Centenary of "Arshin mal alan" premiere marked in Tbilisi
“Arshin Mal Alan” - The Cloth Peddler is probably one of the most famous musicial comedies by composer and writer Uzeyir Hajibeyov.
The centenary of the musical comedy’s premiere was held at the Museum of Azerbaijani Culture named after M. F. Axundzade in Tbilisi, Azertac state news agency reports.
Supported by the Culture Museum and Theatre and Film University named after Shota Rustaveli, the event was attended by representatives of Azerbaijani embassy in Georgia, Georgian Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection, as well as famous opera singers, figures of theater, cinema, science, art and culture.
In her opening remarks, Museum’s director Leyla Aliyeva spoke of the history of cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia, noting the role of "Arshin mal alan" musical comedy in world culture.
Rector of the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University, professor Giorgi Dolidze, Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania and others stressed the importance of such events in deepening of cultural relations between the two countries.
Afterwards, the Georgian opera singers in their national dress performed numerous parts of the famous operetta.
The Cloth Peddler tells the love story of young Aska, who wants to get married. He is a rich, successful businessman and has everything he could wish for except for one thing-a wife. Tradition does not allow him to choose his own bride.
But Askar has a modern mentality and wants to choose his bride himself. Askar's friend Suleyman suggests that Askar disguises himself as a cloth peddler, gain entrance into the courtyard of private homes where all the women will gather around him to purchase his goods.
So Askar wanders from house to house as a poor peddler selling fabric. Eventually, he meets Gulchohra, the beautiful daughter of Sultan bey, a wealthy merchant. Askar decides Gulchohra is the one he wants to marry. She, too, falls in love with him, although she knows him only as a peddler.
The story ends happily, four couples celebrate their marriages together. Askar marries Gulchohra. Suleyman marries Gulchohra's cousin, Asiya. Askar's servant, Valli, falls in love with Sultan bey's servant, Telli. The widower, Sultan bey, falls in love with Suleyman's widowed aunt.
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