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Laman Ismayilova

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The second edition of the international music competition "Sounds of the Land of Fire" was successfully concluded in Vienna, the capital of Austria, which is known as the land of Mozart, Azernews reports.

This brilliant project aimed at promoting Azerbaijani Austriaclassical music in Europe. The competition was dedicated to the landmark occasion - the 140th anniversary of the birth of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the founder of Azerbaijani classical music and the composer of the first opera in the entire East.

The final round of the competition and the gala concert of the laureates took place in the very heart of the Austrian capital across two prestigious venues: the Imperial Hall of the Piano Gallery and the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Vienna.

The organizer and main sponsor of the competition was the Azerbaijani Academic Association, founded in Vienna in 2002 and led by Sahila Rzazade. For more than twenty years, the Association has been actively strengthening cultural and academic ties between Austria and Azerbaijan. The second sponsor of the competition was the State Committee on Work with the Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan, while the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Vienna acted as a partner.

Special mention should be given to the dedicated team that worked for almost a year to prepare and deliver this large-scale project. The team included:

- Sahila Rzazade – Head and Project Director

- Abuzar Manafzade – Competition Advisor

- Sabina Rzazade – Artistic Consultant

- Ramazan Nabiyev – IT Consultant and Deputy man

- Elchin Bagirov – Financial Consultant

- Raul Mammadzade – Partnership Assistant with cultural organizations

The coordinated efforts of this team ensured a high level of organization and the success of the competition.

At the solemn opening of the competition, speeches were delivered by Leyla Gasimova, Director of the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Vienna, and Sahila Rzazade, Head of the Azerbaijani Academic Association. In her address, Leyla Gasimova emphasized that the Cultural Center was proud to host the gala concert of such a prestigious event. She expressed her delight that the competition was being held for the second time and dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli, wishing success to the organizers, jury members, and participants. In her speech, Sahila Rzazade extended her deep gratitude to the jury, sponsors, partners, and especially to her own team. She highlighted that the participants were not only talented but also courageous.

Immediately afterwards, the guests were presented with a video presentation that illustrated the history of the first edition of the competition, held in 2022, and highlighted its mission, objectives, prizes, and finalists. The creative approach drew special admiration: classical music was uniquely combined with modern artificial intelligence technologies. This artistic concept had symbolic meaning, as the next year in Azerbaijan has been officially declared the Year of Artificial Intelligence. The video presentation became a highlight of the evening and created a special atmosphere for the entire ceremony.

The jury was chaired by Farhad Badalbeyli, Rector of the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, People’s Artist of the USSR, and Professor. In his speech, he emphasized the significance of the competition and presented the winners with diplomas and awards together with the jury members and Sahila Rzazade.

The distinctive feature of the competition was the mandatory performance of works by Azerbaijani composers. For the first time, young pianists from different countries turned to the rich legacy of Gara Garayev, Jeyhun Hajibeyli, Ashraf Abbasov, Tofig Guliyev, Galib Mammadov, Farhad Badalbeyli and others. The project’s mission to bring the global music community closer to Azerbaijani culture was successfully fulfilled.

Competition results:

- First Prize - Eunseon Ahn (Republic of Korea, 27 years old)

- Second Prize - Nanase Kuroki (Japan, 29 years old) and Naoe Sasaki (Japan, 24 years old)

- Third Prize - Hidayet Sadigbayli (Azerbaijan, 21 years old) and Tomiris Bekturova (Kazakhstan, 25 years old)

- The Special Prize for Best Performance of an Azerbaijani Composition was awarded to Daniel Boura (Czech Republic, 23 years old), who performed Ashraf Abbasov’s “Folk Song (6 Miniatures)” and “Humoreska”, as well as Jeyhun Hajibeyli’s “Joke” and “Fairy Tale” with outstanding professionalism.

The distinguished jury included: Farhad Badalbeyli (People’s Artist of the USSR, Honorary Chairman), Oleg Marshev (Professor at the Milan Conservatory and Anton Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, originally from Baku), Stefan Möller (Professor at the Richard Wagner Conservatory in Vienna), Abuzar Manafzade (pianist and composer), Kamala Ahmadova (pianist), and Farah Tairova (musicologist).

In the near future, the winners will be invited to perform in a joint concert in Azerbaijan with leading orchestras, supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, and the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Vienna.

According to the jury members, the competition was a true revelation. The level of preparation of the participants was very high, and the performance of Azerbaijani music, which was the first experience for many of them, sparked genuine interest and deep emotional resonance.

"Sounds of the Land of Fire" has firmly secured its place in European cultural life and has become a shining chapter in the history of promoting Azerbaijani music abroad.

You can find more detailed information about the competition on its official website: www.lofmc.com