About the TASHKENT GROUP
Playing karnay and surnay instruments has аn ancient history and this art is a national musical property of the Uzbek people. Basically till these days men have been engaged in this art and it has been descending from generation to generation and from master to apprentice. On can hear sounds of karnay and surnay in wedding parties and holiday ceremonies.
In the early 1998 a Tashkent Karnay and Surnay Group was set up under the direction of Mr. Nodir Raimov and the main purpose of this initiative was to continue the ancient national art and its preservation for the generations to come and its transmission to them without any losses. At first the group consisted of 6 people: surnay, doira, nogora and three karnays players.
By the end of 1998 Mr. N.Raimov initiated founding a school at the Culture House named after R.M.Glier in the Chilonzor district, Tashkent city, on teaching the young people of Uzbekistan to the karnay playing skills – the ancient art and pushing its development. People who were eager to learn playing karnay were invited to this school and the first students of this school consisted of five boys, who were about 12-15 years old and by now the number of students comes to up 34.
The Tashkent group has a rich repertoire which includes such Uzbek melodies as Chuli Iroq, Karnay Girboni, Mushkuloti Dugoh, Bahor taronasi, Bayram Taronasi, Karnay Na’rasi, Tashkent Taronasi, Istiqlol Taronasi etc.
The Tashkent group has represented the Uzbek national art in a number of foreign and the CIS countries and as a result it has deserved recognition.
In September 2001, The Tashkent group took part in a festival in Antalia, Turkey, where it performed the beauty and grace of this Uzbek national art.
In May, 2003, The Tashkent and Abbas groups performed a joint concert with Petter Wiegold and the London Sinfonietta orchestra headed by John Wallace at the Queen Elisabeth Hall.
In 2005, on the eve of the 14th anniversary of the Uzbekistan’s Independence Day, a Karnay Na’rasi (A Thundering Noise of Karnay) festival of young musicians and first Tashkent city-level contest on karnay playing art were held. Students of the school founded by the Tashkent Group were among the contestants and were awarded prizes.
Nowadays the group consists of nine players. They are:
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Karnay players: Nodir Raimov, Кhojimurod Ziyamuhamedov, Sayfulla Tursunmatov, Ahmadjon Mirzarahimov, Qobiljon Sharipov. |
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Surnay players: Sobirjon Raimov, Abdukhalil Abdurahimov. |
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Nogora and doira players: Azmiddin Askhanov, Ahror Islomov |
The group cooperates with such talented and professional composers and arrangers as Maqsud Bekmurodov, Nodir Umarov, Botir Aliyev, Dilmurod Madkarimov, Burkhon Berdiyev and Afzal Husanov.