Matlubeh is known as the turquoise of Uzbekistan. Her voice has such a large range that she is able to move freely from classical music shahsmaqam to folk music.
Originally from a Tajik village near Samarkand she sings in her native tongue as well as in Uzbek (a language closer to Turkish as opposed to Tajik which is more related to Persian. From the age of four she accompanied her mother who was later to become her first singing coach. “In my family music is in the blood,” she says. “My mother would take her dayera and sing with the accompaniment of her children at all sorts of occasions like wedding ceremonies etc ..). There were ten of us children and my mother hoped with all her heart that one of us would grow up to be a musician. When I was little I listened to the radio and imitated great classical singers. I wrote songs and sang them while we picked cotton. I owe all of my success to my mother and her advice. I think of her words before each concert: “You must sing so that your voice can reach its highest point and give its fullest strength.”
Matlubeh is a good example of how musical transmission operates in the Uzbek tradition. While her mother was a folk music singer in a village Matlubeh went on to become one of the greatest singers of classical and folk music in Uzbekistan. When Uzbek television featured a documentary on her life it did not fail to pay homage to her mother who at that time had already passed away but is considered one of the greatest representatives of the folk tradition.
After five years of music study at the Music University and conservatory of Tashkent the young singer began to perform with The Shashmaqam Ensemble of Radio Uzbekistan. She is now the soloist of this ensemble. When she is complimented on her vocal technique she is quick to praise her professors: “I owe everything to my mentors Aref Khan Haternov and Turgun Alimatov.”
Currently as she continues her engagement with radio she performs and records with Turgun Alimatov one of the last masters of classical music. After a private concert in his garden in Tashkent Turgun Alimatov pointed to Matlubeh and said: “I have tried to give everything I know to this student. She is my hope for the future.”
As a singer originally from the Samarkand and region who lives in Tashkent, Matlubeh sings both the classical and folk music of the two regions.
Discography:
Turquoise of Samarkand (Long Distance, 1996)
Yar Kelour (Iris Musique, 2000)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
