NEWS

Despite the quarantine regime, the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theater continues to rehearse its new play based on the novel by Maksud Ibrahimbekov "A woman in black came".

Surely, many of you have not read it yet and it’s so wonderful to pick up a new, still unfamiliar book by a beloved author. Moreover, the novel has recently been translated into three languages, Trend Life reported.

So far, rehearsals are taking place online. However, the theater's staff hopes that the upcoming rehearsals will be held on the stage in the near future. 

The actions in the novel take place in the 80-90s of the last century in one of the coastal settlements of the Absheron Peninsula. The main character fights for the triumph of social justice.

The director of the performance is People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Alexander Sharovsky, art director - People's Artist of the USSR Tahir Salakhov, costume designers - Anna Ibrahimbekova, Honored Worker of Culture Olga Abbasova, music by Honored Worker of Culture Vladimir Neverov, assistant director, choreographer - Honored Artist Fuad Osmanov.

The State Russian Drama Theater named after Samad Vurgun plays a major role in the cultural life of the country. Charismatic and extraordinary talented theater actors always surprise the audience with wonderful performances.

Many works of Russian literary figures such as Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekov, Gogol, Lermontov, Mayakovsky, Lavrenyov, as well as Azerbaijani literary figures such as Jafar Jabbarli, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Ali bay Huseynzade, Najaf bay Vazirov, Huseyn Javid, works of world classics such as Shakespeare, Schiller, Moliere, Dumas, Hugo, Balzac are staged in the theater.

The theater team pays special attention to young viewers, and plays a significant role in introducing theater art to children.

Nowadays, Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theater is one of the most popular theaters in the country.

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum will host a virtual conversation with talented national artist Chingiz Babayev on July 9. The  live broadcast will be available on Instagram at 17:00.

Chingiz Babayev successfully works in various art fields. He is engaged in a carpet design, jewelry and wax carving.

His modern approach to Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art is of great interest among art lovers. The artist`s art works are successfully displayed in Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Germany, Finland and other countries.

In January, his personal exhibition of carpet-weaving products opened in the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Vienna, Austria.

Along with stunning carpets, the exhibition also featured artist's sketches and silver jewelry. 

The artist's carpets are included in the collection of the National Carpet Museum.

Azerbaijan is invited to take part in the 9th St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum to be held on November 12-14. 

The country, which received the honorary "Guest Country" status is currently working on an extensive range of events that seek to demonstrate the wealth of the national culture and art. 

At the 2018 Forum, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture signed a joint statement regarding the award of this special status to Azerbaijan in 2020. This statement will help further strengthening of cooperation between the two countries and foster further mutual enrichment processes between Russia and Azerbaijan. 

Speakers from Azerbaijan will take an active part in the business program of the Forum, including the discussions of the Open Lectures Culture 2.0, screening of Azerbaijan films, presentation of the puppet exhibition, a concert of the symphony orchestra in Shostakovich Academic Philharmonia of Saint Petersburg, "Love Legend" ballet by Arif Melikov, Azerbaijani composer, and People’s Artist of the USSR in Mariinsky Theatre and a gala concert of the Folk Dance Ensemble.

Another memorable event will be the opening of the Azerbaijani Hall in the State Hermitage Museum. The upcoming exhibition will display cultural artifacts from Azerbaijan that are kept in the museum collection. The Russian Museum of Ethnography will also present its own renewed Azerbaijani Hall. 

In addition, it is also planned to open an exhibition dedicated to life and work of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi. 

Another planned event is the performance of music by the Azerbaijani composer Faraj Garayev by the Baku Chamber Orchestra.

Literary recital, participation of Azerbaijani artists in Jazz Across BordersForum & Festival and other events are among other projects to be held as part of the forum. 

The annual forum brings together theater, opera and ballet stars, outstanding directors and musicians, public figures.

The forum's activities are focused on international cooperation, mutual enrichment of cultures and integration of Russia into the global cultural space. 

The large-scale project features both a business program for professionals and numerous cultural events for residents and guests of St. Petersburg. 

YARAT Contemporary Space has presented a virtual lettuce of Russian art expert Olga Polyanskaya.

During the lecture, Olga Polyanskaya provided insight into the collection of Azerbaijani paintings (1960-1980s) stored at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

YARAT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally.

Based in Baku, YARAT was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011.

The organization realizes its mission through an on-going program of exhibitions, education events and festivals.

YARAT facilitates exchange between local and international artistic networks including foundations, galleries and museums.

Azerbaijan State Art Gallery is pleased to announce a new virtual project "+ 5C" on July 8, at 18:00. 

The Gallery invites art lovers to participate in the first online knowledge contest on Azerbaijani art, answer 5 questions and win some prizes. 

 You can join and participate in the virtual project through the live broadcast on Instagram.

For more information, please visit the gallery's Facebook. 

Founded in 1975, Azerbaijan State Art Gallery displays more than 14,000 paintings, graphics, sculptures, decorative and applied arts and contemporary art examples. 

The main activities of the gallery include preservation and restoration of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, researches on the current situation and prospects of the fine arts and decorative-applied arts and much more. 

The majority of exhibitions in Azerbaijan and abroad are mainly composed of the works stored in the gallery. 

The State Art Gallery regularly successfully holds various art projects, lectures and other events.

Azerbaijani composer Khadija Zeynalova has delighted German audience with new music piece "Azerbaijani Fairy Tale".

Four concerts, titled "Nomadic Music", were successfully presented at the Gallus Theater in Frankfurt and the Kulturforum in Wiesbaden. The premiere was presented as part of a concert program.

Her new music piece was brilliantly performed by Bridges Chamber Orchestra under the direction of well-known conductor Joanna Dalkhov. 

The music composition "Azerbaijani Fairy Tale" features traditional dance "Uzundere", folk song "Ay Lachin" and an excerpt from the mugham "Bayat Shiraz".

"My goal is to successfully represent Azerbaijan and its brilliant musical culture at the highest level in Germany, as well as to combine the musical cultures of the peoples of the West and East through music. The composition performed by Bridges Orchestra draws particular attention as it features both western and Azerbaijani traditional music instruments. There are also Azerbaijani tar, Iranian tar, oud, Mongolian chanz, morinhur, daf, kaval, etc.," the composer told Trend Life.

At the opening of concert programs, the artistic director of the Bridges Chamber Orchestra, Joanna Dalkhov, spoke about the ancient Great Silk Road, which covered many countries and passed through Azerbaijan.

The concert programme included folk songs and dances of Mongolia, Iran and Russia, etc. A series of spectacular concerst left no one indifferent.

Khadija Zeynalova is the artistic director of Bridge of Sound ensemble. She is a graduate of Baku Music Academy, Detmold Conservatory and the University of Paderborn in Germany.

Since 2005, she has been living in Germany. Khadija Zeynalova is a member of the Azerbaijan Union of Composers, doctor of philosophy and associate professor at the  University of Paderborn and the Music Academy of Detmold.

The music pieces of Khadija Zeynalova are successfully performed at festivals and concerts in Azerbaijan, Germany, America, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Great Britain, Italy, Turkey, Oman, France, Hungary, Georgia, Cyprus and other countries.

Medeniyyet TV continues to delight its viewers with numerous programmers, promoting Azerbaijan's rich cultural heritage. 

This time, the channel provided insight into the country's opera art as part of "Bizi birləşdirən mədəniyyət" (United by Culture) project.

The show was timed to the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.

The theater's chief director, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Hafiz Guliyev as well as the soloists - Honored Artist Ilaha Efendieva, Jahangir Gurbanov and Farid Aliyev shared the history behind Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. 

The theatre was built at the request of magnate Daniel Mailov and funded by magnate Zeynalabdin Taghiyev.

The theater's building was erected in 1910-1911. On October 18, 1918, the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) decided to officially turn this building into a state theater. 

Since 1920,  Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater has been operating at the building.

The State Opera and Ballet Theater has played a major role in shaping the Azerbaijani opera art.

"Leyli and Majnun" by Uzeyir Hajibeyli,  the first opera of the entire East, was first performed at the theater in 1908.

The opera laid the foundation of the new genre in musical culture of the world, which synthesizes oriental and European musical forms, resembling a dialogue of two musical cultures of East and West.

It was followed by multiple national operas such as "Sheikh Sanan" (1909), "Rustam and Zohrab" (1910), "Shah Abbas and Khurshid Banu" (1911), "Asli and Kerem"(1912), "Harun and Leyla" (1915), "Koroghlu " (1932). 

Today, the theater continues to delight its guests with fascinating ballets, operas, and other theatrical performances.

Recently, Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater has entered the TOP 10 opera houses in the CİS.

The list was prepared by TurStat Agency for the International Day of Culture to mark the adoption of the Roerich Pact "on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments (1935)".

The Museum of Azerbaijani Culture in Tbilisi has resumed its activity today. 

The Cultural Center named after Mirza Fatali Akhundov receives its first visitors after lockdown under the guidelines of the Georgian Ministry of Health, Report’s local bureau says. 

The center's visitors should follow all protective measures in order not to contract coronavirus.

Thus, the visitors are having their body temperature checked, and use gloves and disposable shoe covers while entering the building. 

People without medical masks are not allowed into the center. Mirza Fatali Akhundov Cultural Center is also supplied with disinfectants.

Founded in 1982, Museum of Azerbaijani Culture aims at preserving and promotion of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage in Georgia.

The three-storied building is located in one of the oldest districts of Tbilisi - Ortachala, two hundred meters from the Maidan and the famous sulfur baths.

Mirza Fatali Akhundov Cultural Center was established n 1982 in response to the appeals of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia in Georgia at the historical building constructed at the expense of the writer.

Originally, the center functioned as the house-museum of the classic of Azerbaijani literature.

In 2007, received the status of the Museum of Azerbaijani Culture named after M.F. Akhundova. 

By 2013, the museum was overhauled and reconstructed with the financial support from the Azerbaijani government. 

Since May 2013, it is a kind of a cultural center which combines houses Gallery of Modern Art "Akhundov House", a literary cafe "Monsieur Jordan", Museum of Azerbaijani culture, library and the wine cellar.

The Cultural Center arranges a variety of activities here - exhibitions, poetry readings, meetings with famous artists and musicians. 

The center displays stunning national clothes, crafts, jewelry, Azerbaijani national musical instruments, as well as personal belongings of founder Mirza Fatali Akhundov. The writer’s living room and office were recreated  as well. 

There is also a museum hall dedicated to the cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia.

With its tradition of bright herb-studded recipes, Azerbaijani cuisine has a rich variety of recipes worth discovering when the temperature gets warmer.

All you have to do is whip up these pleasing plates and enjoy the day with your family.

In the hot summer days, there is nothing better than a refreshing cold soup.

If you haven't had cold soup before, treat yourself with Azerbaijan's traditional soup - doghrama.

Doghrama is basically a king of soup that is served in cold state. This mouthwatering summer soup is packed with fresh garden flavors.

Kefir (milk drink), cucumber, green onion, parsley, basil and garlic are among some the main ingredients of doghrama.

When the weather heats up, we are also looking for some fresh salad recipes.

Shepherd's salad, Pomegranate salad and Khazar will definitely give your tummy some healthy love.

Shepherd's salad is a classic Azerbaijani salad, found in many homes and restaurants, especially in summer. Tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion and herbs are the main ingredients of this salad. Add salt and pepper and leave to stand for up to 1 hour before serving. Dress with 2 tablespoonfuls of vegetable oil before serving (optional).

Pomegranate is considered the national symbol of Azerbaijan. Therefore, this fruit takes a special place in the country's traditional cuisine. A special holiday is held every autumn devoted to this king of fruits. 

Bursting with tart flavor, pomegranate seeds are total saviors when it comes to dressing up salads.

To cook pomegranate salad, dice the boiled potatoes when cool. Place in a salad bowl and sprinkle pomegranate seeds. Cut the red onion cut into fine rings. Place the rings over the pomegranate. Finely chop the coriander and scatter on top of the onion rings. Add salt and mayonnaise and mix all ingredients. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Fish lovers are going to love Khazar salad which is a must-have on every table.

With its marvelous taste, this fish salad is guaranteed to be a hit with your entire family.

Cut the fillet of sturgeon and boil over medium heat. Add salt and pepper and cook until tender for about 20 minutes.

Boil the potatoes for 30 minutes. Once they're done, remove the potatoes and let them cool down. After that peel off its skin. Cut the potatoes and cucumbers. Then,  place the mixture on a serving plate and decorate with pieces of sturgeon. Garnish with sliced lemon.

Stuff eggplants, peppers and tomatoes are especially popular among Azerbaijanis in summer. The general name for all the stuffed yummies is dolma. Three vegetables are cooked at the same time in the same pan and them stuffed with minced meat. 

There are currently more than 25 varieties of dolma. In spring it is made of vine leaves, in summer of aubergines (egg-plants), tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, in autumn it is made of cabbage leaves, apple and quince, in winter it is made of preserved vine leaves. Dolmas are traditionally stuffed with ground lamb and/or beef, rice, onions, and herbs.

Hurry and make these fresh summer recipes while you still can!

The 5th International contest "Azerbaijan Photo Salon 2020" has wrapped up.

Over 800 photographers from 74 countries took part in the contest held by Gilavar Photo Club, Azertag reported.

The photo works were evaluated by jury members from Azerbaijan and Northern Macedonia in accordance with the rules of international photo organizations.

In total, 124 photographers from 39 countries were awarded with 125 prizes presented in four nominations.

Photographers from Azerbaijan Ramil Zeynalov, Kzrim Abbasov, Nurlan Tahirli and Aziz Karimov won gold medals. 

Alexander Firstov grabbed a special ribbon, Valery Khlyzov was awarded with a diploma. As a result, Azerbaijani photographers won a total of six prizes. 

An electronic photo catalog will be prepared in near future. 

Founded in 2017, Gilavar Photo Club successfully contributes to the country's photography art.

Gilavar Photo Club aims at discovering and supporting talented photographers. The club's participants are actively engaged in local and international photo contests. 

Photographers from Azerbaijan Ramil Zeynalov, Kerim Abbasov, Nurlan Tairli and Aziz Karimov won gold medals, Alexander Firstov won a special ribbon, and Valery Khlyzov was awarded a diploma. As a result, Azerbaijani photographers won a total of six awards, ”he said.