It’s true what they say: “Whatever you name the yacht, that’s how it will sail.” Quite recently, a new project, the musical group “Masterpieces of the Classics,” was launched and had its first free voyage. And the debut concert that took place the other day is clear proof of this.

We probably won’t break champagne on the side of the piano, but we’ll tell you how the first stage christening of the new project went.

Preparing for the opening of the art project was stressful, but inspiring. The country's best musicians were creatively cast for the new team. The selection criteria were strict and concerned not only musical abilities, but also, as is the case with astronauts, the psychological compatibility of the candidates.

A wonderful concert was prepared for the opening of the project, before the start of which the head of the “Masterpieces of the Classics” group, senior teacher at the conservatory, singer Meilis Muratgeldyev addressed the guests with words of greeting. He introduced everyone to the “recruits” of his team.

Its members included: People's Artist of Turkmenistan Gulnar Nuryeva, diploma winner of international competitions Stella Faramazova, assistant-internship graduate of the Gnessin Academy of Music (Russia) Aibolek Mukhieva, winner of the Delphic Games in 2023 (Bishkek) Seyran Ataniyazov, laureate of the Altyn Asyr Prize Bakhar Durdyeva, teachers of the Turkmen National Conservatory named after Maya Kulieva, magnificent virtuoso musicians Kakageldy Khojalekov, Elman Nasyrov and Maya Beymanova.

And another invisible but significant participant in this project is a member of the Eurasian Union of Composers, a graduate of the master's program at the Faculty of Musicology of the University of Strasbourg (France), as well as a doctoral student at this university, composer Aina Shirova.

Looking ahead, I will say that on the very first concert evening of the “Classical Masterpieces” crew, the musicians and guests experienced “love at first sight.” After each number of the program, thunderous applause was heard in the hall with heavy precipitation in the form of shouts of “Bravo!”

Eyewitnesses after the concert said that some of the guests simply lost their voices, trying to drown out the noise of applause with their enthusiastic exclamations. Nothing surprising. Everything here is logical and natural. The musicians did an impeccable job and received their well-deserved “dividends” in the form of applause. This is roughly what the visualization of the word “success” should look like. This is what the public's love for their idols looks like.

If we talk about the content of the concert. Everything here is like that of the best manufacturers - the “filling” corresponds to the wrapper with the bright name “Masterpieces of the Classics”. The program included brilliant examples of classical and modern academic music.

This is Caccini-Vavilov’s “Ave Maria” Aria, which is an example of one of the most striking musical hoaxes of the 20th century (those who were at the concert know what they are talking about). This aria was sung by charming Gulnar Nuryeva (with violin and piano accompaniment). Her extraordinary timbre, intonation, vocal rises and falls, sophisticated, refined passages made the hearts of the guests tremble. She also performed beautifully Rachmaninov’s romance “Spring Waters.”

Next was Tchaikovsky’s play “Reflection” in a sincere and touching interpretation by Aibolek Mukhieva. The young violinist also put a piece of her personal experiences into this music: the long and difficult years of developing as a musician in her homeland, time spent studying, in other places, far from home, separated from her parents. Sadness, nostalgia, bright spots of memories... The musical piece told everything that cannot be expressed in words. Some of the touched listeners even burst into tears.

I would also like to say something about the magnificent pianist Stella Faramazova. The tamer of the white-toothed piano (which the musicians jokingly call a relative of the pianosaurus) accompanied almost all the numbers of the concert. She is a high-class musician who is devoted to music with all her heart.

She plays a special role in the “Masterpieces of Classics” project. If Meilis deals with organizational issues, then Stella Vladimirovna is the art director and generator of ideas for this group. Thanks to her demanding approach, all the numbers in the program sounded polished and flawless. She rehearses for hours and demands the same serious attitude from her colleagues. The entire musical elite of Turkmenistan knows firsthand about the “exemplary” performances of Stella Faramazova. One of the musicians jokingly suggested sending recordings of her playing to the Paris “Chamber of Standards.”

The highlight of the project was a real opera Diva - Bakhar Durdyeva, whose every appearance on stage was brilliant. She performed Leonora's song from Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Forza del Destino and the romance "The Kiss" by composer Arditti. The path to becoming a vocalist is reminiscent of the process of ripening wine. Just as over time a noble drink acquires an exquisite bouquet of flavors and a unique aroma, so too with Bahar, her vocal technique, artistry and charming soprano have reached their zenith.

The project leader Meilis Muratgeldyev himself also performed at the concert. He performed Canio's Aria from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. And it was incomparable in his interpretation. This aria is included in the repertoire of world famous tenors. Taking on an essay that is on everyone’s lips requires not only courage, but also a high level of professionalism. And Meilis proved to everyone that he is an artist with a capital “A”.

Also that evening, listeners had the opportunity to hear “The Singer’s Song Behind the Stage” from Arensky’s opera “Raphael” performed by Meilis Muratgeldyev. Next, he and Gulnar Nuryeva sang the duet of Aknabat and Dzhumadurdy from the musical comedy “Beautiful Bride” by Durdy Nuryev.

The icing on the cake was the performance of a string quartet consisting of: Aibolek Mukhieva, Seyran Ataniyazov, Elman Nasyrov and Kakageldy Khojalekov.

The musicians presented to the audience one of the movements of Tchaikovsky's Quartet N1. The sound of the quartet was spacious, full and self-sufficient. The lush harmonies and modulations seemed to have an almost therapeutic effect. Note by note, the melody seemed to restore listeners who were tired during the day, returning strength, energy, optimism and a positive attitude to them.

While performing “Hungarian Dance N5” by Brahms, the quartet musicians unexpectedly received a unique accompaniment. Throughout the dance, the audience clapped to the rhythm, speeding up, slowing down, precisely following all the tempo changes in the score. The musicians smiled and played. This funny musical and rhythmic exercise gave a good emotional shock to the listeners.

The opening of the evening was Aina Shirova’s play “Walking in the Rain,” which the composer specially arranged for the musicians of this project (strings + piano). Aina Shirova successfully used sound-visual techniques in this composition. In the music one could hear how crystal water beads from a heavenly necklace, scattering, knock on the roofs, and merge into a spring symphony of rain.

The debut concert of the new project ended in a major key, literally and figuratively. It remains to add that Meilis and his team “Masterpieces of the Classics” rushed powerfully at a sprint speed in their endeavor, leaving their competitors far behind. You can't catch them! And they rush not to the finish line, but straight up - to the stellar future, overcoming the gravitational field of difficult problems, maneuvering and dodging the meteor shower of minor troubles encountered in the life of every artist.

As they say: “For a big ship, a long voyage.” The name obliges.

Anay Yolbarsov