(Special issue)
10th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival.. 2
10th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival
Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Mr. Islam Karimov at the Opening Ceremony of the Tenth «Sharq Taronalari» International Music Festival
Dear participants of the festival!
Distinguished guests!
Ladies and gentlemen!
First of all, allow me from the bottom of my heart to congratulate you, my dears, the participants of the «Sharq Taronalari» International Music Festival in the ancient and beautiful city of Samarkand with an almost three thousand-year history and culture and in this sublime and grand Registan Square which has witnessed so many great events.
I am very happy on behalf of the people of Samarkand and on behalf of our entire nation to convey our warmest greetings and kind wishes to all participants of this truly rare and unique festival of music and art by saying: «Welcome to Uzbekistan! Welcome to Samarkand!».
It gives me a great pleasure to express my sincere respect to the honorable guests – the UNESCO Deputy Director-General Mr. Eric Falt, the Secretary-General of the International Organization of Folk Art Mr. Moon Hyung Suk, the President of the Japanese Min-On Concert Association Mr. Hiroyashi Kabayashi taking part at our festival and the representatives of diplomatic corps who are present in this opening ceremony.
Expressing my great pleasure of seeing the people of Samarkand, who are so precious to me, I would like again to convey to my dear fellow-townsmen and all of you my sonly love and esteem.
Dear music lovers!
Distinguished friends!
I believe no one can deny the idea that music is a great divine power which constantly calls a man upon goodness, awakens the most tender and the most beautiful feelings in any person’s heart.
Indeed, it is truly difficult to find such a strong tool as music which would link the people of various countries and nationalities, languages and beliefs to one another without any translation and which would unite them along the path of reaching the common objectives.
This year we are holding the peculiar jubilee – the Tenth «Sharq Taronalari» International Music Festival. I think that the following fact alone testifies about a lot: since founding of the festival in 1997 the geography of partaker countries has considerably expanded and their number increased twofold – from 31 to 66.
The participation of unique talents and famous music groups from the tens of countries of Asia and Africa, Europe and America, the East and West in this festival vividly demonstrates that during the past short period of time our contest has won fame throughout the world and its authority, respect and prestige has ever been growing.
At the core of the aforementioned there are, above all, the highest humanistic ideas of this festival. Certainly, it makes all of us happy that the expression with a deep meaning «the spirit and philosophy of Samarkand» contributes to ever consolidating the ties of friendship among nations, developing the cultural dialogue and preserving the traditions of classical music.
We do know and highly value that in this cause there are, primarily, the devotion and selflessness of the true masters of art like you, those who have gathered in this venue, the commendable contribution of international organizations, and firstly UNESCO, as well as the vast services of our people who have been wholeheartedly supporting this forum.
Dear friends!
In these days we feel as if in the ancient Samarkand, which stands as a symbol of the great Orient, the melody of centuries spreads from the immortal historical monuments, blue domes, sky-high minarets and grandeur portals which embody the spirit of the times. It seems as if the voices of the great thinkers, scientists and artists, who lived and created in this sacred land, are sounding here.
As we meet with you in this city which opens up the indelible pages of the ancient history, the city which gained a great recognition as «Eternal City» like Rome, we deeply feel how the time full of various problems and contradictions is now rapidly changing and how fiercely it is passing by.
Along with this, we more clearly comprehend the necessity of closely learning the world of culture and art which gives the meaning and essence to our life, preserving peace and tranquility in the world, cherishing this beautiful life and mutually enjoying the cultural wealth of our peoples.
From this point of view, all of us are happy that during this magnificent festival the ancient Samarkand, which is famous as a «Splendor of the Earth», suffice it to say, is turning into the splendor of the world music art, its peculiar and unique hub.
One of the respected editions published in the United States of America has recently enlisted the city of Samarkand as one of the fifty must-see cities in the world. This news was broadly spread through the world mass media and I think that you are well informed about this.
As much great and glorious this ancient city’s history was, as much its today’s life comprehensively flourishes and modern look becomes prosperous in harmony with its past.
I believe that during the days of festival while visiting the ancient sites, squares and boulevards of our city, prosperous makhallas and talking to experienced, open-hearted, brave and good-natured people of this land, who carefully preserve their customs, traditions and values, you will be surely convinced of this yourselves.
I won’t be mistaken to say that enjoying the hospitality of the people of Samarkand you will be charmed by this legendary city for the rest of your life. The sincere conversations and dialogues with the representatives of our country, who love art from the bottom of their hearts and highly value it, will serve as a source of inspiration for the new creative works.
We accept and honor you not only as our distinguished guests, but also as the envoys of peace and friendship who express the soul and spirit of your nations through music, who convey their kind dreams, aspirations and greetings, and as our closest and dearest friends.
Your charming music, songs and melodies, which will sound in this sublime stage, will remain in the hearts and minds of each of us for a long time. It is a great honor to me to express a profound gratitude to all of you and say rahmat – thank you – in the Uzbek way, for giving your precious time and granting us these wonderful samples of art and these joyful moments. My dears, I wish you a sound health and well-being!
From this high rostrum I once again express my deep respect and esteem to all of you and wish you a strong health, happiness, good luck and successful festival.
Thank you for your attention.
Samarkand hosted an international conference “Community of Musical Culture of the Peoples of the East”
Sharq Taronalari Academic Conference The international academic conference entitled “Community of Musical Culture of the Peoples of the East” has taken place in Samarkand within the frameworks of the 10th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival.
It was attended by art historians, culture specialists, scientists, historians, experts, artists and composers from countries such as Uzbekistan, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Serbia, Lithuania, Hungary, Israel, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, as well as representatives of international organizations.
Minister of Culture and Sports of Uzbekistan Bahodir Ahmedov, Assistant Director General of UNESCO Eric Falt and others noted that the International Music Festival “Sharq Taronalari”, organized at the initiative of President Islam Karimov, serves for the advancement of cultural relations between the peoples, the revival and popularization of classical songs and melodies.
Held every time the festival takes place, the scientific conferences contribute to the study and promotion of the history, traditions and identity of the musical art of diverse peoples of the world.
The purpose of this conference that is directed at addressing the community of musical culture of the East is the study of evolution stages of music of different countries, analysis of their similarities and thereby the consolidation of friendship bonds between peoples.
“Uzbekistan’s noble endeavors aimed at promoting the music art, studying and propagating the national music and preserving it for future generations are worthy of high evaluation, and for that we are grateful to President Islam Karimov,” said Eric Falt, Assistant Director General of UNESCO. “Pearls of the Uzbek music art – Shashmaqom, Katta ashula – are included in UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The essence and significance of the international music festival “Sharq Taronalari” are in tune with the objectives of UNESCO. Therefore, our organization supports this forum.”
At the international conference participants exchanged expertise and experience on research works conducted by academics and art historians for learning the musicology and source studies of the East, along with the musical culture of different peoples. They stressed the need for further development of mutual cooperation among scholars on this front.
“Located in the heart of the Great Silk Road, Uzbekistan played an important role in the spread of musical art in the world,” said President of the International Association of Music Art “Min-On” (Japan) Hiroyasu Kobayashi. “Once again we have seen this during today’s international forum that brought together musicologists from many countries. The conference facilitates the study of similarities in the arts of different peoples, consolidation of their impact on bolstering the friendship between and among them.”
The specialists noted the special role of Uzbekistan – one of the centers of ancient civilization – in the development and spread of musical culture in the East. Also underscored were the outcomes of attention paid in our country to the promotion of national musical arts, preservation of classical songs and melodies.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Adham Ikramov delivered a speech at the conference.
(Source: UzA)
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