Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijani mugham singer Alim Gasimov together with his daughter Fargana Gasimova will perform in Geneva as part of Festival Asie Interieure on November 5.

The Azerbaijani musicians will be accompanied by a trio featuring Rauf Islamov (kamancha), Zeki Veliyev (tar) and Rafael Askarov (balaban).

For centuries, the Silk Road has helped to create links between the most diverse cultures – nomadic traders would establish contact with sedentary populations through encounters along the road.

From the Caucasus to the borders of the Pacific Ocean, this vast territory was – among other things – a spiritual melting pot for Sufism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Shamanism. These influences helped to forge artistic expressions of great originality, of which this festival offers some particularly significant examples.

The festival will run until November 15.

Alim Gasimov was awarded the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international accolades for music in 1999.

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.

For that achievement, he was quoted by the New York Times as simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation. Also known as an artist of supreme versatility, Gasimov has collaborated and performed with some of the world’s leading musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Kronos Quartet and Jeff Buckley.

Over the years, Fargana Gasimova, along with her father and teacher Alim Gasimov, has successfully represented Azerbaijan in the international arena, making a significant contribution to the development and promotion of national art of mugham.

Fargana first gained publicity in 1995, when at the age of sixteen, she joined her already distinguished father in a concert tour of Germany for the first time. Since then, she has been performing frequently with her father at many of the most prestigious music stages in both Azerbaijan and abroad.

In 2002, Fargana made her first appearance as a soloist at the Women's Voices Festival in Belgium.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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