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Laman Ismayilova

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The Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall has hosted a gala concert timed to the 60th anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Choral Capella.

AzerNEWS reports that the event brought together admirers of both classical and national music.

Choral art holds a special place in world culture. It is a unique form of musical expression in which multiple voices merge into a unified whole, creating harmony that cannot be achieved in solo performance. A choir is not only about music, but also about dialogue, mutual understanding, and collective breathing. It embodies the idea of unity, where different timbres, characters, and individualities come together in a shared artistic statement. For this reason, the choral capella has remained an important bearer of cultural memory and spiritual values for 60 years.

Under the direction of chief choirmaster, People's Artist Gulbaji Imanova, the ensemble presented a program that seamlessly blended world masterpieces with Azerbaijan’s rich musical heritage. The evening's diverse repertoire featured works by renowned composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, Orlando di Lasso, Alexander Varlamov, Camille Saint-Saens, Isaak Dunayevsky, George Frideric Handel, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gara Garayev, Arif Malikov, and Hajibaba Mammadov. A special place in the program was given to Azerbaijani folk music, which gained new depth and expression in choral performance.

The stage featured a constellation of distinguished and emerging soloists, including People's Artists Samir Jafarov (tenor) and Gulnaz Ismayilova (soprano); Honored Artists Tural Aghasiyev (tenor), Zanfira Ismayilova (soprano), Anar Shushali (tenor), Sabina Asadova (mezzo-soprano), and Nigar Asgarova (soprano), as well as Anastasia Pavelko (soprano), Aliakhmed Ibrahimov (tenor), Elnur Huseynov (vocal), Farid Aliyev (tenor), Anton Fershtandt (baritone), Nina Makarova (mezzo-soprano), and Saida Sharifaliyeva (soprano).

Instrumental performers also took part in the concert, including Honored Artist Sahib Pashazade (tar), Fariz Huseynov (kamancha), and Emin Jabrayilov (naghara).

Blending with the choir, their voices created a powerful emotional atmosphere, allowing the audience to fully experience the intensity of live performance. The musicians were accompanied by concertmasters Svetlana Ahmadova, Saida Taghizade, Yekaterina Savvateyeva, Vafa Azizova, Narmin Rzayeva, and Tofig Shikhiyev.

The highlight of the evening was the performance of "Ey Vətən" by Uzeyir Hajibayli, an emotional and symbolic finale that was met with thunderous applause and a heartfelt response from the audience.

The audience responded with prolonged applause, clearly fascinated by the concert.