Azerbaijani Ashiq music performed in France
By Nazrin Gadimova
Azerbaijani ashiqs from the Shirvan region have presented their concert in the framework of the "East" international song festival in France. The concert was organized with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy in France.
French music fans took great interest in the Ashiq art and especially applauded Ashiq Ali's performance, which was accompanied by Ashiq Shirzad Fataliyev (tutek or whistle flute), Shamsi Fataliyev (nagara or folk drum) and Shohrat Aliyev (gosha nagara).
The concert was watched by the Mayor of the city and former French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette with his wife, as well as local journalists and numerous guests.
The audience appreciated Ashiq Ali's performance and they will visit France again in the near future.
During the live broadcast of local radio JetFM the rich culture of Azerbaijan was presented, and it was emphasized that the French know and love Azerbaijani folk music mugham.
The art of Azerbaijani Ashiqs combines poetry, storytelling, dance and vocal and instrumental music into a traditional performance art that is a symbol of Azerbaijani culture. Characterized by the accompaniment of the saz, a stringed musical instrument, the classical repertoire includes 200 songs, 150 literary-musical compositions known as dastans, nearly 2,000 poems in different traditional poetic forms and numerous stories.
The regional variations may include other musical instruments, but all are united by a common national language and artistic history. Ashiqs take part in weddings, friendly parties and festive events throughout the Caucasus and appear on concert stages, radio and television, sometimes synthesizing classical melodies with contemporary ones as they continue to recreate their repertoire.
Their art is considered a symbol of national identity and the guardian of Azerbaijani language, literature and music. Ashiqs also help to promote cultural exchange and dialogue.
The art of Azerbaijani Ashiqs is recognized by UNESCO as a symbol of national cultural identity that embodies various artistic spheres practiced by poets, composers, singers or actor-narrators, thus uniting in one artistic expression the communities of the entire country.