Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The 11th Uzeyir Hajibeyli International Music Festival will bring together world-famous musicians from Russia, China, Turkey, the U.S., Italy, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Georgia to mark the birth anniversary of the father of the Azerbaijani classical music.

The event is co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture. The programme of the festival's first week has been revealed.

The festival will traditionally open on the Day of National Music - September 18. The Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra will please music lovers at the Philharmonic Hall. The orchestra will be conducted by People’s Artist Rauf Abdullayev, Russian violinist Sergey Dogadin will be the soloist of the evening. The concert will feature Uzeyir Hajibeyli`s Overture to the Koroghlu opera, Arif Melikov`s Symphony no. 6 'Contrasts' and Jean Sibelius`s Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47.

Spectacular concert "Dedication to Soltan and Ismayil Hajibeyov" will be held at Baku Academy of Music on September 19. Azerbaijan State String Quartet, the Azerbaijan State Piano Trio, as well as soloists, including pianists Ulviya Hajibeyova, Yeghyana Akhundova, Nazaket Rimazi, Elnara Kebirlinskaya, Tatiana Garayusfli, Nariman Masimov, Aytaj Rzaguliyeva, Saida Tagizade as well as vocalists Gulnaz Ismayilova and Farida Mamedova will please the music lovers with their performances. The concert will be conducted by a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory, laureate of international competitions Orkhan Gashimov. The concert program will feature works by Soltan and Ismayil Hajibeyov.

In addition, Konul ensemble will perform at the International Mugham Center. Famous mugham singers Aygun Bayramova, Nazaket Teymurova, Teyub Aslanov will be soloists.

On the same day, Koroghlu opera will be staged at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.

This opera is the pearl of the national opera art and always gathers a large audience. Along with Koroghlu opera, which is a great value of the Azerbaijani people, the performance is also distinguished by the beautiful, monumentally rich scenery by the outstanding artist Tahir Salakhov. The main part in the opera will be performed by Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Ramil Gasimov.

D` accordo baroque ensemble will delight music lovers at the Hall of Chamber and Organ Music at the Philharmonic Hall. The concert entitled "Journey to ancient Europe" will present works by Luigi Boccherini, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Georg Telemann and many other composers. The artistic director of the ensemble is Ilaha Sadigzade. Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Anton Fertshandt will be the soloist.

The concert of Yevgeny Avramenko will be held at the Hall of Chamber and Organ Music at the State Academic Philharmonic on September 20. Baku residents and guests will have a rare chance to enjoy wonderful organ music. Laureate of international competitions Evgeny Avramenko (Russia) will perform works of world-famous composers.

Philipp Kopachevsky will give a concert at the International Mugham Center. Russian virtuoso pianist will perform works by Frederic Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg and Grigory Ginzburg. Kopachevsky is the winner of eight prestigious international competitions, including the 10th International Schubert Piano Competition (Germany). His concerts are regularly held in the UK, Russia, Germany, U.S., the Netherlands, France, Italy, Greece, Poland and Spain. He is a member of a large number of international music festivals.

Giacomo Puccini`s "La Boheme" opera will be staged at the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater on September 21. Rudolph's part will be performed by the leading soloist of the Bolshoi State Academic Theater People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Ramiz Usmanov. Marseille's part will be played by the leading soloist of the Belarus National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater, honored artist of Belarus, Vladimir Gromov.

Mimi will be performed by the lead soloist of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater Afag Abbasova. The play will be conducted by Lorenzo Tazieri (Italy).

On this day, Orchestra of Folk Instruments will perform at the Philharmonic Hall under the baton of the chief conductor of the Russian State Academic Orchestra, maestro Dmitry Khokhlov.

The concert program will feature works of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, Gara Garayev, Muslim Magomayev, Mikhail Glinka, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and others. Fascinating piano music evening will be held at the International Mugham Center on September 22.

Italian musician from Serbia, Alexander Hajiyev will perform L. Beethoven`s Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 (The Aurora), Franz Liszt`s Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata, Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82.

Uzeyir Hajibeyli`s The Cloth Peddler musical comedy will be presented at the Theater of Musical Comedy. The Cloth Peddler was the latest and one of the most popular operettas of the eminent composer. The comedy and romantic operetta premiered in Azerbaijan in 1913, thus becoming the first operetta in the entire Muslim world.

Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili will give a concert at the Heydar Aliyev Palace. The concert program will feature works by national composers Fikrat Amirov, Niyazi and Elmira Nazirova. The pianist will perform together with the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Rauf Abdullayev.

The ballet Nasimi will be presented at the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. The premiere of the Fikrat Amirov `s ballet, dedicated to the 650th anniversary of the birth of the great Azerbaijani poet, was held in May 2019 and aroused the enthusiasm of the first audience.

The play tells about the fate of Imadeddin Nasimi - the great poet and thinker, who left a deep imprint on the centuries-old artistic and philosophical thought of the Azerbaijani people and their life, which is a symbol of courage and loyalty to their convictions. The choreographer is People's Artist of Azerbaijan, artistic director of the theater's ballet troupe Kamila Huseynova. The author of the libretto is Ajdar Ulduz, music director and ballet conductor - People's Artist Yalchin Adigezalov, art director of the performance is the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Nusret Hajiyev, costume designer People's Artist Rafiz Ismayilov.

The State Chamber Orchestra will delight music lovers at the Philharmonic Hall on September 23.

Azerbaijan State Chamber Orchestra will perform under the management of People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Fakhraddin Karimov. The soloist will be the People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, pianist Murad Adigezalzade and Russian violinist Alena Baeva. The concert program will feature works by A. Dadashov, K. Jenkins, and also for the first time in Baku, the musicians will play R. Shchedrin`s Concerto Cantabile and P.Hindemith`s Minimax.

The Kunming International Philharmonic orchestra will perform at the State Philharmonic Hall on September 24. The orchestra will be conducted by Honored Artist Eyyub Guliyev. The soloist will be the People’s Artist of Russia, cellist Sergey Roldugin, as well as the pianist Miroslav Kultyshev and the trumpeter Israfil Rasulov.

The concert program will feature works by L. Giming, H. Peng, D. Shostakovich, J. Haydn, R. Strauss.

Cello music evening will be held at the International Mugham Center on September 25. Famous Bulgarian cellist Velichka Yolcheva and People’s Artist Murad Huseynov (piano) will perform the works by I.S. Bach, S. Frank, I. Brahms, L. Boccherini, F. Chopin, etc.

Concert of young musician will take place in the Hall of Chamber and Organ Music at the Philarmonic Hall. The project "Youth Support" will join the festival.

As part of the project, young soloists Natavan Hasanova (canon), Svetlana Akhmadova (piano), Emil Gurbanov (tar), Aytan Babayeva (piano), Sura Rufat (violin), Jamal Abdinzade (piano), Firuza Najafzade (piano), Sevinj Karimova (piano), Ayten Rustamova (kemancha), Huseyn Nagiyev (kamancha) and the canon quartet of the Arts Gymnasium at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory will present the works by prominent Azerbaijani composers, as well as young talents.

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

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