On 9 May, a solemn concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held at the Maya Kuliyeva Turkmen National Conservatory. The evening began with a poignant moment: host Zamir Aliyev read out the memories of Lyudmila Shelemetova, who was evacuated from Estonia to Ashgabat when she was 8 years old. Her story about bombings, echelons with wounded and fear of a small child moved the hall to tears. This is reported by the Internet publication ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’.

The concert was opened by the folk melody ‘Kechpelek’ performed by dutarist Ishanmuhammet Gundogdiyev, setting the tone for the evening. Meylis Atageldiyev and bayanist Ruslan Baltayev performed the song ‘Eh, roads’ and caused special emotions. And when the artist proposed the audience to sing the legendary ‘Katyusha’ together, the audience willingly supported.

The concert programme included both life-affirming songs of the war years - ‘Smuglyanka’, ‘Accidental Waltz’, ‘Blue Handkerchief’ - and poignant works reminding of the tragic pages of the war: “Cranes” by Jan Frenkel and ‘Schindler's List’ by John Williams. Pianist Perman Yagdiyev performed Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G Minor, adding lyrical depth to the programme. The concert ended traditionally with the hymn ‘Victory Day’, which was sung by the whole hall, paying tribute to the memory of the heroes.