Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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On the first day of the Nasimi – Poetry, Spirituality, and Art Festival, a new staging of Huseyn Javid’s play "İblis" will be showcased with the participation of symphony orchestra musicians and the Azerbaijan State Pantomime Theatre, Azernews reports.

The new production will be performed on September 23 at the Heydar Aliyev Center. The chief director of the new staging is Bakhtiyar Khanizade, the founder and chief director of the Azerbaijan State Pantomime Theatre and People’s Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The uniqueness of the new staging lies in the live orchestra accompaniment, where the orchestra musicians not only play but also become part of the performance during the show. Throughout the performance, the musicians, the actors of the Pantomime Theatre, and the events are all coordinated by the conductor.

In the new production, the lead role and conductor will be performed by Mustafa Mehmandarov, a recipient of the President’s Award and laureate of several international competitions. Under the conductor’s guidance, the symphony orchestra musicians blend among the actors of the Pantomime Theatre, becoming participants in the plastic expressions of the performance.

The play addresses the eternal and universal conflict between humanity and the devil.

"İblis" is the first Azerbaijani poetic drama to be staged. The tragedy was first performed in 1920 by Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh, an actor of Soviet Azerbaijan’s opera, theater, and silent cinema, and a film director. This event was a major milestone in Azerbaijan’s theatrical history. The play was staged for the second time in 1983 on the occasion of Huseyn Javid’s 100th anniversary by Mehdi Mammadov, People’s Artist of the USSR and State Prize laureate.

In 2024, "İblis" was revived for the third time on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre, directed by Honored Art Worker Mehriban Alakbarzadeh. For the Nasimi Festival, a new staging of the play has been prepared.

From September 23 to 25, the Nasimi – Poetry, Spirituality, and Art Festival, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Culture Ministry, will be held in Baku and Shamakhi, and will be remembered for other special presentations as well.