Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will open its new theater season on September 19 with the opera "Leyli and Majnun" by genius composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli.

The theater has prepared an interesting program for its spectators.

Astor Piazzolla`s "Tango of Love" ballet will be staged on September 22.

"Shah Ismayil" mugham opera by Muslim Magomayev will be presented on September 23.

"Leyli and Majnun", "Don Quixote" ballets will be staged on September 26.

The opera "Il Tabarro" by C. Puccini will be presented to the audience on September 30.

"Leyli and Majnun" is a tragic love story, in which the male character Majnun (literally meaning "crazy" in Arabic) goes mad because he cannot be with his beloved Leyli.

The most popular version of this love story "Leyli and Majnun" was penned by Nizami Ganjavi (1141-1209), who lived and died in Ganja.

"Leyli and Majnun" is one-act ballet by Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev. The libretto is written based on Nizami Ganjavi's poem.

Its premiere took place on May 25, 1969 at the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater.

Astor Piazzolla`s "Tango of Love" is about great love and hate, fighting to possess one's beloved and brutal revenge.

All of this will be presented in the incendiary style of tango.

"Shah Ismayil" – is an Azerbaijani mugham opera in 6 acts and 7 scenes composed by Muslim Magomayev. Libretto and text were written by Mirza Gadir Ismayilzade basing on a legend about young Shah Ismayil.

Premiere of the opera was held in March 1919 in Baku, with a benefit performance of Huseyngulu Sarabski (Rzayev). Muslim Magomayev was conductor and Huseyn Arablinski (Khalafov) was director of the opera. Actors such as H.Sarabski (Shah Ismayil), M.H.Teregulov (Aslan Shah) and Huseynagha Hajibababeyov (Gulzar) played parts in the opera.

"Don Quixote" is a ballet in four acts and eight scenes, based on episodes taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. The ballet was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus.

Don Quixote, who is obsessed with stories of medieval chivalry, tells his servant Sancho Panza that he has decided to become a knight errant and improvises a suit of armor. In a marketplace in Barcelona Kitri is forced by her father, an innkeeper, to accept the offer of marriage of the rich Gamache and turn away Basil, the man she loves. Then Don Quixote arrives at the inn on Rosinante, his horse. He believes he recognizes in Kitri his "loved and idealized" lady Dulcinea.

"Il tabarro" ("The Cloak") opera shows the lustful love between Georgette and the handsome young Luigi, against the lost love between Georgette and her older husband Michel, after the death of their infant son.

The opera was first staged in New York in December 1918 and got a resounding success. Since then, the performance is in the repertoire of the best opera houses in the world and is still the favorite of audience.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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