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Laman Ismayilova

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David Garrett, the Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre, English National Ballet and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo at the Baku International Arts Festival

The Baku International Arts Festival (BIAF), taking place from 28 October to 8 November 2026 at the key venues of Azerbaijan’s capital, continues to announce the headliners of this year’s programme. Among them are world-renowned stars of music, contemporary choreography, dramatic theatre and the visual arts.

On 4 November, the Heydar Aliyev Center will host the only concert in Baku by the internationally acclaimed violinist David Garrett, an artist who has largely shaped the modern style of classical crossover. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Garrett received rigorous classical training under such masters as Zakhar Bron and Ida Haendel. In his youth he also worked with outstanding conductors, among them Yehudi Menuhin, who called him “the greatest violinist of his generation.” This strong academic foundation gave Garrett the confidence and freedom to move effortlessly between genres and music of different eras — earning him the nicknames “the Jimi Hendrix of the classical stage” and “the Paganini of pop”. The rock star of classical music will bring to Baku for the first time his celebrated programme Millennium Symphony — a spectacular show in which the biggest hits of the past 25 years are performed in large-scale symphonic arrangements for violin. Audiences can expect an emotional mix of dazzling technique, rock-stage energy and the creative freedom of one of the most charismatic artists of our time. The ideal setting for the evening will be the iconic Heydar Aliyev Center, whose fluid, almost weightless architecture resonates with the same power and boundlessness as Garrett’s music.

On the same stage, on 3 and 4 November, the celebrated Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre will present the production Alfred and Violetta — one of the most remarkable and poetic theatrical phenomena of our time. The play, written and originally staged by the outstanding Georgian theatre artist Rezo Gabriadze, returns in a completely new version. Shortly before his death in 2021, the author almost entirely rewrote the piece; the final staging was completed by his son, director Leo Gabriadze. The classic love story, known from Alexandre Dumas fils’ novel La Dame aux Camélias and Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata, is transposed to the turbulent 1990s in Tbilisi, where the protagonists must overcome far harsher trials. The world premiere of the renewed production took place in February 2022 at Venice’s Teatro Goldoni and immediately captivated both audiences and critics. The Italian press wrote: “Gabriadze is a master of theatrical style in which humour is mixed with heart-breaking pain. With animated figures that live and feel, he creates a unique world full of mystery” (La Nuova, Venice, 2022).

On 6 and 7 November, the Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theatre will welcome, for the first time in Baku’s history, the renowned English National Ballet. The Company will present the programme Masters in Motion: Forsythe / Pite, featuring two landmark works by contemporary choreographers — Body and Soul (Part 1) by Crystal Pite and Playlist (EP) by William Forsythe. Body and Soul (Part 1) is a hypnotic piece exploring conflict and connectedness. It starts with an intimate duet, gradually expanding to surging crowds creating mesmerising waves of movement across the stage. Playlist (EP) is filled with energy and joy, where classical ballet technique and athleticism meet a soundtrack of pop, R&B and house — including tracks by Barry White, Natalie Cole and Khalid — to create an infectious feel-good mood.

Another celebrated company — Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, direct heirs of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes — will also make its first appearance in Baku. On 7 November at the Heydar Aliyev Palace they will present the Baku premiere of LAC, a radical reimagining of Swan Lake by the outstanding choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot. Maillot, who has directed the company since 1993, ranks among the most influential European choreographers of his generation: his works are performed on the world’s leading stages, and he is known for a rare ability to combine classical technique with contemporary dramaturgy. In LAC he retains the original score while completely reshaping the stage narrative, transforming the classic fairy tale into a dark psychological family drama. Since its premiere in Monaco in 2011, LAC has toured the world’s major theatres and been recognised by critics as one of the strongest contemporary readings of this masterpiece. The performance in Baku carries special significance: it takes place in a jubilee season for the ballet — 150 years since the creation of Tchaikovsky’s original work.

The performances by Garrett, the Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre, English National Ballet and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo form only part of the main programme of the Baku International Arts Festival (BIAF), which is held with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan. In total, more than 20 events of different genres are planned, bringing together outstanding artists and companies from Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Monaco, Russia, the United States, France and other countries.

The full programme of BIAF 2026 and tickets are available on the official festival website: http://biaf.az/.

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