Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The fifth Qara Qarayev International Contemporary Music Festival is coming to an end on Friday.

The event, which began on April 14 through the organization support of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Tourism, involved famous bands and soloists from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Austria and Azerbaijan, who performed the most prominent piece of contemporary music, and took part in conferences.

Azerbaijani Honored Art Worker Faraj Qarayev is an art director of the festival.

The festival opened in the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall with the tremendous concert "Around Qara Qarayev" in the performance of Uzeyir Hajibeyli State Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Rauf Abdullayev with Russian violin-soloist Stanislav Malyshev.

The festival, conceived as a continuation of the existing tradition, included only contemporary music.

The festival program consists of the world of the 20th century music including works by Qarayev, Schoenberg, Respighi, Ligeti, Berio, Shostakovich -- all those who greatly influenced their contemporaries and opened a new way of composers' thinking in the last century.

The festival also features a scientific conference at the Museum Center and concerts at the International Mugham Center, the Rashid Behbudov State Song Theatre, the State Philharmonic Hall after Muslim Magomayev and the State Philharmonic's camera and organ music hall.

The scientific conference led by the Doctor of Arts Rauf Farkhadov on April 15 was dedicated to the importance of the context, discourse, intertextuality and deconstruction in the work of composer. The conference provided information on the outstanding Azerbaijani composer Qara Qarayev and featured the "Qara Qarayev. A View from the 21st century," report.

April 15 also featured the chamber concert of the France ensemble Accroche Note under artistic director Armand Angster.

The ensemble fascinated the audience with performance of Eco IIb by Michael Jarrell, Solo de vibraphone by Philippe Manoury, Trois Couplets by George Apergis, Time, real and imaginary by Francesko Luka.

Piano concert programs feature pianist Gulshen Annagiyeva music, a Moscow piano duo of Alexei Lyubimov and Ivan Sokolov, and Dutchman Marcel Worms as well as program "Organ +" by Marianna Vysotskaya. The performances draw the attention of the audience to their non-standard solutions.

The festival program significantly focused on new Azerbaijani music.

The program for the final day - April 19 - involves a blues concert in Mugam Center with the Dutch pianist Marcel Worms. The festival will be closed at the State Philharmonic Hall with "Three crossroads" concert of State Symphonic Orchestra with participation of Russian Questa musica ensemble, and Austrian soloist Kaori Nishii.

The traditional festival, which immersed the city in the modern classical music, is highly expected by audience in the future.