An American Baritone Will Sing Turkmen Romances in Pennsylvania
Cultural bridges between continents are sometimes built in the most surprising ways. On July 17, a unique concert, "Vocal Poetry," will take place in the United States. In Pennsylvania, American audiences will discover great Turkmen classics: 22-year-old American baritone Zavier Bates will perform a vocal cycle by Nury Halmamedov.
This project is based on a subtle continuity between generations and a strong performing school. The piano part will be performed by pianist Bakhar Annadurdyeva, a laureate of the Moscow International Arts Festival "Sounds of the Dutar" named after N. Halmamedov and a student of Turkmen accompanist Roza Baimuradova. The evening was organized by Keystone Music Academy with the support of its director, Andrey Lyubimtsev.
For young American singer Xavier Bates, who will continue his master's degree at Montclair State University this fall and is currently preparing for the role of narrator in Mozart's "The Magic Flute," the Turkmen musical language was a true revelation. He expresses his deep gratitude to Bakhar Annadurdyeva for helping him master and understand Halmamedov's complex vocal poetry.
The evening's program also included romances by Sergei Rachmaninoff. For Bates, this is a deeply personal story: he knew Ruth Slenczynska, the great Russian composer's last student.
"Ruth told me how Rachmaninoff, working on a single measure, would endlessly repeat the same minor third," shares Xavier. "This story reminds me of the importance of precision down to the smallest details in music."
Bakhar Annadurdyeva is not only a prominent promoter of national classics in the United States; she is currently working on an organ arrangement of selected piano masterpieces by Nury Khalmamedov. Moreover, it was she who presented the world premiere of Mamed Guseinov's "Paraphrase" on themes from the opera "Solomon" in Pennsylvania this past February.
Turkmen music, born from the fourth-fifth modes of the dutar, continues to resonate at the world's finest venues, proving that true art knows no boundaries.
