Kazakh dombyra sounded in the very heart of the United Kingdom. The musicians performed a special program at the Fitzwilliam Museum within the framework of “Gold of the Great Steppe” exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence. The unique exposition is a collection of artefacts from the Saka era. Rare medieval exhibits and knight armor are displayed here usually, but today the gallery transformed and immersed all visitors in the ancient history of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the musicians continued their open-air performance, where residents of Cambridge could enjoy the sound of the dombyra.
“Residents of this country love and appreciate the national art very much, and they generate great interest in dombyra. This is a very grateful audience. Actually, this is one of our greatest achievements. Our common dream is that the sound of our sacred instrument, the Kazakh dombyra, will conquer the whole world,” said Aibek Bekbossyn, Director of Amre Kashaubayev State Philharmonic.
“I wanted to go into the exhibition today, but it’s full, it’s busy, it’s too many people to go in there. So, instead, I’ve had the privilege of listening to your music, and I really enjoyed it. So, I was listening to this wonderful traditional sound, the sound that is so exotic to me. I looked up on the Internet what the instrument was that you were playing and I learned that it is called the dombyra. And now I’m holding a dombyra. That’s fantastic,” added a resident of Cambridge Nichola Harrison.
Translation by Saniya Sakenova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
