Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

The Independence Day of Brazil was solemnly celebrated in the International Mugham Center of Azerbaijan with a gala concert on September 12.

In his speech at the event, the Brazilian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Santiago Luis Bento Fernandez Alcazar noted that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Azerbaijani-Brazilian diplomatic relations and 10 years since the opening of the Brazilian Embassy in Baku.

Deputy foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev, in turn, said that relations between the two countries are developing in all directions, and noted that Brazil’s support in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is very valuable for Azerbaijan. The deputy minister concluded his speech with congratulations and good wishes to the Brazilian people and state.

After the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Brazil were played, the gala concert of classical Brazilian and Azerbaijani music started.

The Baku Virtuosos chamber orchestra headed by Rovshan Amrakhov and led by the chief conductor of the orchestra, honored artist of Azerbaijan Eyyub Guliyev, together with honored artists Farida Mammadova (soprano), Sabina Asadova (mezzo-soprano) and laureate of international competitions Ramiz Sevdimaliyev (vibraphone), performed works of the Brazilian classics Ary Barroso, Luiz Bonfa, Zequinha de Abreu, Sergio Mendes, Ney Rosauro, and compositions of Heitor Villa-Lobos. Many of the compositions were played for the first time in Azerbaijan.

Along with Brazilian music, the Baku Virtuosos performed samples of classical music by the great Azerbaijani composers Gara Garayev and Fikrat Amirov.

A special surprise for the public was the world premiere of the work “Sculpting Mario de Andrade’s Words by Italian composer Stefano Muscaritolo. Based on the “Dancas” poem by De Andrade, the work was specially written on the occasion of the Independence Day of Brazil.

The performance of the orchestra was warmly received by listeners and caused a storm of applause. The audience several times gave standing ovation.

The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Brazil were established on October 23, 1993. In addition to embassies, each country created Brazil-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Groups in 2012 and 2013.

The two countries develop economic and political relations in all directions, and they have established a working group on cooperation in trade and economy. Azerbaijan and Brazil share common commitments to universal values, the rule of international law, the principles of the United Nations, including respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of borders.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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