On April 28 and 30, 2023, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia will give concerts in Tashkent (on the stage of the Navoi Theater) and in Bukhara (at the Sadriddin Ayni Drama and Music Theater). The NPR will perform under the baton of its artistic director and principal conductor Vladimir Spivakov. The program features world-famed music masterpieces by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Italian Capriccio and Ballet Suites), Aram Khachaturian (music to Lermontov's drama “Masquerade”) and Max Bruch (Violin Concerto No.1).
The tour will confirm once more the successful cooperation of Uzbekistan and Russia: the stage will be shared by brilliant artists of both countries. The concerts are sponsored by the Foundation for Development of Culture and Arts at the Minister Cabinet of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The tour has become possible owing to the initiative and support of the “Arts, science and sports” Charity Foundation and its founder Alisher Usmanov.
In Tashkent, the partner of the maestro and the orchestra will be Uzbek virtuoso violinist Nadir Khashimov, alumnus of the V.A. Uspensky Music School at the Tashkent Conservatory and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, former grant-holder of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation; awardee of international competitions in Lithuania, Romania, Czech Republic, the USA, Spain, New Zealand and several contests in Russia, including those by the Niccolo Paganini in Moscow and by the Yury Yankelevich in Omsk.
At the Yankelevich Competition, Nadir Khashimov won the Grand-Prix and got a 1894 Eugenio Degani violin as a prize from Vladimir Spivakov as well as an invitation to play at the Omsk Edition of the “Vladimir Spivakov Invites...” Festival. The young musician calls Vladimir Spivakov his idol: 'I am awfully glad that I live at the same times with this great man and am simply happy that I know him personally. He is a rare man and a great musician. To get a violin from his own hands was extremely important and symbolic.' In Tashkent together with the NPR led by Vladimir Spivakov, Nadir Khashimov will play Max Bruch's First Concerto, a virtuoso work and one of the most hard to perform in the whole world violin repertoire.
Annual appearances of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and Vladimir Spivakov in Uzbekistan have turned into a good tradition. The concerts are free: their audience include students of music schools, the Uzbekistan State Conservatory and other educational institutions of the capital and regions, as well as culture workers, diplomats, teachers, mass media representatives, clients of inclusive resource centers and pupils of boarding schools for disabled children.
The maestro cherishes the warmest reminiscences of each meeting with the Uzbek audience. 'I love very much Tashkent, the country on the whole as a hospitable, hearty, peaceful and quiet place,' says Vladimir Spivakov. 'Uzbekistan has the right to be proud of its talented youth. Many people are excited by their participation in competitions all over the world and in Russia, for instance, by such gifted Uzbek musicians as Nadir Khashimov, Aziz Shokhakimov. During my visit to the Center of National Arts I saw that people highly appreciate national culture, spiritual heritage, arts and traditions of each region of Uzbekistan... The huge attention to the sphere of music arts is an indelible part of the future of the state, the spirit of its people, the integrity of the younger generations. I would also like to mention that the Uzbek audiences deeply understand classical music and acknowledge the artistry.'