Tashkent – A Night at the Opera

Interior hall of Tashkent's Opera House

Tashkent’s opera house, named in honour of the the great 15th century Uzbek poet and scientist, Alisher Navoi, opened in November 1947.

In the mid-1930s, there was no Uzbek architectural experience in constructing large public buildings and a USSR-wide competition was held to build a major theatre and musical performance space.

The winning design was by Aleksei Viktorovich Shchusev, a much-acclaimed Russian architect who had designed Lenin's mausoleum. Shchusev's design incorporated Uzbek traditions as well as modern practices.

Masters from the six regions - Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Khorezm, Ferghana and Termez - were engaged to design the six lateral halls to reflect the country’s architectural glory.  For example, the Khorezm Hall has carved panels of ganch, repeating the remarkable decorative woodcarving characteristic of Khorezm. The halls and foyer of the theatre are decorated with murals depicting plots from Alisher Navoi's poems and representing the landscapes of Uzbekistan.

Work began in 1939 but was interrupted in 1942 because of the Great Patriotic War. In 1944 construction restarted and in November 1945 Japanese prisoners of war from the Kwantung army were deported to Tashkent to finish the construction. After opening, it has been the venue for remarkable ballet, opera, and musical concerts. International opera festivals are regularly held there.

Poster for The Barber of Seville

As well as performances of operas and ballets from the classical repertoire, Uzbek composers wrote distinctly Uzbek operas based on folk stories and the poems of Alisher Navoi. These includeTolibjon Sadikov’s  Leili and Mejnun and Gulsara, Zainab and Omon. Musicians playing Uzbek instruments formed part of the orchestra of these pieces. Uzbek language versions of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades and Eugene Onegin were also performed.

Uzbek choreographers have created their own works, developing new forms through a synthesis of classical and traditional dance. Amulet of Love, Poem of Two Hearts, and Tomiris are examples of these ballets. One of the most popular is Guliandom (1940) by Vera Gubstkaya and Tamara Khanum. Many Uzbek ballet dancers were trained by Moscow’s famous companies and honoured with the title of People’s Artists of the Uzbek SSR, such as Ferghana-born Mukkaram Turgunbaeva.

The opera house is now undergoing extensive restoration and will re-open at the end of 2013. In the meantime, the opera and ballet companies perform at the Turkiston Palace. Recently I saw Verdi’s Il Trovatore there, with exceptional performances by Olga Alexandrova as Azucena, Ruslan Gafarov as Count di Luna and the Tashkent Symphony, conducted  by Mme Ahmetshina Dilara.

Baritone Ruslan Gafarov and mezzo soprano Olga Alexandrova

You can check the program at http://www.gabt.uz/ then run it through Google translate. Or phone the box office on +99871 233-33-44. Performances start early – around 6:00 p.m.

Update November 2015: The official opening of the renovated opera house is 14 November 2015.

Related posts:
48 Hours in Tashkent 
Another 48 Hours in Tashkent 
Tashkent - A Stroll Along Anhor Canal

Skateistan - Empowering Afghan Youth Through Skateboarding

Image courtesy Skateistan

What an inspiring project!

Since 2007 NGO Skateistan has taught skateboarding and creative arts to girls and boys in Kabul.  In May 2013 a second facility was opened in Mazar-i-Sharif, northern Afghanistan, just 100 kms from the ancient Uzbek city of Termez.

Started by Australian skateboarder Oliver Percovich, Skateistan works with young people 5 - 18 years old, of whom 50% are street-working children, i.e. they may wash cars, sell lighters or even guns.

Afghan girls cannot ride bicycles nor participate in most sports, e.g. football. Skateboarding, however, was unknown in Afghanistan; from the beginning, Percovich worked hard to win the support of local religious leaders for girls' participation. Girls now make up 40% of the students.

Afghan girls make their own skateboards, image Skateistan

Skateboarding is of course the *hook*. It is fun, builds confidence and young people engage with one another. However, the program has a strong education focus as well:

1.    The Arts Based Education Program is equal to the time spent skateboarding. The curriculum was developed and is taught by peers and both literate and illiterate youth participate. Art is used to level the playing field and the workshops include photography, spray painting, theatre and illustration.

2.    The Back to School Program is divided into three four-month semesters.  During each semester students study the equivalent of one grade of school, coming to Skateistan five days a week. The goal of the program is to get children in Afghanistan enrolled or re-enrolled into the public school system. Upon completion of the program students can apply for enrolment into a government school, usually entering the 3rd or 4th grade.

So far 103 Afghan children have been enrolled into school through the program, nearly half of them Afghan girls. Each day, 40 youth (20 girls, 20 boys) attend the Back to School program in Kabul, with a similar program planned for the Skateistan facility in Mazar-e-Sharif.

Skateistan: The Tale of Skateboarding in Afghanistan was published recently. This 320-page colour book features stunning, previously unpublished photographs accompanied by essays, interviews and personal stories from Skateistan's founder Oliver Percovich and the young people who have gone from being students to teachers in the skate park and classrooms.

This is such an uplifting story. Consider buying the book for yourself and additional copies for friends and family.  It is not only beautifully produced, the design and content are very cool. All proceeds go directly back to Skateistan.

See the joy of these young Afghan girls as they learn and skateboard in the terrific 2-minute video clip below with a great soundtrack by Florence and the Machine. (If the clip does not play on your device, go directly to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93eSM9mWkkk )

Related posts: White Silk Road - Snowboarding Afghanistan
Cricket in Afghanistan and Tajikistan
Afghan Art - Tradition and Continuity
Skateistan: Kabul's Skate School Turns Five