Folk singer Alim Gasimov to perform at festival in Poland
By Nazrin Gadimova
Azerbaijani mugham singer Alim Gasimov with his daughter, Honorary Artist Fargana Gasimova will participate at the European Stadium of Culture festival to be held on June 25-30 in Poland.
They will perform at the festival with the "Voo Voo" band. Alim and Fargana will represent a synthesis of Azerbaijani folk music mugham. Polish and Azerbaijani musicians will accompany their performance.
Alim Gasimov is a prominent mugham singer named a "Living National Treasure" of Azerbaijan. He has been passionate about mugham since his early childhood, but initially Gasimov sang mugham merely for his own enjoyment.
Gasimov perceives and presents mugham not only as an ancient art and a part of Azerbaijan's musical and cultural heritage but also as a constantly developing tradition. His performing style is unique, as it combines deep knowledge of centuries-old rules of mugham with challenging innovations. It is distinguished by extreme intensity, which mesmerizes audiences.
Gasimov, 55, was awarded the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize in 1999. He is also a master of the ancient Ashig folk art.
Recently, he has been a participant of the Silk Road Project initiated by the prominent cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and a member of the Silk Road Ensemble consisting of the leading musicians of the world. Since 1989, he is a soloist of Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. On the opera stage, he has played the roles of Majnun and Ashig Garib.
In addition to performing with the Silk Road Ensemble, Gasimov performs with the Kronos Quartet as part of his collaboration with the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia.
Alim Gasimov and Fargana Gasimova have already been to Warsaw to give a concert, which took place in September 2012. The tickets were sold out for their concert that was held within an international music festival in Poland.