This year, the IX Moscow International Festival "Sounds of Dutar" named after Nury Khalmamedov is dedicated to significant dates: the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the International Year of Peace and Trust. In this regard, the organizing committee of the festival, expressing deep respect for the generation of winners, decided to establish a special award named after Murad Sadykov.

This prize will be awarded in the vocal and ensemble-choral nominations for the performance of works by composers who participated in the Great Patriotic War, or works dedicated to the events and heroes of those tragic years. This decision emphasizes the importance of preserving historical memory and contributes to the popularization of the musical heritage of the war years.

Murad Sadykov is an iconic figure in the history of Soviet and Turkmen music, an outstanding singer, lyricist, founder and permanent leader of the legendary ensemble "Gunesh". For his exceptional contribution to the development of the musical culture of the Turkmen SSR, he was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist.

Sadykov's creativity gained wide popularity throughout the Soviet Union, his musical compositions found a lively response in the hearts of listeners from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. Murad Sadykov's musical path began at a young age: from the age of six, he performed concerts for wounded soldiers undergoing treatment in Ashgabat hospitals.

In 1970, he initiated the creation of the vocal and instrumental ensemble "Gunesh", which quickly won national recognition. The fame of Murad Sadykov and his ensemble spread far beyond the borders of the USSR. The geography of the ensemble's tours covered a wide range of countries, including Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Canada, countries of the African continent and Vietnam. For his contribution to the development of culture, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam awarded Murad Sadykov the Order of Friendship and conferred the title of Honorary Citizen of Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1983, the ensemble toured several African countries, including the Cape Verde Islands (Republic of Cabo Verde), Senegal, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The Gunesh ensemble, under the direction of Murad Sadykov, repeatedly became laureates of prestigious international music competitions, among which the Polish festival Zielona Góra (1978), the Spring Rhythms festival in Georgia (1980) and the All-Union Pop Music Competition in Armenia (1981) should be noted.

From the 1970s to 1985, Murad Sadykov was a frequent guest at Moscow concert venues. Mosconcert regularly received requests to organize his performances. The artist performed for workers at Moscow enterprises, in particular at ZIL, as well as at central concert venues such as the Column Hall of the House of Unions, the State Kremlin Palace, the Variety Theater, and the Bolshoi Theater. Murad Sadykov's concerts were broadcast on Central Television, which contributed to his all-Union fame. His performances in Leningrad were no less successful.

An important aspect of Murad Sadykov's creative legacy is his contribution to the popularization of songwriting. His performance of the song "Smuglyanka" was included in the soundtrack to the cult film "Only Old Men Are Going to Battle" (directed by Leonid Bykov, 1973). The artist's repertoire included a significant number of Russian folk and patriotic songs, such as "Song of the Mother", "Russian Field", "Cranes", "Katyusha", which won the love of listeners due to their sincerity and soulfulness.

The Murad Sadykov Prize has expanded the list of special prizes of the Competition of musicians-performers of various specialties for the best performance of academic music based on ethnocultural traditions within the framework of the festival "Sounds of Dutar". Currently, the following special prizes have been established: by a separate decision of the competition partners, special "Hope" prizes are awarded in the form of an annual scholarship for competition participants from among students: one in categories A-C (for schoolchildren) and one in categories D-E (for students).

In addition to the main prizes, the competition jury has the right to award special prizes established in memory of outstanding representatives of art. In particular, there are prizes named after Nury Khalmamedov, an outstanding composer, Medeniet Shakhberdiyeva and Maya Kulieva, famous opera singers.

These personalized prizes serve the purpose of highlighting the exceptional merits of the participants and stimulating their creative growth and professional improvement in their chosen field of activity. The awarding of these prizes is a sign of high recognition and contributes to the further development of the laureates, the Organizing Committee of the festival "Sounds of Dutar" noted.

ORIENT