In the spring of 2025, which is marked by the 95th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Medeniet Shakhberdyeva, an unfading star of the 20th century opera stage, Moscow will host a concert "Turkmen Nightingale". On April 6, the Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Russian Academy of Arts (Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery) will open its doors for a gala event dedicated to the great diva.

The concert, initiated by the organizing committee of the Moscow International Arts Festival "Sounds of Dutar" with the continued support of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Russia, will become a sounding monument to Medeniet Shakhberdyeva. The evening’s program will bring to life pearls from her extensive repertoire: famous arias from European operas will be intertwined with soulful romances by Turkmen composers, created especially for her inimitable voice or inspired by her genius.

Moscow played a special role in the fate of Medeniet Shakhberdyeva. It was within the walls of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, under the direction of V.F. Rozhdestvenskaya, that her brilliant talent was polished, acquiring perfect facets and radiance. Here began her triumphant path to the heights of the stage, which ran through the best halls of the country and the cities of the GDR, France, Poland, India, Canada, Sweden and many other countries.

But the main refuge of her heart has always been the Turkmen Opera and Ballet Theater named after Magtymguly. On her native stage, where she embodied almost all the parts for coloratura soprano, her gift blossomed in all its phenomenal splendor. The festival "Sounds of Dutar", named after Nury Khalmamedov, the great composer, whose muse was Medeniet Shakhberdyeva, is inextricably linked with her name. Their creative union was a source of intense energy, and many of Nury Khalmamedov’s works, which have become the golden fund of world art, retain the glow of her radiant talent.

The touching inscription on one of the music collections left by the composer serves as evidence of this inseparable connection: “To our dear nightingale — Maya Shakhberdyeva — as a token of great gratitude, from the author. Many thanks for performing the poems of the great classical poets of the Turkmen — Magtymguly, Mollanepes and the folk bakhshi singers of the 18th-19th centuries. We are grateful to you — the inhabitants of the 20th century.” These warm words sound like a hymn of recognition of her outstanding talent.

Among the immortal creations dedicated to the singer, a special place is occupied by the piercing vocal cycle “Unheard Songs of the Children of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” — a hymn of memory and grief that has gained worldwide fame.

The festival “Sounds of Dutar”, conceived in 2015, carefully preserves the memory of Medeniet Shakhberdyeva. It was as if fate itself led this art project to a meeting with such titans of art as Zurab Tsereteli and Medeniet Shakhberdyeva, who became loyal friends of the festival from the first days of its existence. The great singer was one of the first to heartily support the festival, writing a warm and joyful welcome letter to the organizing committee, in which she expressed admiration for the fact that such a cultural forum dedicated to Turkmen culture and bearing the name of the famous compatriot was being held in Moscow. Shakhberdyeva prophetically noted that the music of Nury Khalmamedov reveals to the world the entire wealth of the spiritual treasury of the Turkmen people.

It is symbolic that the name Medeniet, translated from Turkmen, means "culture". Medeniet Shakhberdiyeva was a living embodiment of this sacred concept, possessing a unique gift to inspire with her very life and personality.

The incomprehensible magic of her voice served as a powerful source of inspiration for the creation of musical masterpieces. Turning to composers with whom fate brought her together, she lit a creative fire in them, asking them to write music especially for her, which became a precious incentive, especially for young talents.

One of the last composers with whom the singer had a chance to collaborate was Mamed Guseynov. The singer's insightful ear immediately caught the spark of God's gift in the works of the young composer. The fruit of their spiritual unity was a diptych based on the poems of Kurbannazar Ezizov - two romances "My Love" and "My Land", written by the composer in honor of the unsurpassed Medeniet. The friendship of Mamed and Medeniet became a symbol of the sacred continuity of immortal art.

The "Sounds of Dutar" festival reverently honors the memory of Medeniet Shakhberdyeva. The establishment of a Special Prize named after her in 2024 - the festival's high award - became a sign of boundless respect and unquenchable love. The first winner of the special prize of Medeniet Shakhberdyeva was Dunyagozel Begaliyeva, recognized as the creative successor of the great singer, a student of Zhanna Saiyan, a direct student of Medeniet herself.

The concert "Turkmen Nightingale" will sparkle with a kaleidoscope of bright numbers and performances of a constellation of the best performers who have repeatedly graced the stage of the Moscow International Arts Festival "Sounds of Dutar" named after Nury Khalmamedov over the ten-year period of its history. Among the participants of the concert are students of leading creative universities, soloists of famous Moscow theaters, jury members and loyal friends of the festival - all who cherish the memory of the Great Medeniet.

Tatyana SOLODKOVA,

cultural scientist, head of the press service of the festival "Sounds of Dutar"