Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 4 June, a solemn concert in memory of the famous musician Mukhtar Ashrafi took place on the stage of State Academic Bolshoi Theatre named after Alisher Navoi. The program of the evening included the brightest fragments of the works of Mukhtar Ashrafi and world classics. The event was designed to reveal to the guests the multifaceted heritage of Mukhtar Ashrafi, honor the memory of the classic of Uzbek music and pay tribute to his talent as a teacher.

The gala evening was opened by the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Nusratilla Zikrillaev: “Mukhtar Ashrafi left an immortal mark on the art of our Motherland. Our esteemed President pays great attention to the development of the arts. The rich heritage of Mukhtar Ashrafi, and these are more than 70 works - operas, ballets, symphonies - are included in the golden fund of culture of Uzbekistan. We are proud that the Maestro has received recognition as an outstanding conductor in many countries of the world.”

The event was organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the State Academic Bolshoi Theater named after Alisher Navoi, the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, the Union of Composers and Bastakors of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Memorial House-Museum of Mukhtar Ashrafi.

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Uzbek composer, conductor, People’s Artist, Laureate of State and International Prizes named after Jawaharlal Nehru, and Gamal Abdel Nasser Mukhtar Ashrafovich Ashrafi.

In the first part of the concert program, M. Ashrafi’s "Oriental Suite" was performed, as well as arias from the opera "Dilorom" performed by theater artists. Most of the performances were conducted by Maestro’s student Suleiman Shadmanov.

In the second part of the concert, the audience could enjoy the numbers from Mukhtar Ashrafi’s ballet "The Amulet of Love", his romances and the third part of the "Oriental Suite". The program also included arias from the most beloved classical works of Mukhtar Ashrafi - "The Queen of Spades" by P.I. Tchaikovsky and "Carmen" by J. Bizet.

Earlier, a press conference was held, at which outstanding figures of theatrical and musical art, critics, art historians, as well as students and descendants of M. Ashrafi spoke.

The talented master is gone, but his legacy will live on for centuries. The materials of the archive of the State Memorial House-Museum of Mukhtar Ashrafi contain more than 16,000 thousand items that tell about the life and creative path of the composer and cover the period of formation and development of the musical and theatrical culture of the Central Asian region.

At present, the museum is rightfully the center of the spiritual and moral education of young people and the true cultural center of Uzbekistan, which tells about music, opera and ballet art.