This was our last day in Central Asia. First we visited the workshop and museum of the Rakhimov family. This family had a long tradition of making pottery and also researching the history of ceramics in the area. We saw different types of pottery, some of it thousands of years old, some of it modern works by the Rakhimovs. After perusing their museum, we were offered tea, and they discussed their plans for a new workshop and their hope that this workshop will contribute to their already existing exchange program with ceramic makers in Europe and the US. We discussed their visits to the US and their research of the historical ceramic works in the US made by the American Indians.
(Alisher Rakhimov giving us a tour of his ceramic studio in Tashkent)
Our next stop was at the Uzbek State Conservatory, where we were privileged to hear an informal concert and discussion of traditional instruments of the region. This presentation was by the "Sogdiana" chamber orchestra, which we also heard yesterday at the DCM's residence in Tashkent. This ensemble, directed by Firuza Abdurakhimova, has toured Europe and has won at least one international award for their skilled musicianship. They have also performed with other Western and American groups that have toured in the area. Particularly interesting in that respect was the rendition they performed of the Maine state anthem, which they learned from the American folk group Old Grey Goose, which was recently in the area thanks to another State sponsored exchange program.
(the wonderful Sogdiana ensemble in rehearsal at the Conservatory of Music in Tashkent)
My most interesting shopping experience of the whole trip occurred today. We went to an extremely run down apartment and saw about a million incredible carpets from Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan is famous for its fine carpets, and Lee-Ann and Michelle enthusiastically made several purchases.
The last musical event of the day, and of the tour, was our performance at the 500-seat hall of the Uzbek State conservatory. As usual, the audience was extremely enthusiastic, and we again signed many of autographs at the end. Autographs of the program book seem to be highly prized by all audiences in this region. We gave our music stands and some popular music to a highly gifted string quartet from the conservatory, which we had gotten to know through a master class and performance the previous day. They really appreciated the gift, and it gave us some much-needed room in our suitcases for tourist items which we had purchased.
(backstage after our final performance with our interpreter Dima and our embassy guide, Nuria Alexandrova)
Lastly, we had dinner again at the Caravan Café restaurant and said goodbye to our friends Nuria Aleksandrova (the cultural affairs assistant from the embassy), her husband Yuri, and Dima Demyanov. Dima, our talented translator; Nuria; and Yuri gave moving toasts to the exchange program, and we also attempted toasts in honor of their generosity and friendship towards us. Hopefully their wishes for the continuation of this program and other cultural exchange programs will come to pass, and they will host other musical and cultural groups in the future!
- Joe
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