical events. Soloists and ensembles from different countries perform and conduct joint projects.

The Youth Chamber Orchestra of Turkmenistan has also prepared a program of performances for its German fans - the best works of Turkmen authors, as well as foreign composers of different times – from classical to modern music. The repertoire includes compositions by Chary Nurymov, Nury Halmammedov, Rejep Allayarov, Nury Hojamuhammedov - this music is stylistically bright and innovative, where national traditions and the technique of composition of the XX century are organically combined.

The first performance of Turkmen musicians took place on August 2. A festive concert called "The Sounds of the Winds of Karakum" was held in one of the most beautiful places in the Upper Palatinate – the 12th-century monastery church of Speinhart. The concert program included two dances from the cycle "Three Dances for Symphony Orchestra" by Rejep Allayarov, "Gazelles" for oboe and chamber orchestra by Chary Nurymov (solo by Didar Yomudov), Serenade for string orchestra by E. Elgar, Sonata for flute by F. Pulenka (solo – Selbi Ovezova), Concerto for flute, clarinet and orchestra by N. Hojamuhammedov (Selbi Ovezova – flute, Yusup Ovezov – clarinet), as well as musical episodes from the movie "The Decisive Step", authored by Nury Halmammedov.

The luxurious interior of the church in the Baroque style, beautiful acoustics, where the energetic flow of sounds literally enveloped the entire space – created an atmosphere of magical, life-giving action. The voice of Gozel Annahanova sounded especially penetrating in these walls. The audience was deeply impressed by the song "Bells" ("Düwmeler") from the movie "The Trick of Old Ashir" and "The Song of Karkara", which sounded in the film "Secrets of Mukam". In the beautiful and gentle soprano of the soloist, characteristic intonations were caught, close to the folk manner of singing.

Unique creative collaborations are born at the festival. The real event was the concert "Vienna. Belgrade. Ashgabat.", which took place on August 6 at the Das Zentrum Concert Hall in Bayreuth. The musicians played the Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos with Orchestra, a Concerto for Two Pianos with Orchestra by the young Serbian composer Igor Andrich and a Piano Concerto by Chary Nurymov. The solo part was performed by the members of the piano duet "VooDoo" Vuk Bozhilovic and Dusan Grozdonovic – names quite famous in the modern music world. Igor Andrich spoke very warmly about the joint concert, separately noted the professionalism of the team and the tremendous work of the conductor.

Wherever Turkmen musicians perform at the festival, the audience greets them very enthusiastically, giving warm applause and joyful smiles. For several years, the Bayreuth Festival has "presented" to the chamber orchestra the hearts of many admirers of Turkmen music. Devoted listeners and fans of the youth orchestra gather in Bayreuth every summer from different parts of Bavaria to meet their favorite performers. Among the fans are our compatriots from Nuremberg, who specially came to the Bavarian town to listen to their native music.

The festival continues. The Youth Chamber Orchestra will take part in several more concerts and projects, where, in addition to the above, works by Bela Kovac and Astor Piazzolla will also be performed.

The Bayreuth Festival of Young Artists is a real celebration where young figures of musical art gather from all over the world to get acquainted with new forms of music in a unique combination – from musical theater to chamber compositions, to make a journey from the Baroque era to modern music. There is no doubt that this festival will be fruitful for all participants and will bring further success in the development of intercultural communications.

Shemshat Annagylyjova