In memory of Dilbar Gulyamovna Abdurakhmanova

On the 85th anniversary of the People's Artist of the USSR.

The first female conductor in Uzbekistan.

Dilbar Gulyamovna Abdurakhmanova, is undoubtedly extremely talented and extraordinary creative energy artist. From a very young age, with an extraordinary aspiration, she directed her way to improve herself in the profession, to comprehend new, unknown levels of creativity.

In the days of its anniversary, it will certainly be said both extensively and a lot. Therefore, leaving aside the "relying" chronology of her life and work. I would like to understand the most important essence of the creative path of this great Master.

The first female conductor in Uzbekistan... This concept is extremely capacious, as it indicates a new attitude towards women in Uzbekistan in the middle of the last century. The young artist of the symphony orchestra, persistently and methodically mastered the conducting profession. Her wonderful mentor – an outstanding conductor, composer, teacher and public figure Mukhtar Ashrafi discovered talent and enthusiasm in his young student. And he taught her mysteries of the conducting profession powerfully, methodically, allowing her to fully begin to show the features of her personality, without copying her master at all. Yes, Mukhtar Ashrafovich brought up a whole galaxy of bright conductors – different, peculiar, unique. And among them, the personality of Dilbar Gulyamovna is clearly distinguished by her characteristics. An extremely demanding and strict mentor, but a musician who is happy to celebrate the talent of his students – Ashrafi boldly entrusted the very young Abdurakhmanova with the most difficult task of conducting one of his most beloved operas – "Aida". At a very young age, I happened to be at this performance – and I remember very well how a very young Dilbar Gulyamovna conducted this first performance with amazing energy, giving the orchestra all the dynamic contrasts of Verdi's musical drama. Of course, she still inherited a lot from her great mentor-but this rare energy, the precision of radiation, gestures-remained with her until the last moments of her earthly life...

Dilbar Abdurakhmanova somehow very dynamically and quickly mastered the complex and diverse repertoire of the theater. Both La Traviata, Pagliacci, and much more in the operatic variety of those years were revealed, boldly and clearly by design. Her talent was also very much revealed in the most complex branch of the ballet conductor's profession, where special properties of conducting technique, not similar to opera art, are needed for refined and continuous contact with the dancers in order to create a harmonious choreographically optimal "canvas", in which the plasticity of ballerinas and ballet soloists is performed in all harmony in the closest connection with music. And so Dilbar Abdurakhmanova confidently and weightily followed these two paths – opera and ballet conducting.

To majority of her outstanding endeavors, the term "first" can be applied. In her vast and extensive repertoire, this term sounds very often. the famous "Tanovar" by A. F. Kozlovsky, and "Anna Karenina" by R. Shchedrin, and" The Young Lady and the Hooligan "by D. Shostakovich, and" Carmen Suites " by J. Bizet-R. Shchedrin are among the many famous classical titles conducted by Dilbar Abdurakhmonova.  Later she met the wonderful and permanent creative partner for the creation of truly legendary performances. Since the late seventies, their union with the master of opera directing, now People's Artist of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan Firuddin Safarov has resulted the legendary "Peter the Great" by Andrey Petrov, and a new version of "Faust" by S. Gounod, and the first full author's version of Prokofiev's" Fire Angel", and much, much more...

An incredible energy and thirst for creativity distinguished the peculiarity of her nature and character. Now it can be discovered that throughout her life, having by no means heroic health, she courageously overcame all more or less serious ailments – and literally rushed to creativity. There were frequent cases when Dilbar Gulyamovna expressively conducted one of her many performances, despite the high temperature or other ailments, which many did not suspect. With a special expression and feeling among her many beautiful ballet performances, she gave the audience a very special energy and atmosphere of A. Khachaturian's "Spartacus" - both in the first staged version of the late sixties, and at the peak of her career in 2001. Then, at the personal request of our wonderful choreographer, People's Artist of Uzbekistan Ibragim Yusupov, I made the set design of "Spartak" and was closely connected with the entire process of releasing this legendary performance.

Exceptional mobility, the ability to quickly enter into the process of conducting a completely new performance, frequent cases of emergency replacement at the console of sick colleagues, even not in "their" conductor's repertoire-accompanied Dilbar Gulyamovna all her life. It symbolically connected the generations of performers raised by her powerful mentor Mukhtar Ashrafi and drew a clear line that connected the education and development of several creative generations of both opera and ballet companies.

And a passionate fierce for art-until the very last years, when the strength began to leave, when even the ascenting and descenting of the stairs of the theater became a difficult task -illuminated the most recent years of the outstanding conductor. She went to hospitals for the necessary treatment – and returned. And again, at the console, she radiated her characteristic triumph of conducting energy. And the opera sang and acted, and the ballet danced with indelible force... Even in the last few months, when a fatal illness made it impossible for her to get up, she was eager to go to the theater and inspire herself: "Now it will become easier – and I will again stand at the console..." But at the fatal moment this indomitable aspiration tragically ended...

Dilbar Gulyamovna served in her home theater an unfathomably long period – almost 65 years. Many of her works have become truly legendary, and many soloists who have sung and danced in her performances have become masters of several generations. Her name is truly inscribed in golden letters in the history of art of our country. It is marked with the highest ranks and regalia. And she remains in the history of our theater, and far beyond its borders, a true daughter of her nation and an outstanding master, whose work should be revered and appreciated extremely highly...

 

Andrey SLONIM, Honored Artist of Uzbekistan,

Executive director of the State academic theater named after A. Navoi.

30 апреля 2021

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