Kazakh folk songs and kuis were performed for art admirers in the United Kingdom by Aida and Azamat Zhakhanbek in Crewkerne, Somerset. Residents of England enjoyed the works of Abai Kunanbaiuly and Nurgissa Tlendiyev played by the Kazakh folk duet Qos Arna.
“It is very interesting for us, because I can see similarities between Kazakh music and some of the other folk music that I know, some of the songs and the tunes that they played sound similar to our Irish music for example,” shared Steve Brown, A spectator.
“I have never heard Kazakh musicians before. They are playing the most amazing instruments, the like of which I’ve never seen or even known about. The fact that one of them is covered in camel skin says it all, really,” added Ian Tribe, Chairman of the “Friends of Crewkerne Parish Church.”
Also, the world premiere of a composition on the verses of the “Christmas Bells” written by Alatau Tamchiboulac Atkinson took place this evening. He was born in the Kazakh steppe in the middle of the 19th century. The author is the son of renowned travelers Thomas and Lucy Atkinson who were one of the first among Europeans to explore the country of the Great Steppe. The melody to the work, created 125 years ago, was written by famous British composer and pianist Michael Csanyi-Wills.
“The most obvious part of the carol is obviously the Kazakh connection. And that’s why Aida and Azamat introduced me to these incredible instruments, to dombyra and zhetygen. And I managed to incorporate those Kazakh instruments into the carol as well, and it ended up being this Kazakh, Hawaiian, English carol that was so unusual and such a wonderful thing to be part of,” said composer Michael Csanyi-Wills.
The funds allocated by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the UK will be used for charitable purposes.
Translation by Saniya Sakenova
Editing by Saule Mukhamejanova
