A special concert was held in the Turkmen National Music and Drama Theater named after Magtymguly on the pre-holiday evening of May. It was dedicated to a significant date – the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This event, designed to pay tribute to the deepest respect and memory of the feat of those who fought for peace, became a bright and emotional moment for all its participants.

80 years ago, the Victory was won, which became a turning point in world history and was achieved at the cost of incredible efforts and sacrifices of the peoples of many countries, including Turkmenistan. The memory of the Great Patriotic War, the heroism and fortitude of the generation of Victors, the high price of peace lives in our hearts and is passed down from generation to generation. The music of the war years is a unique conductor of this memory, carrying the spirit of that time, the pain of loss, unbending faith and the joy of triumph.

The music of the front years greeted the audience already in the foyer of the theater, where interactive platforms and a thematic photo zone were deployed. The atmosphere of the victorious May of 1945 was helped to recreate by guys and girls in military uniform of that era, immediately establishing live communication with the guests.

While one of the guys in a tunic played famous melodies on the accordion, attracting the attention of the older audience, the younger schoolchildren crowded around the location where an express lesson in Morse code was taking place.

Another dynamic space was created by a stand representing the hero cities of the Great Patriotic War, with a reconstruction of miniature battles and QR codes, which could be used to immediately obtain information on all 13 hero cities.

The concert, organized by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ashgabat jointly with the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, became the central musical offering to this great date. Before the start of the main musical program, a greeting from Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Turkmenistan Ivan Volynkin was read out. As the Russian diplomat noted, the melodies and songs included in the concert program helped to lift up the soldiers in the deadly attack, warmed their hearts in the trenches, and gave strength to mothers waiting for their sons to return from the front.

"Each word of these songs is like a page of a chronicle, written in blood and an invincible faith that justice will prevail. They were sung in smokehouses, in dugouts, hospitals, including those located in Turkmenistan. They were the voice of hope that lived in the hearts of our ancestors...", - sounded from the stage. After 80 years, these musical works have become a living memory, a bridge between generations, helping young people understand that real destinies stood behind the legendary melodies.

That evening, the State Orchestra of Turkmenistan performed for the audience under the direction of maestro Resul Klychev, whose conducting is distinguished by empathetic expressiveness and emotional richness. Together with the orchestra, the State Choir of Turkmenistan performed brilliantly, adding power and solemnity to the sound of the works, and where required, bringing subtle vocal symphony. The audience also warmly welcomed the Friendship Choir of the joint Turkmen-Russian comprehensive school named after A. Pushkin.

The special guest of the evening was Ilya Kuzmin, a Russian opera and chamber singer, a leading soloist of the Moscow Theatre "Novaya Opera" named after E. Kolobov. His heartfelt performance brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience. And this reaction was mutual - at some point during the pause, the artist himself barely brushed away a tear. The rich, flexible, tremulous baritone of Ilya Kuzmin perfectly conveyed the character of the war songs -his subtlety, intuition, spiritual dedication and, of course, the highest professionalism made these works a living message from our ancestors to their descendants, that is, to us.

The audience very warmly welcomed the Russian artist, paying tribute not only to his talent and skill, but also to his sincerity. Millions of soldiers survived, and their loved ones did not lose hope thanks to these songs that became popular, and this state of steadfast faith and inspiring hope was embodied by Kuzmin in a voice that penetrated to the deep strings of the soul.

A very touching moment was the introduction before the next number of one of the honored guests in the audience - 98-year-old Agamyan Sergey Tevosovich. When the host called his name, the entire audience stood up, greeting the hero with long applause.

The veteran's modesty, his slight confusion in the face of such a wave of recognition, only emphasized the true valor and honor of the generation of the Victors. The presence of living witnesses of those events gave the concert a deeply conscious and poignant meaning.

The concert program included the most famous and beloved songs of the war years and songs about Victory. Among the immortal works that have forever gone down in history were "The Sacred War", "In the Dugout", "Wait for Me", "Eh, Roads" and many others.

The emotional picture of the musical evening was complemented by a video sequence from archival photographs of the war years and frames from films about the war, on which more than one generation grew up.

The concert that took place is not just a musical event, it is an act of living memory, a symbol of the unbreakable connection between generations and a reminder of how fragile the world is and how important it is to protect it. The evening gave the audience many strong emotions and once again united everyone in a sense of pride in the Great Victory and gratitude to its heroes.

ORIENT