Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

An evening of Azerbaijan was held in Cologne, Germany on November 20.

The event was held with organizational support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation at the historical Gursenich Cultural Hall

Addressing the evening organized with the support of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Germany, Ambassador Parviz Shahbazov said Azerbaijan is a leading state in the Caucasus by political and economic indices, and talked about its rich culture.

Shahbazov thanked the Foundation and its president Mehriban Aliyeva for the projects implemented towards promoting Azerbaijan's cultural and historical richness around the world.

"The art of mugham in Azerbaijan, a country serving as a bridge between the East and the West, has been included in the List of Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. But, along with national Eastern music, classic European music has also developed, and the concert program in Cologne is an obvious example."

Shahbazov said Nagorno-Karabakh, the homeland of Azerbaijani music, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces for over 20 years and over 1 million people became refugees and internally displaced as a result.

Hosting the event, which lasted more the 3 hours, Germany's well-known TV host Joe Fechner gave some information about Azerbaijan before starting the concert program.

Fechner mentioned that the first parliamentary republic in the Orient was established in Azerbaijan, and that women were granted a right to vote in Azerbaijan even before it happened in Europe.

Talking about the projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Fechner said the Foundation had participated in the restoration of historical churches in Strasbourg and Paris, catacombs in Rome, and the Berlin Castle demolished during the World War II.

The speakers also emphasized development of mugham, jazz and classic music traditions in Azerbaijan, Baku's successful hosting of the Eurovision song contest in 2012, and that President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva had led the Organizing Committee of the Contest.

The evening of Azerbaijan continued with a performance by the State Chamber Orchestra of Azerbaijan named after Gara Garayev. Fikret Amirov's "A Dance of Rejoicing", Niyazi's "Rast" symphonic mugham, Uzeir Hajibeyli's "Arshyn mal alan" Operetta, Guljohra's aria, Vasif Adygozalov's "Elegy", famous song "Sary gelin", and other pieces of music were performed at the concert, under Fuad Ibrahimov's direction.

A photo exhibition "Germans in Azerbaijan", which reflects the life of Germans living in the Goygol district of Azerbaijan, a multinational country with traditions of tolerance, was also presented to the guests of the evening.

The exhibition "Germany through an artist's eyes" was also demonstrated. Pictures drawn by young Azerbaijanis that have never been to Germany using their imagination of this country are displayed at the exhibition.

Dishes from Azerbaijani cuisine, various books related to Azerbaijan's history, culture and art published by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as well as CDs with Azerbaijani mugham, jazz, classic and variety music were presented to the guests.

The Foundation plans to hold a number of events to promote Azerbaijani culture in Germany. The next event of Azerbaijani culture is expected to be held by the Foundation in Hamburg on December 5.

Earlier in November, the evening of Azerbaijan organized in Stuttgart also featured Azerbaijani music, and Azerbaijan's cuisine was presented to the guests at the event.

In October, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation also started a new project to further Azerbaijan's popularity in Italy.

The Foundation also held a number of other cultural events aimed at promoting Azerbaijan's culture earlier in France.