In 1997 Kenzhebek Kumysbekov gave Aitkali Zhaimov the score of Amanat. Zhaimov recalled the moment on the television programme Personality. The artistic director of the orchestra of Kazakh folk instruments had previously visited the composer at home, borrowed scores and worked with him.
Kumysbekov was gravely ill at the time. The musicians quickly copied out the score and began rehearsing; at one rehearsal, many of the players wept. Zhaimov understood both the title and the gesture as a charge: perform this music, do not forget it, and pass it to the next generation.
Amanat sounds in Mangystau
On 30 April 2017 the journalist Nurganym Imasheva wrote about a recent concert in Mangystau marking Kumysbekov’s ninetieth birthday. In the regional Philharmonic hall, the orchestra of national instruments performed Amanat, one of the composer’s last works.
It appeared alongside Arman, a poem about Korkyt, Dala Syry and Bishi Qaiyn. The jubilee evening brought together works from different years, and Amanat returned to an orchestral programme.
Amanat performed by the composer’s namesake orchestra
On 23 February 2022, Amanat appeared in another jubilee programme — Ayaly Menin Mekenim, marking Kumysbekov’s ninety-fifth birthday. It was presented by the Kazakh folk instruments orchestra of the Akmola Regional Philharmonic, which bears the composer’s name.
In the orchestral part, Amanat stood beside Dala Syry, Merekelik Aqzhelen and Kerbezim. Four songs followed, and the work that gave the evening its title formed the finale. Eight works joined orchestral music and songs in a single concert devoted to the composer.
The score entrusted in 1997 remains part of a personal memory. The two concert programmes record another action: in 2017 and 2022 musicians performed Amanat before an audience. The gesture, the copied notes, the rehearsal and two jubilee evenings came together in one charge — to pass the music on.