Tolib Shakhidi

Tolib-khon Shakhidi began his musical career at the age of fourteen. He graduated from the Musical College in Dushanbe in 1965 from the Composition Class of Uri Ter-Osipov. In the same year, he entered the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. During his student years in Moscow, he strove to be at the centre of musical activities. Conductors such as Mikhail Terion and Maxim Shostakovich performed his orchestral and instrumental compositions.

In 1972 Tolib Shakhidi graduated from the Moscow Conservatory from the class of Aram Khachaturian. 'Tolib, your time is precious,' wrote the famous master on Shakhidi's graduation photograph – and since then, this has become the composer's fundamental belief both in life and in his creative work.

From 1972 to this day, Tolib Shakhidi has participated in a number of music festivals and has striven to produce innovative and powerful compositions. His music attempts to create a synthesis between East and West. His brilliant understandings of orchestration and familiarity with different musical styles have firmly established him in the contemporary music scene.

Working in a number of different genres, including theatre and cinema, Shakhidi's compositions often serve as the vehicle for the musical representation of intensely powerful plays. Drawing inspiration from playwrights such as Sophocles and Shakespeare, Shakhidi's compositions capture the listener's imagination much as a dramatic representation would. A master of different genres, including operas, ballets, symphonies and instrumental compositions, his work represents a unique fusion of the very best of the European and Asian musical traditions. He is a contemporary artist, whose world outlook transcends national boundaries. In this capacity, he regularly participates and has a great success in International festivals of Contemporary Music in Europe and U.S. (1987, 2001), in Japan, Baltic States, Central Asia, Iran and Turkey. The musical pieces of the composer have been performed by such orchestras as Philadelphia & Boston Symphony Orchestra, State Symphonic Orchestra of USSR, Orchestra of Valery Gergiev, Bolshoy Symphonic Orchestra of Russia n.a. Tchaikovsky, Orchestra of Cinematography conducted by Sergei Skripka, Saint Petersburg State Philharmonic Orchestra n.a Dmitri Shostakovich. Musicians such as cello performer Yo Yo Ma, violinist Sergey Kravtchenko and French saxophone player Pierre Stephane Meuge have performed the music of the master. He also has worked with conductors among which are Maxim Shostakovich, Dmitry Kitaenko, Charles Ansbacher, Mark Ermler, Sergey Skripka, Michael Terian, Dzhansug Kakhidze, Vladimir Kozhukhar, Valery Gergiev, Zakhid Khaknazarov, Eldar Azimov and Bijan Khadem-Missagh.

"Taste, intellect, professionalism are the three main values of contemporary music" ("Official web-site".). This aphorism, expressed by the composer fully complies with his own creative work. Tolib Shahidi represents a very rare type of Universal master-composer, who possesses the whole arsenal of contemporary musical language, yet uses the richest resources of traditional Eastern music of his region. This twin pillar is not an obstacle, but the most important source of his artistic power and originality.

He won the 2008 Georges Delerue Award for his score of the film Two-Legged Horse.[1]

Tolibkhon Shakhidi is married to Gulsifat Shakhidi (writer and journalist) and together they have three children:

• Tabriz Shakhidi - producer
• Khofiz Shakhidi - entrepreneur
• Firdavs Shakhidi - entrepreneur

• 1975 – Festival, symphonic poem
• 1978 – Death of usurer, suite of ballet
• 1978 – Tajiks, symphony No. 2
• 1980 – Rubai of Khaiam, film ballet
• 1981 – Charkh, symphony for chamber orchestra
• 1981 – Sonata No. 1 for piano
• 1981 – Recitative of Rumi, suite for flute and piano
• 1984 – Sado, symphonic poem
• 1988 – Caliph-stork, operas for children
• 1989 – Karlic-nose, operas for children
• 1989 – Beauty yosif, ballet
• 1991 – Sonata No. 2 for piano
• 1991 – Sonata No. 2 for piano and chamber orchestra
• 1992 – Siavush, ballet
• 1993 – Beauty and Monster, opera
• 1993 – Concerto for violin and chamber orchestra
• 1994 – Concert No. 3 for piano and orchestra
• 1997 – Concert No. 1 for string orchestra
• 1998 – Firdavsiada, concerto No. 2 for string orchestra
• 1998 – Sufi-dancer, music for 15 instruments
• 1998 – Istanbul-capricci, for saxophone and chamber orchestra.
• 1999 – Dobro vam, vocal cycle for tenor and symphonic orchestra. Poems of Hofiz, Goethe, Pushkin
• 1999 – Amir Ismoil, opera
• 2000 – Silk road dreams dancing, septet
• 2000 – Pictures under moon, for R. Finn poem, soprano and chamber orchestra
• 2001 – Algorismus marimba+, sextet
• 2001 – Contrasts in 55
• 2001 – Contrasts, music for violin and piano
• 2002 – King Lear, music for tragedy of Shakespeare
• 2002 – Persian Suite, music for string orchestra
• 2002 – Sufi and Buddha, pictures etude for piano
• 2004 – Concerto Grosso No. 3, for santur, violino solo and chamber orchestra
• 2005 – Contrast of times, vocal cycle for soprano and symphonic orchestra, words of Paul Valery and Rekan
• 2007 – Birds talking, suite for three flute
• 2008 – Adagio, for violoncello solo in remembrance of Aram Khachaturian
• 2008 – Allegro in 5, for chamber ensemble
• 2008 – Four retro miniature for chorus A-Capella, in remembrance of Ziyodullo Shakhidi
• 2008 – Playing Backgammon, for piano
• 2009 – Verdi-Shakhidi, paraphrase for piano from opera Traviata
• 2010 – Concerto for clarinet and orchestra
• 2011 – Quartet for 4 cellos, from Indian Raga
• 2012 – Darius, pictures for Symphonic Orchestra
• 2012 – Adagio – Existence, for string orchestra
• 2013 – Rhapsody Dialogue: Theme of Aram Khachaturian, for piano and orchestra

• Symphonic music (1997)
• Great Hall of Moscow State Conservatoire, Author Concert (1999)
• Symphonic Music (2004)
• Symphonic music and ballet extracts (2002)
• Movie Music & Existence – various music written for movies and theatre between 1969–2008 (2004)
• Concert featuring works of Tolibkhon Shakhdi, Live (2006)
• Gergiev-Shakhidi – Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra & Mariinsky Orchestra (2012)
• Anthology of piano music by Russian and Soviet composers, vol.7 – Melodija, (2014)

• List of composers
• Music of Tajikistan

• Official website
• BBC Persian