Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre
Alisher Navoï Theatre, Moustafa Kamoul Atatürk 28, Bukhara Street, Tashkent 100029, Uzbekistan
The State Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Alisher Navoi is deservedly considered the leading theatre of Uzbekistan, its national pride, the attractive center of musical and theatrical culture. It has a glorious history, rich in wonderful traditions. This history is a powerful foundation of that high culture and skill, thanks to which the opera and ballet theatre has gained worldwide fame. For nine decades, the theatre accumulated achievements, polished the range of expressive means, experience has been improved, humanistic principles has been worked out and developed. The theatre has absorbed all the wealth of the national and world classical heritage and created unique samples of Uzbek musical and stage art.
The history of the theatre begins with the professional Concert and Ethnographic Ensemble, organized by the coryphaeus of national culture, the ardent enthusiast of theatrical art, the People's Artist of Uzbekistan Mukhiddin Kari-Yakubov in the mid-1920s.
A tireless musical and public figure and talented organizer M. Kari-Yakubov searched for talented artists and found them all over the country, took care of their professional development, putting into practice the idea of establishing a national academic theatre group. At that time, the troupe of the ensemble was comprised of young creative forces, who subsequently became popular and honored workers of culture, the State Prize laureate artists, such as Tamara Khanum, Halima Nasyrova, Gavkhar Rakhimova, Zukhur Kabulov, Babarakhim Mirzaev, Lutfikhanym Sarymsakova, Usta Alim Kamilov, Mukarram Turgunbaeva, Rosiya Karimova, Karim Zakirov, Pulatjon Rakhimov, and such playwrights as Gulyam Zafari, Sharofiddin Khurshid, Kamil Yashen, such composers and conductors as Mukhtar Ashrafi, Tolibjon Sadykov.
On the basis of this creative team, in November 1929, the State Uzbek Musical Theatre was created, which, in the course of historical development, became a complex organism, incorporating the art of choreography, vocal, drama and many other forms of art, which today is the SABT named after Alisher Navoi. M. Kari-Yakubov became the first director and art director of the State Uzbek Musical Theatre, and the dance troupe headed by talented dancer Tamara Khanum. The young team performed with great success not only at home, but also far beyond its borders – in Belgium, Holland, France, England, Egypt, Russia, Tatarstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, hitting everyone with its national identity, vivid artistic temperament, amazing Musicality.
Among the first national performances that enjoyed tremendous success before the audience were the musical dramas “Khalima” by G. Zafari, ”Inside” (On the Woman's Half of the House) by T. Djalilov and M. Ashrafi, inspired by modern themes of public concern, as well as performances on poems by Alisher Navoi "Farkhad and Shirin" by V. Uspensky, "Leyli and Mejnun" by T. Sadykov and N. Mironov. These musical dramas paved the way for the creation of national opera and ballet works.