Young Ossetians play Piazzolla

In South Ossetia Allla Kokion is a brand. She sings in Ossetian and Spanish. Alla claims that she fell in love with the Spanish language in her teens, although she didn’t start studying it until she was already a grown-up. The author of the lyrics for her first song was not an Ossetian but a Spaniard – Garcia Lorca.

However, most of the lyrics of her songs come from the works of Taimuraz Khadgety, the Ossetian poet.

This was the fourth open air concert staged by Alla Kokion in Tskinval. But for the first time she managed to turn it into a full-scale festival.

Participants included musicians both from South and North Ossetia – both young and inexperienced, as well as Grigory Tadtaev (violin, with the “Clever-quartet), the winner of numerous international competitions. The festival was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Committee of Youth Affairs.

A sudden downpour of rain did not spoil the event. Instead of playing in the city square, the musicians played in a nearby ballet hall.

Initially Alla Kokion studied accordion, but guitar has always been the love of her life. And it still is. Now Alla is trying to master the “salamuri” (a wooden flute).

Her dream is to play the traditional Ossetian 12-string harp. Hopefully, one day this dream will come true.

The opinions expressed in the article convey the author’s terminology and views and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial staff.

Published: 01.08.2016