The Turkmen National Conservatory named after Maya Kulieva is one of the most important cultural centers of the country, where the musical talents of the future are formed. A significant event in the life of the educational institution was the Week of the Department of Music History. Within its framework, open lessons and master classes, lectures and concerts, scientific and practical conferences, competitions on world musical culture were held in the format of testing students and music quizzes.
For the opening of the event, an exhibition was prepared dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the outstanding classic of oriental poetry Magtymguly Fragi, whose poetic legacy continues to live and resonates in the hearts of millions of readers. The exhibition included collections of the poet’s poems in Turkmen and Russian, paintings and sculptures dedicated to him, and art publications.
The presentation of the monograph “Magtymguly in the works of composers of Turkmenistan” by senior teacher Leila Babayeva, published this year, aroused great interest.
The book was the result of serious and long-term work by a musicologist; fragments of the monograph were presented at international conferences, in numerous scientific articles, and in periodicals. The author claims that Fragi’s poetic heritage is distinguished by its exceptional musicality and is in direct harmony with the art of music.
It is known his famous saying “set to music will be beautiful”. Indeed, he was the first in Turkmen literature to create poetry, the metric of which perfectly coexists with musical rhythms, and his unique intonation determined the vocabulary and intonation structure of works created by composers of various national schools.
Leyla Babayeva held a lecture-concert “The Literary Heritage of Magtymguly in Musical Art.” She emphasized that contemporary artists continue to be attracted by the legacy of the great Fragi, in which they find ideas and feelings in tune with our time, and introduced her to a unique review that revealed not only the beauty of Fragi’s poetic images, but also the ways of their embodiment in musical works of various formats - from intimate miniatures to widely deployed, large compositions.
The lecture was accompanied by musical illustrations prepared by teachers and students of the conservatory. All the subtleties of the musical and poetic text of the romance “Armanym galdy” by Ch. Nurymov were shown in the performance by the famous tenor R. Bayramov and accompanist E. Nuryeva. Listeners appreciated the deep drama and multi-layered content of the vocal poem “Aýryldym” by K. Dzhumakuliev, performed by R. Bayramov, E. Nuryeva and Yu. Gandymova.
The highlight of the program was “Näme sen” by Kh. Allanurov, “Bu gün” by V. Akhmedov - vocalist F. Gylyjeva, accompanist D. Ataeva; “Moon” by the Russian composer, one of the leaders of avant-garde art V. Ekimovsky - vocalist Sh. Mansurov, piano E. Darchiya.
The lecture-concert took place in one breath, its atmosphere was filled with a feeling of gratitude to the great genius of the Turkmen people and reverent attitude towards their literary heritage. The composition “Baglar heý” by D. Ovezov was performed convincingly by the student choir. The director of the choir is senior teacher G. Muhammedova, the accompanist is the laureate of the International competition “Delphic Games”, E. Yagshimuradov.
Young pianist, 3rd year student E. Yagshimuradov performed the dedication “Chant to the Memory of Magtymguly” by A. Agadzhikov, with its exceptional melodic richness and focus on the traditions of national musical art.
The feature film “Magtymguly” was the first attempt to reveal the scale of the personality of the Turkmen poet through the means of cinema. Fragments of this film were shown to those gathered in the conservatory hall. I was impressed by the music of Nury Halmamedov in it. Providing a strong emotional and psychological impact, it significantly enriched the sound world of the narrative.
The magnificent ode “Türkmen binasy” for soloist, choir and symphony orchestra by Sukhan Tuyliev turned out to be the ideal choice to conclude the lecture-concert. The bright monumental musical and poetic canvas glorified the greatness of his beloved Motherland, to which the poet devoted his entire life.
Tatiana LITVINA
