BERDYMURAD BERDYEV: GIFTED WITH THE POWER TO LOVE ART INSIDE HIMSELF

Last Sunday evening, the ArtIst Theater played host to an evening with extraordinary musician Berdymurad Berdyev. People like him, amazingly talented and endowed with the power to follow their dreams, are best defined as self-made. I would also add: A man who has discovered art inside himself and has found himself for art.

Berdymurad opened the evening with a song called ‘I’m Going after the Fog’ (with music by Virgilio Panzuti) that offered the audience a sense of novelty, pleasant experiences and amazing revelations. Leningrad-based singer-songwriter Yuri Kukin composed the lyrics and originally performed the hit song of the 1960s, which became the unofficial anthem for geologists and campers.

The singer congratulated everyone on Nowruz and invited to speak Honored Art Worker of Turkmenistan Rovshen Nepesov, acting as a moderator of the evening of music, who shared his personal impressions of his first meeting with Berdymurad Berdyev.

The maestro admitted that Berdymurad had influenced his choice of profession. When Rovshen was in grade four he came to the Teachers’ Club to take chess classes, but incidentally looked into the room where the singer was performing... This chance meeting, which became momentous for Rovshen, helped him to find his path to music and gave us a talented composer and conductor.

Before performing each of the songs, the singer told stories from his musical career. Berdymurad is a wonderful performer, who easily builds a close rapport with his audiences, creating a welcoming, attentive ready-and-motivated-to-listen anticipation in them and keeping them interested and engaged.

The real emotional highlight of the evening was the part devoted to the legendary band The Beatles. Berdymurad sang several songs by the Liverpool Four. The singer’s young son, Aga, interpreted the lyrics and vividly conveyed the feeling of the songs through the language of dance onstage. The boy was named after his great uncle, who was a military intelligence officer, carrying out a crucially important mission in the enemy’s rear.

Presenting a series of songs dedicated to heroes of the Great Victory, the singer shared an interesting story. Russkiy Berlin, a private radio station, often played the song ‘Leila’ performed by him. And when a radio host asked listeners what song they would choose as ‘The Song of the Year’, the majority named ‘Leila’. ‘My uncle who conducted a secret mission in Berlin”, said Berdymurad “would have been pleased to know that a few decades later the song sung by his nephew was a favorite among Berliners.”

And yet fans of Berdymurad Berdyev were eagerly awaiting two songs, which are iconic in the singer’s career: ‘Kone Guzer’ from the destan ‘Leili and Mejnun’ by Nurmuhammed Andalib and ‘The Little Bell’ (music by David Tukhmanov, lyrics by Boris Dubrovin). Original interpretations, the singer’s voluminous and penetrating voice, his memories and emotions deeply touched the listeners leaving them with warm and pleasant feelings.

The audience broke into prolonged applause and for an encore, Berdymurad performed Aleksey Rybnikov’s romance ‘I Will Never Forget You’ from the rock opera ‘Juno and Avos’.

Members of the audience shared their impressions of the concert in brief interviews.

Vera Getts, kindergarten teacher:

- I still remember Berdymurad Berdyev as a participant in the International Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow in 1985. Then a vocational school student, I was in a group of ten dancers representing Turkmenistan. Berdymurad was one of the singers from our republic, who came with his own song called ‘Katyusha, Keep the Festival Safe’. We copied the song lyrics and learned them by heart. It was a truly unforgettable experience!

Azat Annaev, art expert, Honored Art Worker of Turkmenistan:

- My friends and I are very fond of Berdymurad Berdyev’s songs. He can arrange dutar pieces played by bagshis (folk musicians) for solo guitar, breathing new life into them and producing a wider variety of sounds. This is only one of his musical talents. He is also a talented singer, popularizer of musical traditions, who seeks to lovingly preserve the songs of the 1960s-1980s. Even today, these songs sung by Berdymurad sound modern and are very appealing to young listeners.

Radmila Shumskaya:

- Berdymurad Berdyev has set the example for me. I learn to play the guitar and try writing poetry. I have my very own audience, although they are my school friends and my family. I have been impressed by Berdymurad’s talent and his stage presence since I attended his recital two years ago. I am glad I have the chance to learn more about him. His career is an excellent model of devotion to his much-loved profession and of talent for being his true self. The singer is justly nicknamed ‘The Golden Diapason’ and he represents high art for me.

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