"The Golden Autumn of the 88th season of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater named after Alisher Navoi is aptly describes the repertoire of this period when the premieres of new opera and ballet productions shine on its stage one after another. One of the most awaited in the recent years is the ballet Poem of Two Hearts, premiered on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the outstanding statesman and writer of Uzbekistan Sharaf Rashidov. Many years ago Sharaf Rashidov, inspired by the poem "Comde and Modan" by Indian poet and thinker Mirza Abdukadyr Bedil, embodied a story of tragic love of Komde, a dancer, and Modan, a singer-musician, in the "Book of Two Hearts". The play was staged on the Tashkent stage for the first time 35 years ago, in 1982 and in 1983 the company performed it in Moscow. It was performed at the Bolshoi Theatre and the Kremlin Palace. The critics called it a choreographic masterpiece of the era. The wonderful music of Azerbaijani composer Arif Melikov and the numerous choreographic highlights made the show a big success. For its staging Igor Chernyshev, a famous choreographer from Russia at the time, was invited to stage it. The premiere was staged simultaneously in two cities - Tashkent and Samara. Rano Karimova, Khasan Bozorov, Ashot Gevorgyan, Batyr Akhundayev and Shavkat Tursunov performed the central characters here. The production was directed by People's Artist Dilbar Abdurakhmanova.

As Shavkat Tursunov, who played Karashakh at that time and is now the principal choreographer at the State Academic Bolshoi Theater, noted, Chernyshev's choreography was even then several decades ahead of modern choreography, and therefore is still perceived with interest today. However, due to a number of reasons, the performance disappeared from the repertoire for a long time. The reason for its revival this year was the 100th anniversary of Sharaf Rashidov's birth. The team of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre was eager to get down to work. SOTHIS AEGIS company undertook the realization of the project, which required creative efforts and considerable financial investments. In particular, for this performance the theatrical costumes and shoes for the artists were purchased abroad, and the production of highly artistic scenery and other necessary props was financed. Preparation for the premiere was in full swing. All creative forces were involved. And, most importantly, it was always decided to retain the original stage design. To this end, SOTHIS AEGIS specially invited a representative of the famous creative dynasty Azary Plisetsky-an artist ballet dancer and choreographer-as a consultant. Azary Plisetsky conducted master classes for the artists and young teachers at the Tashkent State Higher School of National Dance and Choreography and helped with the rehearsals of "Poem of Two Hearts" at the Bolshoi Theatre.

- I am happy that I came here for the first time, that I was invited - it was an honor and unexpected. I have heard a lot about Tashkent since my childhood; after graduating from VGIK, my mother Rachel Messerer played in the first Uzbek movies back in 1920s; I kept posters of those movies at home. Afterwards, my sister Maya performed here and was fascinated by the city and the theater, because even then you had a famous ballet school," says Azary Plisetsky. - And now, during rehearsals and master classes, I've seen for myself that the GABT's building is amazing, and the company has a good understanding of what's required of it. The speed with which the performers adopt everything new is a testament to the quality of their training. They have inspiration, talent and a love of the craft. My own task was to ensure the quality of the performance, to create a show that would be a sensation, all the more so because I was familiar with The Poem of Two Hearts. The choreography successfully combined Eastern themes and Western techniques.

Azary Plisetsky, Honored Artist of Russia, began his career at the Bolshoi Theatre, and has performed in Cuba, France, Spain, Japan, and the United States as a partner of Olga Lepeshinskaya and Alicia Alonso. For the last 25 years he has been working as a tutor at the famous Maurice Béjart Studio School Rudra in Switzerland.

The same can be said of Arif Melikov's music. The combination is unusual, as the audience was able to see in the premiere performances. The originality of the choreographic pattern that is impossible to see in other productions attracts the audience's attention right away. Classical movements here are actively combined with references to acrobatics, which was a serious challenge for the dancers, who had not to forget about the acting game. From this point of view From this point of view, the ballet can be considered one of the most difficult in the Bolshoi's national repertoire. The main part of the Komde dancer is played by two leading soloists, Nadira Khamraeva and Olga Sabirova, and novice Shirin Khasanova in three casts. The emotional image of the musician Modan was convincingly created by Doniyor Khasmanov and Bekzod Akimbayev. The figure of Karashakh (Ulugbek Olimov and Zamir Fazlutov) does not stand out against his background. The leading creative forces of the theater tried to convey all the beauty of the ballet and the greatness of its key idea - love, which is not afraid of any obstacles, it always wins, even deat