Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The evening was supposed to begin under the open sky, but it started with rain. Just as everything was ready for the opening of the third Fidan Hajiyeva International Opera Festival at the Summer Theatre of the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall, a heavy downpour swept across Baku. Nature changed the plans, but it could not dampen the festive mood of the occasion.

Guests moved to the Philharmonic's welcoming foyer, where the festival was officially opened in a warm and relaxed atmosphere.

There were several reasons to celebrate that evening. For the first time in Azerbaijan, a classical arts festival of such scale will run for three months, from September 7 to December 7. Around 30 musical and cultural events will be held during this period not only in Baku and various regions of Azerbaijan, but also at international venues in Paris, London, Milan and Minsk.

The festival is dedicated to a double anniversary of its founder, People's Artist of Azerbaijan and renowned opera singer Fidan Hajiyeva: her 50th birthday and 30 years of professional artistic activity in Azerbaijan and on international stages.

The evening was filled with congratulations, warm wishes and words of appreciation for the celebrated singer. Well-known figures from the fields of culture, science and education attended the opening, presenting Hajiyeva with flowers and gifts and wishing her many more years of success on stage.

The evening's host, renowned television presenter Saleh Bagirov, introduced the festival's extensive programme, emphasizing its unprecedented scale and international reach.

The festival, however, is conceived as much more than a series of concerts. Its programme combines opera and chamber music evenings, symphonic concerts, master classes, literary and artistic gatherings, and educational projects.

Particular attention is being paid to younger audiences. Some events will be held at leading higher education institutions across the country, giving young listeners an opportunity to discover classical music in a more direct and engaging setting.

One of the key projects is "Young Voices Sound into the Future." As Fidan Hajiyeva noted, its main aim is to discover new talent and provide young vocalists with genuine opportunities for professional development. Emerging performers will have the chance to share the stage with established artists, take part in solo concerts and present their work to wider audiences. In this way, the festival creates a space where the rich traditions of Azerbaijan's vocal school meet a new generation of voices.

The musical programme of the opening proved to be a special treat for the guests. The concert featured MEZZO, Azerbaijan's first women's chamber orchestra, founded by Fidan Hajiyeva in 2019, as well as students of her Vocal Music School. Friends and colleagues of the anniversary honouree, including Honored Artists Dilar Aliyeva and Farid Aliyev, also performed.

But the central figure of the evening was, naturally, Fidan Hajiyeva herself. The celebrated soprano took the stage with performances of arias from various operas, including, of course, excerpts from "Carmen" - a work that has long been closely associated with her artistic career.

When the rain briefly eased, the celebration returned to the Summer Theatre. Guests watched a film about Hajiyeva's artistic journey and her new music video on the big screen. The evening then continued with music, songs and dancing, as if to prove that a true celebration of art cannot be cancelled even by the heaviest rain.

Yet the opening was only the first page of a three-month festival story.

The musical climax of the festival will be the grand gala concert "Carmen. Half a Century of an Artist's Life," scheduled for December 7 at the Heydar Aliyev Palace.

The title of the concert is no coincidence. In the year of her 50th birthday, Fidan Hajiyeva will take the stage surrounded by music to which she has devoted a significant part of her life. The programme will feature selected excerpts from Georges Bizet's immortal opera, alongside some of the finest works of Azerbaijani and world classical music.

The concert will feature the Niyazi State Symphony Orchestra conducted by People's Artist of Azerbaijan Yalchin Adigozalov, as well as a renowned Spanish flamenco ensemble.

Thus, an evening that began with rain has opened a festival that promises to unfold as a three-month celebration of music, art and the people who devote their lives to it. The stage may have had to take shelter from the rain for a while, but the artist's voice continued to carry.

Perhaps that is the central idea behind the Fidan Hajiyeva Festival: to preserve music, pass it from one generation to the next and ensure that it continues to be heard, whatever the weather may bring.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az,Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.