Tajikistan
is predisposed to "starry" splashes in art. Multiple
times singers from Sughd viloyat appeared on the stages of international
competitions gaining success. One of them - Zhanna Sahinyan
- is a laureate of the International musical festival "Asia
Dausy".
Slim, fragile, bright Zhanna won the love of the Tajik audience
at once. Her voice sounded at viloyat and republican contests
of estrade performers. The elegant singer being always different
found her stage image once and for all. The combination of common
European culture and the Orient was valued in all times, constant
self-making, proper selection of repertoire, good command of
Farsi - all these qualities singled her out among Sughdian estrade
singers.
The story of her Tajik, how she started to speak the language,
deserves special attention. Zhanna was born in Ghafurov but
then her parents removed to Tbilisi. The girl vaguely remembers
her grandfather Juraboy Nazarov, a participant of the Great
Patriotic War, being a vigorous man by nature. Juraboy-ako was
in the Caucasian front and in 1943 he met Armenian girl Seda
Aslanova. The young people fell in love with each other, war
was thundering around, but love was stronger than death. In
1945 Juraboy brought Seda to Tajikistan. On the way to her husband's
motherland Seda got to know a lot of interesting. He turned
out to be a good mixer, rather good-natured, in the train people
clung to him, Jurabek, Tajik by nationality, spoke with every
new acquaintance his or her mother tongue. The young woman was
greatly surprised, the knowledge of languages was always considered
to be a token of educated people. At the initial stage of their
newly married couple sustained hardships, but they were common
for all the country. Still love and mutual understanding helped
to endure them; Seda studied the Tajik language conning new
words in the nights. These lessons crowned with success, her
husband's relatives were amazed when their "kelin"
(daughter-in-law) answered once in Tajik. Her granddaughter
Zhanna displayed similar persistence and industriousness when
embarking on her artistic career in Khujand.
Rendition of songs in Farsi brought her popularity and love
of Tajik spectators. "Asia Dausy" where Zhanna enjoyed
a great success is the International musical forum uniting people;
it may be compared with a caravan of music and songs. It is
the festival where artistic atmosphere reigns all over, where
a spectator should possess a gift of appreciation. At the XVI-th
festival "Asia Dausy" Zhanna Shainyan was the only
participant from Tajikistan, having undergone three selective
rounds among man claimants. This time 17 performers from far
and near abroad participated in the competition, these were
people devoted to music forever. They created an inimitable
holiday for the audience. Zhanna's appearance on the stage was
met with impetuous delight and stormy applauses; the sincerity
of the singer being conveyed to the hall.
"I felt as if I were at home on the stage of our Kamoli
Khujandi theatre, congeniality with the audience was organic",
- Zhanna told me. Zhanna is smiling, her eyes are burning, she
shares her impressions. In Almaty she recalled her first musical
experiences: at the age of five she composed her first song.
Then she went in for music studying at musical school, she played
the violin and attended vocal classes. The girl was forbidden
to sing in her strict Armenian family. She ran furtively to
concerts in the philarmonic society. Though all father's relatives
were musicians. Her father played the guitar, her grandfather
played the clarinet, the instrument of her uncle was a saxophone.
So Zhanna inherited her talent and love for music. She developed
her gift self-sufficiently refining her image and repertory.
At the International musical forum Zhanna sang three songs in
the language which had become native for her, the language of
the country she represented. I prepared attires and accessories
especially for these songs I lived with being conscious of their
deep inner sense. These are the songs about love reining all
over the world irrespective either of nationality or of language,
- says the singer. - Two more musicians went together with me,
our trio created a peculiar image of Tajik music. Nai, tablak,
doira - the sonority of these ethnical instruments singled out
the actors from our country. They imparted national coloring
to our song".
In Almaty Zhanna managed to find Daler Nazarov who was delighted
with the striving nature of his compatriot. Zhanna dreamt of
a new song and the composer presented it to Sughdians, it was
finely performed by her at the concert devoted to the Day of
youth. It is worth mentioning that the singer prepares a new
hit for her every concert. There are about 95 songs in her repertoire,
they are variegated but united by feminine stories; Zhanna's
songs being a confession of her soul. As any woman Zhanna dreams
of genuine love, happiness, faithfulness.
"I was conscious of my spectators' support. This trip could
have been carried into effect thanks to viloyat governor Qosim
Qosimov who rendered financial aid, and so we enjoyed an opportunity
to represent the country and our viloyat", - said the queen
of "Asia Dausy" festival. - And the domestic folk
believed in my success".
The authoritative jury, the participants of the competition
themselves paid attention to her being an out-of-the-rut performer;
she found her style being a synthesis of individuality, traditions
of Tajik music, European motives; glamour and artistry of Sughdian
actress having played its role as well. But before appearing
on the stage in order to enrapture the audience one had to do
musical arrangements with local professionals, to work with
skillful producers of the international competition, to have
sleepless nights, to experience excitement. But everything terminated
with a splendid triumph of the singer from Tajikistan; the Kazakh
audience was enchanted. "Spectators understood me at once,
they applauded standing up, greeting me and my colleagues-musicians.
An invisible contact established between the hall and the stage,
if fuelled me", - reminisces Zhanna about the event, which
will have never been erased from memory. The ceremony of awarding
was unforgettable either. The prize of spectators' admiration
was handed in solemnly to Zhanna - it was a wonderful picture
drawn in an abstract style - splashes, shadows, fireworks of
colors creating a visual play with a pulsation of life, its
eternal motion. She wishes to be always in quest, she won't
be satisfied with the achieved, she will be refining herself,
her image, her songs. This is the credo of the talented singer
who chose art as the path of her life.
Tajikistan
is predisposed to "starry" splashes in art. Multiple
times singers from Sughd viloyat appeared on the stages of international
competitions gaining success. One of them - Zhanna Sahinyan
- is a laureate of the International musical festival "Asia
Dausy". 
