Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The International Mugham Center has opened its season with a concert program dedicated to National Music Day, Azernews reports.

Before the concert, the director of the International Mugham Center, People's Art Worker Sahib Pashazadeh, congratulated everyone on the occasion of National Music Day, emphasizing that it is a celebration not only for art enthusiasts but for the entire Azerbaijani people.

The concert featured the Said Rustamov Folk Instruments Orchestra (artistic director and chief conductor Mustafa Ashurov) and the Jahangir Jahangirov Choir (artistic director – Honored Teacher Tarana Yusifova), presenting a program of works by the great composer Uzeyir Hajibayli.

Symbolically, the orchestra included 18 pieces in the program. The concert began with the State Anthem and the overture from the opera "Koroglu".

The performance also included renditions of the immortal works of the famous composer, with participation from the choir's soloists.

The Jahangir Jahangirov Choir performed compositions based on Uzeyir Hajibayli's operas and operettas. The concert was met with great interest.

September 18 marks the birth of Azerbaijan's celebrated composer Uzeyir Hajibayli, and in honor of his legacy, this day is celebrated annually as National Music Day.

This tradition was established by Azerbaijan's National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, through a decree in 1995, commemorating the 110th anniversary of Hajibayli's birth.

This year, Azerbaijan commemorates the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibayli's birth is commemorated this year.

Various events are being held across the country to celebrate this occasion, including the Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival.

The festival is taking place in several cities, including Baku, Sumgayit, Shusha, Ganja, Aghjabadi, Nakhchivan, and Gazakh.

Along with Azerbaijani musicians, prominent performers and musicologists from countries such as Turkiye, the USA, Germany, France, Switzerland, and South Korea also participate in the music festival.

Uzeyir Hajibayli, a renowned composer, scholar, writer, and public figure, is hailed as the founder of Azerbaijani professional music and the creator of the first opera in the East.

His opera, "Leyli and Majnun", premiered on January 12, 1908, in Baku. Based on the poem by Muhammad Fuzuli, it was the first opera of its kind in the Eastern world and marked a turning point in opera history.

The success of "Leyli and Majnun" paved the way for other significant works by "Hajibayli", including "Sheikh Sanan" (1909), "Rustam and Sohrab" (1910), "Shah Abbas and Khurshidbanu", "Asli and Kerem" (1912), and "Harun and Leyla" (1915).

Beyond opera, "Hajibayli" is also credited with pioneering the first operetta in the East. His musical comedy "The Husband and Wife", which premiered in 1910, is regarded as the first of its kind in Azerbaijan.

This was followed by "If Not That One, Then This One" in 1911, which later gained international recognition through translations and stage adaptations.

His final operetta, "The Cloth Peddler", achieved global fame. The work has been translated into nearly 70 languages and performed in over 100 theaters worldwide. It has also been adapted into five films, the first of which was a silent film produced in 1916.

The continued popularity of "The Cloth Peddler" is a testament to the timeless appeal of Hajibayli's music.

Today, Uzeyir Hajibayli is celebrated not only for his foundational contributions to Azerbaijani music but also for his lasting impact on global music culture.

As the creator of Azerbaijan's first opera and operetta and a trailblazer in other musical genres, his legacy is integral to both Azerbaijani and world music history.

His memory lives on in the hearts of the people and through the timeless melodies that continue to resonate in concert halls around the world.