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Laman Ismayilova

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The 18th Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival has kicked off at the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall.

The event was attended by prominent cultural figures, musicians and guests from across the Turkic world.

Organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, the opening ceremony was attended by Farah Aliyeva, Head of Humanitarian Policy, Diaspora, Multiculturalism and Religious Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration; Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli; Hijran Huseynova, Chair of the Azerbaijan Parliament's Committee on Family, Women and Children; President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova; delegates of the First Congress of Composers of the Turkic World, as well as music lovers.

The music festival was organized by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the ICESCO Regional Office in Baku, the Azerbaijan Composers' Union and the Azerbaijan National Conservatory.

Before the ceremony, guests viewed an exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress.

A gala opening concert of the First Congress of Composers of the Turkic World was held as part of the festival, featuring works by composers representing different countries of the Turkic world.

The concert was performed by the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Fuad Ibrahimov. The soloists included Hungarian violinist Sandor Laszlo, as well as Azerbaijani musicians Nijat Salmanov on flute and Alim Sadikhov on oboe.

The evening opened with the overture from Uzeyir Hajibayli's opera "Koroglu". The program continued with an overture from Muslim Magomayev's opera "Shah Ismayil", arranged by Gara Garayev, followed by the "At the Spring" duet from Aktoty Raimkulova's ballet "Kozy Korpesh - Bayan Sulu" and M. Begaliyev's "Festive Overture".

The program also featured O. Gulbey's "Rhapsody" for flute, oboe and orchestra, R. Nepesov's "Yunus", R. Abdullayev's "Song of Love", and S. Laszlo's "Transylvanian Dance" for violin and orchestra.

The festival's program has also extended beyond Baku, with concerts and cultural events held in Shusha, Agjabadi, Ganja and Nakhchivan, bringing the music of Uzeyir Hajibayli to audiences in different parts of the country.

At the Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theatre, the 117th season opened as part of the festival with a performance of Uzeyir Hajibayli's beloved operetta "Arshin Mal Alan". The production, which has remained part of the country's theatrical repertoire for more than a century, was warmly received by the audience.

A concert was also held at the Uzeyir Hajibayli House Museum in Baku to mark National Music Day and the 141st anniversary of the composer's birth. Young musicians and the "Banovsha" children's choir performed works by Hajibayli and other Azerbaijani composers.

In Shusha, the composer's ancestral homeland, a special concert was held in front of the Uzeyir Hajibayli House Museum. The program featured faculty members and students of Karabakh University alongside the Cadenza Orchestra.

Nakhchivan also joined the festival program with a concert dedicated to National Music Day at the Heydar Aliyev Palace. The event brought together the Folk Instruments Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and choir of the Nakhchivan State Philharmonic, as well as beneficiaries of the Nakhchivan Regional Information Center.

In Agjabadi, an event marking National Music Day and Hajibayli's birthday combined music with visual arts. The program included exhibitions of books, paintings and decorative and applied art, followed by musical and stage performances by teachers, students and ensembles from music and art schools in Agjabadi, Barda and Aghdam districts.

Ganja hosted a concert at the Fikret Amirov Ganja State Philharmonic dedicated to Hajibayli's creative legacy. The Chamber Orchestra performed works by the celebrated composer, while a dance ensemble presented traditional Azerbaijani dances.

Across the festival program, particular attention was given to Hajibayli's contribution to the formation and development of professional music in Azerbaijan, his rich artistic legacy and his lasting role in preserving and passing on the country's musical traditions.