A full house gathered at the Magtymguly National Music and Drama Theatre in the capital of Turkmenistan for a concert marking the 80th anniversary of the proclamation of the Italian Republic. On this occasion, the Embassy of Italy in Ashgabat, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, invited Italian soprano Zoe Papas to perform.
Before the concert began, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy in Ashgabat thanked the audience gathered at the theter for their interest in Italian opera and expressed hope that the performance would bring genuine enjoyment to everyone present.
Although an Italian opera singer, Zoe Papas is of Greek origin. She began studying music and singing at the age of four, primarily performing traditional Greek songs. Thanks to her vocal talent, she was accepted into a lyrical choir in Athens. When she first heard opera singing, she immediately fell in love with the art form. Determined to master operatic arias, Zoe moved to Italy to pursue her studies.
The concert program opened with the State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Honoured Artist of Turkmenistan Resul Gylyjov. The orchestra performed Giuseppe Verdi’s “Overture da La forza del destino,” immersing the audience in an atmosphere of delicate musical nuances and elegant orchestral expression.
Then Zoe Papas took the stage. A work by Verdi’s “La Vergine degli Angeli” was heard once again. The audience listened attentively to the singer’s soft, gentle, and expressive voice and rewarded her performance with warm applause. Throughout the evening, the theatre resonated with works by Pietro Mascagni, Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti, Luigi Arditi, and other renowned composers. In her performances of the arias, Zoe Papas displayed remarkable artistry—at times sorrowful, at times joyful, and at times emotionally charged with anxiety and longing. Over the course of the evening, she conveyed a rich spectrum of emotions, reflected in the changing tones of her voice.
To conclude the concert, Zoe performed the song “Sirtaki” in Greek. Accompanied by enthusiastic applause from the audience, the State Symphony Orchestra played the lively music of the famous dance composed by Mikis Theodorakis for the film “Zorba the Greek.” Although the concert had ended, Zoe Papas was soon surrounded by admirers requesting selfies and autographs on their programs. Even amid the crowd, she found time to answer journalists’ questions. That was how we learned that her favourite composer is Gaetano Donizetti, and that she had rarely encountered musicians of such a high professional standard as those in Resul Gylyjov’s Symphony Orchestra.
