"A ray of Sun and Love from three tenors" State academic theater named after A. Navoi

The fans of the classical music gathered in the cold evenings of the November to enjoy performances of the real art and to get some emotional warmth after the long period of lockdown due to pandemic. The music hall of the State academic theater is overcrowded with the que lasting till the buffet, where guests also may enjoy their cup of hot coffee. It should be mentioned that the administration of the theater took all necessary social precautions and individual protection measures in accordance with the recommendations of the Special commission. 

Finally, the Maestro, the author of the composition, the director and the host of the program, the Honored Artist of Uzbekistan A. E. Slonim took the stage and announced the start of the concert and named all its participants – Rustam Alimardanov, Damir Rakhmonov, Umid Israilov. These young artists have already gained fame both in our country and abroad, vividly and successfully performing opera roles not only on the stage of local theater, but also on the stages of major theaters of the CIS countires and the globe. The piano part was honored to be performed by a young talented pianist-concertmaster Shakhnoza Tashpulatova. She successfully conducted extensive work with soloists on learning and finishing opera parts, so she was able to perform brightly and in a peculiar way in full harmony with the singers and the ballet soloist, Honored Artist of Uzbekistan Amina Babajanova, who decorated some vocal numbers with original choreography.

The evening was permeated not only by beautiful and expressive singing, but also by the active action of each hero, creative personalities of three truly beautiful soloists -  which has already become a signature style of the Andrey Slonim. The laconic decoration of the performance, conveying the atmosphere of a secular salon, including its indispensable attributes – a lighted candle, pen, paper, several books, a dueling pistol, as well as Domenico Scarlatti's minor sonata sounding in the form of a prologue - all disposed to the perception of a vocal music. This is how this performance-concert began, according to the director's plan, in a truly theatrical way, it was also expressively lived in singing and acting at every moment of the life of the heroes-performers on stage. The human soul lived in the emotional and fervent disclosure of the three young singers in all the variety of moods – from bright illumination to deep despair, from good and rosy hopes to deep disappointments. And I must say that the remarkable and different timbre of each of the soloists was extremely beautiful, the temperaments were multicolored, and the singing was the highest form of the soaring of the human soul in its overcoming of vicissitudes on the way to the light. Throughout the evening, three young tenors with full spiritual dedication and high professionalism gave the audience love arias and songs of world classics and composers of Uzbekistan about the most tender and bright feelings that unite humanity.

The author of the composition, director, performer of lyrical poetry and the concert host, Honored Artist of Uzbekistan Andrey Slonim, in a short preface and his laconic preamble to each performance revealed the concept of the project:

- We are pleased to welcome you at the premier of a new concert-the composition "A Ray of Sunshine and Love from three Tenors". This is one of our new projects dedicated to fruitful work with creative youth. Three young tenor soloists, already beloved and warmly recognized by the Tashkent audience, will present this complex and bright program. We want to make this evening completely unusual both in content and in form, and, to a certain extent, surprising, and therefore we deliberately do not inform until the time comes of specific works that will be performed in the concert and will take the form of a theatrical action of a special form. Let's just say that different and contrasting works by composers of Italy, France, Russia, Uzbekistan, outstanding chansons by Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour, songs by American composers, rare arias by Spanish zarzuelas will make up the canvas of this concert.

It is impossible task to single out the best performer in this concert among three magnificent tenors: they complement each other, giving the audience the joy of endless and deep knowledge of the beauty of being. Damir Rakhmonov performed the famous sad Lament of Federico from the opera "Arlesian" by F. Chilea. Later, A. Lara passionately performed "Granada", fascinated by the fiery Spanish dance of Amina Babadzhanova. Umid Israilov subtly lyrically and with a refined sense of Rachmaninoff's style presented Sergei Rachmaninoff's melodic song "How it hurts me...". Rustam Alimardanov brought the audience to medieval Germany in the interpretation of the French composer Charles Gounod. He brilliantly performed the Cavatina of Faust from the opera "Faust", when hero, sold his soul to the devil in exchange for youth and is imagining to meet the beautiful Margarita. Umid Isroilov introduced the audience to an aria from the Spanish zarzuela (one of the original national operas of Spain) by P. Sorosabal, accompanied by a dance in the flamenco genre by the Honored Artist of Uzbekistan Amina Babajanova. And Rustam Alimardanov fervently and passionately revived the popular Neapolitan romance by E. de Curtis " Togpa a Surriento... "(Return to Sorrento...) in Italian.

Smooth transition from the classical music to national one was made by the expressive recitation of Andrey Slonim of the founder of Uzbek poetry Alisher Navoi "Going through the centuries": "No, he is not a cold monument...". This recitation served as a "bridge" that connected classical music performances from the first part of the concert to the great image of Kais-Majnun in the beautiful embodiment of Umid Isroilov and to other bright images of Uzbek vocal creativity. It should be noted that disputes about the style of Uzbek national song art are already in the history.   According to the Soviet Musicologist T. S. Vyzgo, in the first Uzbek operas and symphonic works, the "quote" use of old folk melodies prevailed. The musical dramas "Farhad and Shirin" by V. Uspensky and G. Mushel, "Gulsar" by R. Glier, operas "Leyli and Majnun" by R. Glier and T. Sadykov, "The Great Canal" by M. Ashrafi and S. Vasilenko (first edition), "Mahmud Torabi" by O. Chishko, as well as many symphonic works — "Poem-Rhapsody" by V. Uspensky, "Ferghana Holiday" by R. Glier, "Symphony-rhapsody" by M. Steinberg were based on this principle.

It has become obvious that use of folk themes in itself does not necessarily ensure the true national spirit of the work and its wide recognition by the audience. Beautiful folk melodies can be used in the score, but their development may be such that the listener does not have a sense of nationality. Sometimes folklore quotes give the impression of a" foreign element", as, for example, in the opera" Mahmud Torabi " by O. Chishko. Another important issue is which melodies are quoted by composers. In a number of the works listed above, the melodies of makoms or ancient tunes close to them predominate. Such a preference for the most archaic genres of musical heritage cannot be considered as correct one. Some ancient genres are passing away, for example, spiritual and mystical tunes that contradict the life images of modernity.

Now, the results of the thorough critical study of the makoms demonstrate that this heritage has only historical and cognitive value, which can be creatively used by composers. The experts came to the conclusion that if some old melodies taken in an unchanged form do not correspond in any way to the images of our modernity, then other genres of Uzbek folk music represent a rich soil for their development by modern composers. Many ancient folk songs of the Uzbeks continue to exist to this day; they are sung by the people either in an unchanged form, or with texts of new content.

The concert program included "Novbakhor" - an aria of Kais from the opera "Leyli and Majnun" by R. Glier and T. Sadykov (Umid Isroilov), "Kuylama sohibzhamol..." by S. Yudakov to the poems of A. S. Pushkin "Don't sing, beauty, you are sad songs of Georgia with me" (Damir Rakhmonov). It is worth noting the subtlety of the technique by which Andrei Slonim, after reading the famous Pushkin masterpiece in the original, smoothly brought the action to the embodiment of these poems in the form of one of the best works of Uzbek romance lyrics.  The following romance song of B. Umidzhanov sounded expressively and sincerely (poems by H. Salokha) "Meni eslagin" ("Remember me...") performed by Rustam Alimardanov.

The concert finished with the performance of three tenors of a medley of the most popular arias of love and world classics. This embodied a true journey of listeners through the diverse "islands" of the great musical cultures of the world. The audience continuously applauded when the medley program included Asker's aria from the famous operetta "Arshin Mal Alan" by U. Hajibeyov; The Duke's song from the opera "Rigoletto" by G. Verdi; Bixio "Mamma" ("Mama"); "O sole mio!.." ("O my Sun!..") by E. Di Capua; Kalaf's aria from the opera "Turandot" by J. Puccini and many, many other life-loving works. Based on the warm reaction of the audience, we can say that these works of national and European classics continue to live and develop in new conditions, primarily because they are imbued with a healthy, democratic spirit, a ray of sunshine and love.  And it was deeply symbolic that three wonderful singers performed the famous aria of Kalaf from the opera by J. Puccini's "Turandot". Her final pathetic phrase, which has worldwide fame, states: "With the sunrise, I will win!".  Needless to say, today, in the complicated and concerned situation of the global pandemic, this passionate confidence in overcoming all the difficulties is especially desirable for all of us...

The concert "Ray of Sun and Love" from three tenors at the A. Navoi theater presented the Tashkent audience a lot of pleasant moments, the joy from the music of different composers and countries, with a single theme of love and praising female charm and beauty. The grateful audience applauded all the participants of this unforgettable event.

 

Guarik Bagdasarova

Photo credits: Yuri Polyansky

3 декабря 2020