Traditional music
Uzbekistan's musical history is as long as the neck of the dotar (or dutar), the country's emblematic lute. One of the first notable episodes was the appearance of the shashmaqom in the late 16th century. Common to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and composed of elements similar to traditional Persian music, shashmaqom is a repertoire of some 250 instrumental and vocal pieces. All are based on maqâm(shashmaqom meaning "six maqâm"), a melodic scale organization that differs from our scales and is structured around atmospheres or feelings.
Performed solo or by a group of singers, shashmaqom is accompanied by a set of instruments typical of the country - dotâr and tanbur lutes, sato or ghijak violins, frame drums and flutes - and includes interludes of spoken Sufi poetry, the ghazal (or ghazal) common to all Eastern Muslim countries. Turgun Alimatov (1922-2008), a leading figure in Uzbek music, performed many shashmaqom with virtuosity during his career.
Musician, poet, singer - in fact, the equivalent of a bard or troubadour - bakhchi still have their place in the traditional Uzbek musical landscape. These poem singers convey the great epic legends of Central Asia. An oral tradition handed down from generation to generation, they recount traditions, founding myths and local or national glories. They sing accompanied by a small two-string guitar for the melody and a tambourine for the rhythm.
Banned from the radio under the Soviet regime, Uzbek folk music has enjoyed a revival since the fall of the Wall, and can be heard on TV, radio and sometimes on stage.
Some of Tashkent's restaurants program them on an almost daily basis, such asAfsona, a very pleasant restaurant, Charchara, a typical chaikhana on the banks of the Ankhor canal, or Bahor, a much more upmarket restaurant. A record shop in Samarkand, Babur Sharipov, is one of the best places in the country to buy albums of traditional Uzbek music.
Modern and popular music
Contemporary Uzbek popular music is largely influenced by pop music from Russia. Most of the hits come from there. Local music channels broadcast them over and over again, with a profusion of clips featuring young women in bikinis and muscular Slavic boy bands performing choreographies typical of the genre. In short, Russian pop is everywhere, and Uzbek equivalents mimic its aesthetic. These include local mega-stars Sogdiana Fedorinskaya, Lola Yuldasheva and Rayhon.
Others, like Sevara Nazarkhan, try to build bridges between Uzbek classical music and pop. But by far the star among the stars is Yulduz Usmonova, renowned for her iconic voice. She studied music from an early age, entering the Tashkent Conservatory where she studied singing. A popular singer in Uzbekistan after independence in 1991, she went on to become the "official singer", providing the closing act at major official concerts. Famous throughout Central Asia and Turkey, her songs have been translated into many languages: Uyghur, Tajik, Russian, Chinese, Tatar...
It's worth noting that rap, which originated in Russia, is becoming increasingly popular with the Uzbek public, although not so much with the authorities, who are very opposed to this form of protest expression and have halted any national development of the genre. Shohruh is undoubtedly the most active (and listened-to) hip-hop artist in the country.
Classical music
With a tradition of art music very different from our own, there is very little classical music to be found in Uzbekistan. That said, under the impetus of President Karimov, the National Conservatory - and its three concert halls - came into being in the early 2000s. Otherwise, the country boasts a number of prodigies worth mentioning. Following in the footsteps of the great pianist Yefim Bronfman (now an Israeli citizen), the young virtuoso Behzod Abduraimov (b. 1990) captivates audiences the world over with his magical playing. Equally dazzling, the young conductor Aziz Shokhakimov (b. 1988) has been musical director of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra in France since 2021. As for lyrical voices, theAlisher Navoi Opera House programs operas and ballets, and in 2023 will host the annual World Singing Competition, created in Dresden (Germany) in 1996: an international jury and over 600 singers from all over the world.
The dance
Traditional Uzbek dances always tell a story, revealed through the expressiveness of their movements and rhythms. There are three main schools of dance, each belonging to a different region, one of the former khanates: Khorezm, Bukhara and Ferghana Valley.
The dances of Ferghana are classical and exude great voluptuousness through their fluid, undulating movements.
Bukhara dances celebrate femininity and play on charm and bewitchment through slow, precise gestures. Even the emperor Tamerlane was entertained by these dances. Finally, the Khorezm dances are more brusque, fiery and fast-paced.
Dancers wear bracelets of small bells(zang) on their wrists and ankles, giving rhythm to their movements and evoking a time when women were forbidden to dance. Otherwise, their arms and legs were mercilessly broken.
Traditional dance costumes depend on history and climate. The cold of Bukhara's desert explains why male and female dancers are more warmly dressed than elsewhere, while the heat of Khorezm requires cotton outfits. Dress and headdress (often consisting of shawls for the women) help to pinpoint geographical origins.
The "Bahor" (Spring) national ensemble is Uzbekistan's most important classical dance group. Samarkand offers a variety of opportunities to attend folk dance performances at the renowned El Merosi Theatre. Featuring a breathtaking collection of historic 19th-century costumes in silk, brocade, bekasan and satin. Men's and women's garments are richly decorated with gold and silver embroidery. National dances are performed by ballet stars. You can also watch dance performances every evening, while dining at the Sarbon Appetit restaurant.
