Special issue:
Kazakh Concert in DC Draws Reviews from
The Washington Post, The Washington Times
Thursday, February 3, 2005; Page C10
Music
"Melodies and Songs of the Kazakh Steppes," a concert presented by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to an audience of dignitaries and Kazakh partisans Tuesday in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, was obviously intended to bring the country's culture to Washingtonians who don't
get much of it.
With that in mind, it's hard to see why the Kazakh State Chamber Orchestra and its conductor, Bakhytzhan Mussakhodjayeva, presented so many forgettable lollipops from the standard repertory during the first half of the program. At least composer Tles Kazhgaliyev's zippy, rambunctious "Konzertstucke for Piano and Orchestra" showed that the Kazakhs could produce ear-catching short pieces as well. Igor Frolov's "Concert Fantasy on Themes from Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess,'" though a bit bombastic, gave violinist Aiman Mussakhodjayeva a chance to toss off some dizzyingly virtuoso passages with assurance and style.
In the second half, the Kazakh
State Kurmangazy Orchestra
of Folk Instruments got down
to business with a rare
American concert of Kazakh
folk music. Under Aitkali
Zhaimov, the orchestra mostly
played fast and bright, with the
bowed kobyz giving a fetchingly
tangy sound to the melodies
and the plucked dombra making
earthy noises underneath. The
orchestra also gracefully
accompanied soprano Zhannat
Baktai and baritone Talgat
Musabayev. The latter shone in
the dolorous ballad "Song About
Beautiful Khusni and Khorlan."
Solos by musicians Edil
Khussainov, Ardak Itekeyeva
and Bekbolat Tleukhan,
however, provided the most
entrancing moments. When
Tleukhan strummed his dombra and cried out in the song "Freedom Is My Call," the language barrier didn't dull his message even slightly.
-- Andrew Lindemann Malone
Thursday, February 3, 2005; Page B5
Kazakhstan music debuts at KenCen
By Julia Duin
Kazakhstan -- one of the new Central Asian republics birthed in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union -- premiered Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
The two-hour program, one of only two U.S. engagements, celebrated a "long-time strategic partnership" between the United States and the oil-rich Kazakhstan, noted Ambassador Kanat Saudabayev. The audience included scores of U.S. servicemen and women, diplomats and the adoptive parents of Kazakh children (Americans adopt 825 Kazakh orphans a year). District
Mayor Anthony A. Williams also attended and was presented with a traditional Kazakh dombra, a
mandolin-like instrument.
The concert began with a series of Western classical favorites -- music from George Gershwin's
landmark opera, "Porgy and Bess" was the highlight -- performed by an 18-piece chamber orchestra that seemed eager to demonstrate Kazakhstan's expertise and experience in performing Western works.
Solo violinist Aiman Mussakhodjayeva, clad in an electric red dress, played with equally dramatic flair and turned out a smooth and lyrical interpretation of Gershwin's quintessential American composition.
Next, the Kazakh State Kurmangazy Orchestra of
Folk Instruments took the stage, outfitted in gorgeous
dark blue embroidered tunics and Mongolian-style
hats with feathered plumes.
The attire set the tone for several dramatic instrumental
pieces, including "The Native Land of Joy," "Song of the
Spirit," "Impulse of the Soul" and "Brave Makhambet" --
all of which gave the impression of galloping horses
across vast, grassy steppes.
The musicians played a variety of native Kazakh instruments,
including the two-stringed dombra and the kobyz, which
resembles a hollowed-out violin and is played upright.The
sound was a mixture of balalaikas and Asian string
instuments.
The concert also featured Kazakhstan's best vocalists,
including soprano Zhannat Baktai. A futuristic white dress
and pearl-encrusted fur headdress ending in a full-length
veil made her look like a cross between Cleopatra and
Princess Leia. Her emulation of a flute in "Nightingale"
brought down the house -- as did many other
performances -- during an intriguing evening.
________________________________________________________________________________
News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and agency reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: 202 232 5488, ext. 104, Fax: 202 232 5845
