Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater has presented the opera "Tosca" by the outstanding Italian composer Giacomo Puccini on the stage of the Opera Studio of the Baku Music Academy, Azernews reports.

The role of Cavaradossi was performed for the first time by Honored Artist Ramil Gasymov, marking the realization of his 27-year-long dream.

“I clearly remember watching Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater back in 1998. The role of Tosca was performed by a living legend of our time, Khuraman Gasimova; Cavaradossi was sung by People’s Artist of Georgia Teimuraz Gugushvili; and at the conductor’s podium stood a living legend of our musical culture, Rauf Abdullayev.

The music of that evening struck me to the depths of my soul. Especially the death scene of Cavaradossi, his aria, and the dramatic line of the work as a whole, expressed through the music, left an indelible mark on my memory. It was precisely that evening that a feeling—a dream—was born within me: to one day perform this role myself. And that dream has come true. I performed the role of Cavaradossi!

From the very first minutes of the performance, I felt the sincere support and attention of my dear friend, the director of the theater where I work, the world-renowned tenor Yusif Eyvazov. The highest level of professionalism of the conductor, Ayyub Guliyev, the unified ensemble spirit of the soloists, and, most importantly, the love of the audience, who breathed in unison with the stage, made this evening truly priceless for me. I express my deep gratitude to each and every one of them. This was not just a performance—it was the stage embodiment of a dream I had been pursuing for many years," Ramil Gasimov shared.

In the performance, the role of Tosca was sung by Honored Artist Ilaha Afandiyeva, and the role of Scarpia by Honored Artist Anton Fershtandt. Honored Artist Tural Aghasiyev also took part in the production, along with soloists Mahir Taghizade, Rza Khosrovzade, Igor Yadrov, Ruslan Persan, and Fatima Mammadova. At the conductor’s podium was the chief conductor of the Opera and Ballet Theater, Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev.

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