Monologue of Times: Mamed Huseynov’s mono-opera will be performed in the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Conservatory
In a few days, on August 21, a concert “He Truly Became the Mouth of Turkmenistan” will be held on the famous stage of the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, where works by Y. Meitus, V. Mukhatov, H. Allanurov, N. Khalmamedov, Ch. Nurymov, K. Volkov, J. Kurbanklycheva, R. Nepesov, A. Shirova, inspired by the poetic heritage of Magtymguly, will be performed. The evening will be concluded with the performance of a monumental work – the monologue “Monologues of Magtymguly Fragi” by composer Mamed Huseynov. The soprano part will be performed by opera singer, artist of the Helikon Opera theater Daria Huseynova.
Each talented musical work associated with the name of Magtymguly is a reflection of the creative world of the composer, bringing something of his own to the reading of the classic's poems. The genre direction chosen by M. Huseynov is not accidental: Fragi's legacy is most vividly reflected in the chamber-vocal sphere, which has always been a laboratory for composers.
The composition is based on the poems "Call", "Beginnings", "Sadness", "Truth" and "Good and Evil" (translated by Arseny Tarkovsky). According to M. Huseynov, they cover a huge range of the poet's philosophical views, his thoughts and revelations about life, fate, and the spiritual and moral quests of man. The image of Magtymguly, who is looking for the meaning of life and answers to eternal questions, is revealed through voice and cello. They convey the poet's conversation with himself, which develops into a dialogue with Time.
The key reference point for defining the semantic areas of a mono-opera is the presence of only one character in it, with whom all layers of action are connected. According to the laws of the genre, the loneliness of the main character, his opposition to the surrounding world, people, events, and era are mandatory. In this work, the author's dialogue with an invisible interlocutor is heard.
Undoubtedly, the orchestral part in combination with the solo cello is one of the main features of the composition. The orchestra not only represents a separate layer of the score, but what is especially important, sometimes takes on the dominant artistic function. The main features are self-sufficiency, sometimes isolation from the vocal part, scale and thematic richness, individual and coloristic expressiveness. The style is a mixture of trends, the solo voice is very close to verismo, in which the psychology of dramatic situations is so clearly expressed. The accompanying part of a late romantic character harmoniously merges with the vocal.
"Monologues" by M. Huseynov are an interesting example of creative rethinking of the legacy of Magtymguly and modern compositional technique, they clearly feel the connection of times and eras, allowing us to assert eternal truths.
Gozel MAGTYMGULYEVA
