Gakkulekken Kyzylzhar. Ükili Ybyrai - 165 Years

This concert programme is dedicated to the great Kazakh composer Ükili Ybyrai Sandybaev (birth name: Ibrai).
Born in 1860 in the Kokchetau region (Volodar district) and passing away in 1930, Ükili Ybyrai was a national composer, a renowned tenor singer, an improvisational poet, and one of the most distinguished representatives of classical Kazakh folk music.

His songs are filled with themes of love, lyrical beauty and profound contemplation. His celebrated song «Gakku» - widely known throughout Kazakhstan - is considered the pinnacle of his musical legacy. Yefim Brusilovsky incorporated this melody into the opera «Kyz Zhibek» (as Zhibek’s principal aria) and used «Ararai» in «Er Targyn» (as Akzhunis’s aria).
Ybyrai’s poetry is equally diverse: from verses praising youthful days to works depicting hunting scenes and the rhythms of nomadic life. Poems such as «A curious dog runs and hunts» vividly convey the spirit and imagery of the steppe.