Azerbaijan's classical music in focus in Los Angeles PHOTO
A soirée dedicated to Azerbaijani classical music was held at
Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles on July 22, 2016.
Members of the “Save a Heart Foundation” of the world-famous
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center attended the event.
Welcoming the guests, Consul General Nasimi Aghayev noted that the
first opera (Leyli and Majnun, 1908), operetta (Cloth Peddler,
1913) and ballet (Maiden Tower, 1940) of the Muslim world were all
composed and staged in Azerbaijan.
Speaking of great Azerbaijani composers such as Uzeyir Hajibeyli,
Qara Qarayev and Fikret Amirov, the diplomat highlighted the
significance of their works for the world’s cultural heritage.
Stressing the importance attached by the Consulate General to
making the Azerbaijani music more known in the U.S., the Consul
General spoke of the successful U.S. premieres of Uzeyir
Hajibeyli’s ‘Cloth Peddler’ operetta in Los Angeles in 2013 and
Qara Qarayev’s ‘Seven Beauties’ ballet in San Diego in 2014 - to
the audiences of thousands of American spectators. Then some
fragments from these premieres were screened.
He also informed the audience about the enormous work carried out
by Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Foundation under the leadership of
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva in preserving and promoting the
Azerbaijani musical traditions in Azerbaijan as well as
globally.
Highlighting Azerbaijan’s traditional music genre Mugham, which has
been recognized by UNESCO as Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Aghayev mentioned that as a sign of
tremendous musical value of this genre, NASA decided to make
Azerbaijani Mugham a part of an exclusive collection of only 27
songs representing the Earth’s musical heritage sent to space on
the Voyager spacecraft.
Various publications on Azerbaijan and discs of Azerbaijani
classical music were presented to the attendees of the soirée.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
