Azerbaijani musicians perform at UNESCO General Staff
By Aygul Salmanova
The General Staff of UNESCO hosted a solemn event dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Germans' migration to the South Caucasus. The event, organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry of Azerbaijan and the UNESCO office, was attended by guests from Georgia and Germany.
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to France Rahman Mustafayev, ambassadors of UNESCO from various countries, Azerbaijan`s Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Sevda Mammadaliyeva, famous figures of culture and art, officials, public figures participated in the event.
In his speech, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Ambassador Anar Karimov said that musicians from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Germany will perform traditional and classical music of these countries. He noted that along with Azerbaijani mugham, Georgian polyphony, the works of Bach will also be performed. Karimov also recalled that the Azerbaijani mugham and Georgian polyphony are included in the representative list of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage.
Noting that the concert is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Germans' migration to the South Caucasus, namely to Azerbaijan, the ambassador spoke about the rich cultural and historical heritage in Azerbaijan.
He invited the guests of the event to visit Azerbaijan, as well as to get acquainted with the exhibition dedicated to this topic at the UNESCO headquarters. Karimov noted that the easy integration of Germans into the local society over time became possible due to the hospitality and respectful attitude of Azerbaijanis to other peoples and guests.
He added that representatives of different peoples and religions live in Azerbaijan as a friendly family.
The ambassador noted that the government places great importance to the preservation, restoration of the cultural and historical heritage of all ethnic and religious communities of the country.
Addressing the ceremony, Garayev noted that this event was another evidence of the multiculturalism and religious tolerance prevailing in Azerbaijan. In addition, the minister spoke about the presidential decree signed on holding a number of events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in Azerbaijan.
International relations and public relations assistant of UNESCO Eric Falt, Head of the Georgian Mission to UNESCO Ekaterina Siradze-Dolon and Head of the German Mission to UNESCO Stefan Kravilsky underlined the tolerant atmosphere in the country and Azerbaijan's contribution to the intercultural dialogue.
The event continued with a grandiose concert program, in which Azerbaijani performers and the Georgian chorus "Rustavi" took part.
Famous Azerbaijani performers of mugham, honored artists - khanende Teyyub Aslanov, tarist Sahib Pashazade, kamanchist Togrul Asadullayev, performer on balaban Shirzad Fataliyev and young khanende Murad Ibrahimov struck listeners with their skills.
The "Baku Chamber Orchestra" of the Baku Musical Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, gaining popularity with its interesting concerts in different cities of the world and in Baku itself, under the guidance of the honored artist, conductor Fuad Ibragimov pleased the audience with its professional performance.
The concert was also performed by the winner of international competitions, violinist Umida Abbasova, Eurovision finalist and winner of the Voice of Turkey, famous singer Elnur Huseynov, honored artist, virtuoso pianist and composer Isfar Sarabsky, honored artist, countertenor Ilham Nazarov who performed at this concert as a baritone, and others.
The guests watched the performance of Azerbaijani musicians with great enthusiasm. The professional performance of classical music, as well as the color of Azerbaijani mugham, amazed listeners. After the concert, the guests of the event asked the musicians questions about Azerbaijani music, national instruments and mugham, and received exhaustive answers.
At the end of the event, the participants visited the exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Germans' arrival in the South Caucasus.
Germans represent the European culture and the German page of Azerbaijan’s history is one of the most interesting ones.
Unstable situation in Germany in the 18th-19th centuries forced some Germans to leave their homelands. Landless German peasants left their native German principality of Wurttemberg at the beginning of the 19th century, and found shelter many thousands of kilometers away in Azerbaijan, which was then part of the Russian empire.
A number of colonies were created across the country. In early 19th-20th centuries, three of eight German colonies, Eigenfeld, Annenfeld and Georgsfeld, were located in Shamkir.
These colonies were a shelter for German colonists, who created a little Germany here with cozy houses built in German style and tidy streets, with pear and plane trees along them.
But, the World War II destroyed the peaceful life of the colony. Germans were exiled from their second home by Josef Stalin. In October 1941, more than 20,000 German colonists were living in Azerbaijan, and almost all of them were deported to Siberia.
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