Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A gala concert in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was held at the fourth largest city in Turkey, Adana.

The event was attended by ambassador of Azerbaijan to Turkey Khazar Ibrahim, prominent public figures, representatives of culture and science, the Azerbaijani diaspora, Trend Life reported.

During the concert, the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra performed the works of Azerbaijani composers. The orchestra was conducted by People's Artist of Azerbaijan Yalchin Adigezalov.

The gala evening opened with the performance of "Azerbaijan Capriccio" by Fikret Amirov.

Then the first performance of the Concert for Balaban with Orchestra by the talented composer Ilyas Mirzoyev, specially written for virtuoso, People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Alikhan Samedov sounded on the stage.

The world premiere of the new composition was a tremendous success. The second part of the concert opened with "Holiday Overture" by Vasif Adigezalov. The evening ended with a stunning work by Fikret Amirov - Suite from the ballet "Nasimi".

On May 28, 1918, Azerbaijan declared its independence establishing the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which became the first secular parliamentary democracy in the Muslim World and recognized by other democratic nations, including the United States of America.

During the short period of independence Azerbaijan granted all people the rights to vote regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion, becoming the first Muslim nation to give women equal political rights with men, an accomplishment preceding the United States. Azerbaijan’s independence was interrupted in 1920, when it was invaded by Bolshevists, and forcefully incorporated into the USSR in 1922 to restore its independence only in 1991.

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

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