Azerbaijan's living vocal treasure to perform in Sydney
By Laman Ismayilova
Azerbaijan's living vocal treasure Alim Gasimov and his daughter Farghana Gasimova will give a concert in Sydney, Australia on January 21, Azertac reported.
The stunning concert will be organized as part of Sydney Festival. The mugham master will amaze the music lovers with his brilliant performance of Azerbaijani mughams.
Every January, Sydney Festival enlivens and transforms Sydney with a bold cultural celebration based on the highest quality art and big ideas.
The first Festival took place in 1977 and it has since grown to become one of Australia's largest annual cultural celebrations with an international reputation for modern, popular and intelligent programming.
Sydney Festival's 2017 program presents over 450 performances and 150 events performed by over 1,000 artists at more than 46 venues across theatre, dance, music, circus and art.
Alim discovered the world of mugham as a child, when he began singing for his own pleasure. He grew up in the town of Shamakhi, 100 km northwest of Baku. "I had no idea that I would become a singer," he remembers.
He studied at Baku's Asaf Zeynalli Music College from 1978 to 1982. He took lessons from prominent masters as Seyid Shushinski, Zulfu Adigozalov, Hajibaba Huseynov and Agha Khan Abdullayev. In 1999, Alim won the prestigious UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international accolades that a musician can dream of.
His powerful voice represents a move away from the traditional style of mugham. Gasimov recorded about nine albums, three of which are mugham albums with his daughter, Farghana.
"Mugham is the meaning of my life. It's what I live and breathe. Through performance, I intend to convey the originality of this genre. When I have concerts abroad, an audience is giving a standing ovation not to me, but mugham," he usually says.
The musician gives concerts in the world’s most prestigious concert halls. The magical voice won over audiences in Central Asia, the USA, Europe, and Japan.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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