An exhibition devoted to the 135th anniversary of the outstanding Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodai was opened at the Kazan Conservatory

The opening ceremony of the exhibition devoted to the 135th anniversary of the outstanding Hungarian composer, musicologist-folklorist, teacher and public figure Zoltan Kodai took place in the new building of the faculty of folk instruments of the Kazan State Conservatory named after N. Zhiganov.

The General Consul of Hungary in Kazan, Mr. Adam Shtifter, the Rector of the Kazan Conservatory Rubin Abdullin, the music community, pedagogues   and students of the Conservatory took part in the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

The opening of the exhibition was preceded by an improvised tour of the faculty building, in which the Consul General was accompanied by the rector of the Conservatory.

Adam Stiefer expressed admiration for the beauty of the building, to which Rubin Kabirovich Abdullin noted that this building was recently recieved for use, thanks to the support and personal decision of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov.

Saturated with rich information and photos, the hospitable hosts spaced  an exhibition of Hungarian musicologist-folklorist Zoltan Kodai with respect in their museum of folk instruments, and it harmoniously  blended with the general exposition of the museum.

The rector of the Conservatory, Rubin Abdullin, spoke before the audience about the outstanding contribution of the Hungarian people to the world musical treasury represented by such representatives as Zoltan Kodai, Bela Bartok and, of course, Ferenc Liszt, whose works occupy a very special place in the rich repertoire of Rubin Kabirovich himself as a musician and one of the most vivid Russian performers on such an instrument, incredibly mysterious and monumental in its sound, as an organ.

The rector of the Conservatory handed a guest a decorative panel with a portrait of the outstanding Tatar composer Nazib Zhiganov, whose name  bears Kazan Conservatory.

In response, Consul General of Hungary in Kazan, Mr. Adam Shtifter expressed sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Kazan Conservatory for the warm welcome and excellent organization of the exhibition, said that he was very impressed with the work being done at the faculty and the conservatory to train musicians.

The Consul General noted that he was extremely pleased and grateful to the fate for the opportunity to work in Kazan with its diverse and rich life for important cultural events, the opportunity to communicate and assist in the development and strengthening of cultural ties between Tatarstan and Hungary. He sees here many opportunities, great potential. In particular, he would be ready to assist in every possible way to establish closer professional contacts between the Kazan Conservatory and its Hungarian counterparts.

The vice-rector of the Conservatory for research work  Karpov Yuri Semenovich stressed that the opening exhibition is timed to the 135th anniversary of the birth of the Hungarian composer and expressed his satisfaction with how carefully Hungary treats the memory of its outstanding cultural figures. He noted the significant contribution of Zoltan Kodai to the development of the system of music education, which was recognized throughout the world.

Dean of the Faculty of Folk Instruments Lyudmila Potapova, who actively contributed to the organization and arrangement of the exhibition Zoltan Kodai on the site of her faculty, said that this was  the first exhibition in the new building of the Faculty of Folk Instruments, symbolic of its international character, which was extremely important both in terms of deeper acquaintance with the world musical heritage, and development of professional contacts and creative contacts of musicians of Tatarstan and Hungary. She thanked the Hungarian Embassy in Russia and the Consulate General of Hungary in Kazan for choosing their site for this exhibition and expressed the hope for further close cooperation.

Head of the Department of Tatar Music and Ethnomusicology Liliya Ildusovna Sarvarova, considering the large number of students attending the event, recalled the importance of knowledge of the sources and national musical traditions of both her and other peoples by professional musicians. The sphere of interests of the Hungarian musicologist-folklorist professionally coincided with the scientific and pedagogical interests of Lilia Sarvarova, who devoted herself to studying the folklore of the peoples of the Volga region, the issues of folklore performance, the problems of preserving and reviving traditional musical culture. In this regard, she especially highlighted the pages of the biography of the outstanding composer Zoltan Kodai, when he twice visited our country as an explorer, a learned folklorist. It was he, recording in the villages of Hungary archaic tunes based on pentatonic, later, on the basis of his expeditions to Russia, established their connection with the folklore of the peoples of the Volga region ..

The same kinship was felt in the speech by  Professor Valery Ivanovich Yakovlev, who devoted many years to musical and ethnographic expeditions, a passionate popularizer of the art of performing on folk instruments-the initiator of the creation and the organizer of the conservatory museum of folk instruments at the profile faculty. He spoke with great inspiration of the joy of immersion in the rich musical traditions of different peoples. It was felt how close our scientist, musicologist, researcher perceives the interests and rich scientific heritage of the Hungarian scientist, seeing in him a spiritual and professional like-minded person.

Professor V.Yakovlev handed to Mr. Adam Stifter several of his books.

The Consul General was also donated a unique edition - the catalog "Musical Instruments from the Fund of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan". Mr. Adam Shtifter accepted the gift with great appreciation.

Concluding the opening ceremony, the Consul General once again noted with satisfaction the accuracy of the choice of the location of the exhibition, the absolute hit with the target audience, which will be able to get acquainted with the biography, scientific and creative heritage of the outstanding son of the Hungarian people within a month.

Throughout the ceremony in the hall the music of Zoltan Kodai  was sounding.

Having cut the conventional ribbon, the Consul General of Hungary and the rector of the Conservatory invited the audience to familiarize themselves with the exposition.

Gennady Makarov, a musicologist, researcher of national folklore, an assistant professor of the department of Tatar music and ethnomusicology at the Kazan Conservatory, who took part in the opening ceremony of the exhibition, was interested in the research of Hungarian scientists aimed at finding Hungarians' roots with the Turks. Mr. Adam Stifter said that on the great historical path of the Hungarians there were many complex interlaces, which does not exclude the participation of such a line in the formation of the Hungarian nation.

During the ensuing dialogue, the Consul General of Hungary and the leadership of the Kazan Conservatory discussed prospects for further cooperation. Of particular interest, in this case, Mr. Adam Shtifter showed to the orchestra "Tatarika".

At the same time, he expressed readiness for a substantive discussion of concrete proposals related to the exchange by creative teams, the study of each other's experience, the mutual participation in scientific conferences and expeditions of specialists and creative personalities.

The rector of the Kazan Conservatory Rubin Kabirovich Abdullin, in turn, invited the Consul General to attend the premiere of the musical performance "Arshin Mal Alan", prepared by the creative forces of the Kazan Conservatory, which will be held on December 28 in the Grand Concert Hall named after S.Saidashev.

In general, the atmosphere in which the opening ceremony of the exhibition took place and the further communication of the Consul General of Hungary with the leadership, teachers and students of the Kazan Conservatory made me recall the words by  Rubin Abdullin, said in an interview, that people who received a musical education are illuminated from within , they have a different attitude to life. They are almost always kinder. Music definitely gives the basis of goodness, harmony, beauty, which, like an invisible shell, protect not only the person who does it, but all around him and everything that he spreads his musical enchantment.

And with this statement of the rector of the Kazan Conservatoire one can not but agree.

Photo by the author

Raisa Safiullina, Chairman of the Public Council on the NOC at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan