Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Fikrat Amirov's "One Thousand and One Nights" has opened the Rudolf Nureyev International Festival of Classical Ballet.

The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theater staged the ballet's new version directed by the Honored Art Worker of Russia Eldar Aliyev.

"Arabian Nights" was presented to the audience under the direction of the chief conductor and musical director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Ayyub Guliyev.

Anna Samostrelova, Lilia Berezhnova, Sergey Umanets, Denis Golov, Irina Sapozhnikova, Katerina Floria, Kanat Nadyrbek, Guilherme Junio thrilled everyone with a fascinating performance.

"One Thousand and One Nights" is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. Known in English as the "Arabian Nights", the work is about Scheherazade, a Sassanid Queen, who tells a series of stories to her husband, King Shahryar in order to delay her execution.

The exciting story of Scheherazade laid the foundation of the ballet of the same name.

The ballet's new version was premiered as part of the 5th Mariinsky International Far East Festival.

More than 300 costumes with hand embroidery were made for the ballet show. Some of them were made at the workshop, while most were by experienced craftsmen in St. Petersburg.

Azerbaijan's traditional music instruments - tar and naghara were presented to the theater on behalf of the national musicians.

The long-necked music instrument featured in the score of Fikrat Amirov. The eminent composer started his musical journey as a tar performer.

The idea to add tar performance came from Eldar Aliyev. Ramin Azimov, the soloist of the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater, performed on tar during the premiere.

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