Translated with AI
On May 21, the stage of the Sadriddin Aini Tajik State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will become the center of one of the year's major cultural events. At 6:00 PM, the venue will host a gala concert by People's Artist of Tajikistan Tolibkhon Shakhidi, dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Tajikistan's state independence.
The upcoming evening promises to be more than just a concert, but a major musical event, bringing together outstanding performers, international musicians, and art lovers. This is a special moment for Tajik musical culture—the stage will feature works by a composer whose name has long been a symbol of contemporary Tajik academic art far beyond the country's borders.
This year, Tolibkhon Ziyodulloevich Shakhidi celebrated his 80th birthday. His work has remained an important part of Tajikistan's cultural heritage for decades. The composer succeeded in blending national musical traditions with contemporary academic sounds, creating his own distinctive style that has received recognition on international stages.
The maestro's music has been performed in Russia, the UK, Germany, Belgium, the USA, and other countries. His works have repeatedly represented Tajik culture at international venues, revealing the richness of the national musical school to the world.
The concert will be enhanced by the participation of world-renowned conductor Hobart Earle, who will be performing in Dushanbe for the first time. The maestro has already arrived in the capital of Tajikistan and is intensively preparing for his upcoming performance.
Hobart Earle, a graduate of Princeton University in the United States, is one of the renowned conductors of the contemporary academic scene. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with leading symphony orchestras in Austria, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, and other countries. He has conducted the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and major Russian academic ensembles, including the Russian National Orchestra, the Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra, and the Novaya Rossiya Orchestra under Yuri Bashmet.
The conductor received his musical education at the legendary Princeton, and then perfected his skills at the Tanglewood Music Center under the direction of Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, as well as at the Vienna Academy of Music.
The gala concert will feature domestic opera soloists and a combined symphony orchestra, which will include musicians from Tajikistan and invited artists from Uzbekistan—representatives of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Uzbekistan named after Navoi and the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan.
One of the highlights of the evening will be the performance of young pianists Daniil Kharitonov and Samir Abdurazakov, who will perform piano works by Tolibkhon Shakhidi.
Daniil Kharitonov is considered one of the most outstanding young pianists on the contemporary Russian scene. He began studying music at the age of five and graduated from the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory and the Royal College of Music in London. He gained international renown after winning prestigious competitions and winning Third Prize at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of just 16.
Over the years of his career, Kharitonov has performed with leading Russian orchestras, including the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, and the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
No less symbolic will be the participation of 16-year-old pianist Samir Abdurazakov, a member of a renowned Tajik artistic dynasty. The young musician, born in Sweden, is the grandson of People's Artist of Tajikistan Khabibullo Abdurazakov and the son of pianist Nissor Abdurazakov.
Despite his young age, Samir is already a finalist in the prestigious Unga Solister competition in Sweden and a nominee for the international Young Steinway Artist title. He frequently performs in concert halls across Europe and the United States, and his repertoire includes world classics by Liszt, Chopin, and Rachmaninov, as well as music by Tolibkhon Shakhidi.
As noted by the director of the Tajik State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Aini Kamoliddin Saifiddinzoda, the evening's program will be a true journey into the maestro's creative world.
"The evening's program promises to be an unforgettable journey into the creative world of maestro Tolibkhon Shakhidi, who celebrates our national culture throughout the world," he emphasized.
The composer's 80th birthday was celebrated in March at the Great Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory. People's Artists of the Russian Federation Valery Gergiev and Maxim Dunaevsky took part in the anniversary celebrations.
The upcoming concert in Dushanbe will be a continuation of the anniversary events and, at the same time, a large-scale cultural dedication to the 35th anniversary of Tajikistan's state independence.
Organizers note that audiences can expect a rich program combining symphonic music, national motifs, contemporary academic art, and international performance excellence.
Tickets can be purchased at the theater box office by calling 221-62-91, or on the Echipta.tj platform.
