Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The Azerbaijani Cultural House in Prague has hosted "Incomplete Weave", a unique musical-installation performance, Azernews reports.

At its heart stood a traditional weaving loom with an unfinished Karabakh carpet, surrounded by scattered household items, a burned diary, children’s toys… Everything seemed frozen in time, recreating the atmosphere of a sudden escape—one that became a devastating reality for thousands of Azerbaijani families.

As the mournful sounds of viola and piano filled the space—performed by Prague Philharmonic violist Elnara Taghizade and composer-pianist Ramin Guliyev—documentary footage depicting the aftermath of that fateful night in Khojaly unfolded on screen.

The musical program, woven from works of different eras and cultures, turned the performance into an act of collective remembrance. The evening featured: Adagio sostenuto – Moonlight Sonata by L. van Beethoven, Adagio by T. Albinoni, Elegy by F. Amirov, Theme from Schindler’s List by J. Williams, Ballad by Ramin Guliyev.

The intertwining of European classical music with Azerbaijani compositions, the somber melodies of sorrow and hope, revived the memory of all crimes committed against humanity.

Ramin Guliyev’s final Ballad, performed with raw emotion, seemed to gather the pain of generations into a single, unbroken thread. In this music, there was not only grief but an unyielding remembrance—a force that ensures such tragedies can never be forgotten, never repeated.

As the last notes faded into silence, the space itself seemed to hold its breath. This was more than a performance; it was a moment when history became deeply personal for everyone present.

The event was attended by members of the Azerbaijani diaspora as well as Prague residents of various nationalities—Czechs, Turks, Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Moldovans. Following the performance, His Excellency Yashar Aliyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to the Czech Republic, addressed the audience.

Notably, the loom and the unfinished Karabakh carpet are part of the Azerkhalcha collection showcased in the exhibition Harmony of Two Beauties: Azerbaijani Carpet and Czech Crystal, organized with the support of the State Committee on Work with the Azerbaijani Diaspora. This exhibition brings together Azerbaijani carpets from Azerkhalcha and Czech crystal pieces from Halama, representing two forms of applied art inscribed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

As Leyla Begim, the creator of the Incomplete Weave installation, emphasized, this very loom became her source of inspiration—symbolizing not only lives cut short but also the unbreakable thread of memory.

We invite you to watch an excerpt from the performance, featuring Ramin Guliyev’s final composition.