Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Baku is hosting the seventh International Mstislav Rostropovich festival on May 12-18.

The festival is organized jointly by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation for Cultural and Humanitarian Programs.

The grand opening ceremony featured performances by Azerbaijan State Symphonic Orchestra after Uzeyir Hajibeyli and Azerbaijan State Choir led by People's Artist Rauf Abdullayev and People's Artist Gulbaji Imanova respectively.

Speaking at the ceremony, Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev welcomed the participants, and noted that this festival of classical music was an important event not only in Azerbaijan, but also worldwide.

"The festival has been traditionally held in December, but starting this year, we, together with Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation, have decided to hold it in May," he said.

"The International Festival of Mstislav Rostropovich will naturally be dedicated to the anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev and world-famous musician Mstislav Rostropovich were linked by a strong friendship, and both of them loved their people and culture. Therefore, holding the festival in May reflects the spirit of friendship and love," he said.

Olga Rostropovich, the artistic director of the festival and the world-famous musician's daughter expressed gratitude to the organizers.

"My sons, Mstislav Rostropovich's grandsons, came to the festival in Baku for the first time this year. It is an honor for us and we really appreciate the reverence and attention Azerbaijan has paid to the creative legacy of Mstislav Rostropovich, who always spoke highly of his native Baku and loved this fabulous city," she said.

The festival is attended by world-famous musicians and bands.

The list of participants include the Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists of Galina Vishnevskaya's Opera center, Yuri Temirkanov, Gintaras Rinkevicius, Boris Berezovsky, Denis Kozhukhin, Sergey Dogadin, and others.

Azerbaijani musicians will also perform at the festival.

Baku initiated holding annual Mstislav Rostropovich Festival based on a festival dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich's birthday, organized by Mstislav Rostropovich in Baku in 2006.

Held since 2007, the festival brings together famous musicians from different parts of the world.

Earlier in spring, Moscow and Orenburg held international festivals dedicated to the great cellist.

Mstislav Rostropovich, who was both a cellist and a conductor, was born in Baku in 1927.

In a lifetime of countless memorable performances, Rostropovich gave the premieres of cello concertos by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Britten, and Bliss. He made his conducting debut in Gorky in 1961, winning outstanding acclaim as a conductor and appearing with most of the world's leading orchestras.

He was the Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington from 1977 to 1994. In the U.K., he appeared regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra and with other leading British orchestras.