NEWS

President of National Music and Global Culture Society, famous Azerbaijani piano players, Honored Artist, Nargiz Aliyarova has performed an online concert in New York.

The concert was aimed at helping Azerbaijani people to effectively organize their leisure time during quarantine.

The concert was streamed live on Facebook of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund under the motto “We are strong together.” 

At the concert, Nargiz Aliyarova thrilled listeners with works by Azerbaijani and world-famous composers.

New York-based artist Nargiz Aliyarova is an international pianist and professor. Her repertoire includes music ranging from baroque to contemporary.

In 2010, the piano musiciain was awarded a diploma for "Outstanding contribution to the legacy of Chopin" by the Government of Poland. 

The musician has produced five CDs, three of which were released by the Belgian Recording company Etcetera.

Nargiz Aliyarova is a Doctor of Art and Professor, as well as an author of more than 20 scholarly articles and several books. She has been teaching piano and chamber music at Baku Music Academy for twenty-five years and has been a member of Azerbaijan State Piano Trio for fifteen years.

She currently has an active piano studio in Manhattan's Upper-East Side. She is president and founder of the National Music & Global Culture Society, which aims to be the bridge for connecting communities to global and multinational culture through classical music.  

Aliyarova is also president of the Zonta Club of New York - a global women's organization.

Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture invites you to take part in a book giveaway. 

Three winners will be awarded with PDF books, published with the support of the Ministry of Culture and not posted on the Internet.

The first place holder will get  "Spies Who Have Not Returned from the Cold" by Chingiz Abdullaev. The  winners of the second and third places will be handed the books "The Murder in Mesopotamia"  by Agatha Christie and "If Only It Were True" by  Mark Levy respectively. 

More details are provided on Instagram profile of the Cultural Ministry. 

The giveaway will last until April 23, the winners will be determined by random selection.

Famous for spectacular performances, 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 ranking also included the Bolshoi State Academic Theater, the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, the Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, the Astana Opera State Opera and Ballet Theater and other opera houses.

The State Opera and Ballet Theater has played an important role in shaping the Azerbaijani opera.

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

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

Today, the theater successfully hosts ballets, operas, and other theatrical performances.

Euronews has aired the performance of the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra held as part of the "Stay At Home" campaign. 

The orchestra musicians brilliantly played a symphonic overture "Rejoice, my people!" by prominent Azerbaijani composer and conductor, People's Artist Ogtay Zulfugarov (1929-2016).

All musicians performed while being in social isolation amid coronavirus pandemic. The video was presented in the popular "No comment " section.

Founded in 1920, the Uzeyir Hajibeyli State Symphony Orchestra was among first orchestras, formed in the Soviet Union.

Today the orchestra successfully performs works of such eminent composers as G. Mahler, I. Stravinski, C. Debussy, A. Bruckner, J. Brahms and others.

Moreover, State Symphony Orchestra is an active participant of "Music of the 20th Century" organized by R. Abdullayev and Festival of M. Rostropovich, which is held annually. 

Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall has joined "My home is my new place of work" project, encouraging people to work from home during coronavirus pandemic. 

As part of the project, the chief music editor of the Philharmonic Society Fidan Guliyeva, director and coordinator of "Gənclərə dəstək" project Aliya Karimova-Zakaria, Honored Artist, director of the State Chamber Orchestra Nargiz Aliyeva, director of the State Dance Ensemble Elchin Hamidov,  People's Artist, Artistic Director of the State Dance Ensemble Rufat Khalilzade, Honored Worker of Culture, director of the Fikrat Amirov State Song and Dance Ensemble Elchin Abbasov highlighted the activities of the Philharmonic Hall`s bodies during the quarantine.

Notably, the State Academic Philharmonic Hall joined campaigns "Bizi birləşdirən mədəniyyət" (United by Culture) and "Gələcəyin üçün evdə qal! (Stay home for your future), co-organized by the Cultural Ministry of Azerbaijan and the Medeniyyet TV.

The Philharmonic Hall is a unique center of classical music, which perfectly unites seven performing groups, including the State Symphony Orchestra, the State Choir Capella, the State Chamber Orchestra, the State Piano Trio, the State String Quartet, the State Folk Song and Dance Ensemble as well as the State Orchestra of Folk Instruments.

Numerous International projects, music festivals, concerts of local and foreign musicians are regularly organized here.

The Symphony Orchestra of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater has successfully performed the Waltz from the "Seven Beauties" ballet by prominent Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev.

The home concert was held as part of campaigns "Bizi birləşdirən mədəniyyət" (United by Culture) and "Gələcəyin üçün evdə qal!" (Stay home for your future), co-organized by the Azerbaijan Cultural Ministry and Medeniyyet TV.

Last week, Medeniyyet TV organized a series of events dedicated to eminent Azerbaijani composers Gara Garayev and Fikrat Amirov.

Some 40 musicians took part in the project, who performed under the direction of the theater`s main conductor and musical director, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Ayyub Guliyev. Then all the records were mounted in one video.

Spectacular performance of the Symphony Orchestra left no one indifferent. The musicians thrilled listeners with their virtuosity. 

Every year on 18 April,  the world community celebrates International Day for Monuments and Sites.

This significant date was established by UNESCO in 1983 on the proposal of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). 

The main goal of the day is to draw people's attention to the protection of monuments and historical sites.

Various events and exhibitions are annually organized across the world as part of the celebration. 

This year, mass events have been postponed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Accordingly, the State Service for Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture as well as subordinate reserves regulate their activities by videoconference. Taking into account the current situation,  all the reserves are currently operating only online.

Video conferences are also organized on the occasion of the International Day of Monuments and Historic Sites. Along with Azerbaijan, well-known experts in the field of culture  from Turkey, Georgia, Belgium and a number of other countries make presentations and exchange views at these conferences.

Next video conference will be held with the participation of the Azerbaijan Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev and with country`s well-known specialists on April 17.

Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture has announced a new project "Evim - yeni iş yerim" (My home is my new place of work).

The main goal of the project is to organize remote work and encourage people to work from home during coronavirus pandemic. 

First of all, departments and institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Culture  will demonstrate their principles of work and achievements on Facebook under the hashtag  # evimyeniişyerim. 

The project organizers are also calling members of various organizations to prepare videos on the principles of work during the quarantine regime and post them on social networks. 

Those who organize their workflow with the help of innovations, as well as authors of the most popular videos twill be awarded by the Ministry after online monitoring on May 25-30.

Baku City Main Culture Department and PARLAQ Public Union have announced a graphic design contest dedicated to the  the fight against coronavirus pandemic.

The competition is open only for Azerbaijani citizens aged between 18 and 35 years.

Graphic design work should cover the following topics: fight against COVID-19 by medical workers, the activities of professionals in various fields  whose lives are also at high risk during pandemic,  social responsibility,  measures taken by the state in connection with current situation, issues caused by the epidemic and other themes. 

Each designer must submit only one graphic work to the competition.

The first place winner will be awarded with a diploma of the first degree and a cash prize in the amount of 500 AZN. 

The holders of the second and third places will be awarded with diplomas and cash prizes - 300 AZN and 200 AZN respectively. 

The competition is scheduled for April 15 - May 30, 2020.

Send your graphic work, your full name and contacts to the following e-mail address:

bakuartmusabiqe@gmail.com.

Work submitted to the contest should not be previously published on any media.

Information on rewarding the winners will be presented on the official website of Baku City Main Culture Department.

For more information about the competition, please contact: (077) 622 11 00.

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum stores magnificent examples of traditional metal art. 

On its Facebook page, the museum has provided insight into three rare exhibits (19th century) from "Artistic Metalwork collection": a badia (a bucket), a sarpush (a cover for a dish), and a gablama (a saucepan).

It should be noted that the  historical findings discovered as a result of excavations in  Azerbaijan prove that as far back as 2,000 B.C ancestors of Azerbaijanis used objects made of various metals in their everyday lives.

After the discovery of copper in the Eneolithic period, the metal came to play a major role in economic, social, cultural life of the Azerbaijani people.

The discovery of lead, tin, manganese during this period was a completely new step in country's history, which marked the beginning of a bronze period.

Among the monuments, distinguished by their originality, one can mention the two-headed bronze deer found in the village of Dolanlar in Karabakh.

In ancient times, metal was used in the manufacture of  mainly religious handicrafts, so it is possible that the excavated deer was a totem for worshiping people living in these territories.

Kitchen utensils, daggers, axes, belts adornments and other material and cultural samples were also found during excavations.

Among the ancient monuments one of the bronze items, drawing attention from viewpoint of art and craftsmanship is belt. Bronze belts found in Karabakh, Gazakh, Gadabay, and other places captivate with the elegance and zoomorphological symbols and patterns.

The Middle Ages are one of the richest periods in the country's history of folk art. 

Of particular interest are household utensils, in particular, samples of dishes found during archaeological excavations in Mingachevir and exhibited at the Azerbaijan State Historical Museum. Ancient silver plate, decorated with delicate patterns and beautiful shapes has always been at the centre of public attention.

The convex lines make the plate particularly attractive. 

In the 11th-15th, centuries, the metal craft in Azerbaijan reached a high level of development. During this period, various types of weapons were made of metal. Different forms of household property, other samples of skillful handicraft, many of which have survived to our days. Ganja, Shamakha, Nakhchivan, and Tabriz remained centers for the manufacture of metal products. The conducted archaeological excavations show that in the 12th century and afterwards Baku was one of the leading centers in relation to the manufacture of iron products.

One of the samples of such high artisan art, made during this period, is the Shirvan washstand, cast in bronze in 1206 and now exhibited at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

At first glance, it is somewhat difficult to determine that this product is intended to draw water, because it is made in the form of a sculpture of small animals. The surface of the bronze washstand is streaked and decorated with silver. Among the drawings of the Shirvan washstand there are also inscriptions that are valuable historical sources.

In the 12th-17th centuries, the manufacture of metal household items, weapons and jewelry was widely developed in Tabriz, Ardabil, Maragha, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Shamakhi and Baku. During this period, weapons made by Azerbaijani masters daggers, helmets, kneecaps and other items were widely used abroad.

In the 18th century, copper craft was most developed in Azerbaijan. Foreign travelers who visited Tabriz, Ganja, Shaki, Shushu, Shamakhi, Baku in this century especially noted the presence of coppersmith streets and the manufacture of decorated and original dishes there from copper.

In the 18th century, the city of Shaki was known as one of the centers for the manufacture of metal household items and decorations. That time, braziers made in Shaki were particularly famous.

These braziers were small in size and decorated with geometric patterns, as well as figures of birds and animals.

In the 19th-early 20th centuries the craft of metal mainly developed in three types: iron, copper and jewelry. Iron craft was mainly used in agriculture for the manufacture of various equipment, as well as household products: bolts for doors, tables, etc.

Depending on the characteristics of everyday life and economic activity in Azerbaijan, there was a great need for copper cauldrons, pans, jugs and other copper products.

Earrings with the glaze of Baku and Shamakhi jewelers, necklaces made in Shebeke style, hair clips decorated with precious stones, and the mirror belts made by Shusha jewelers still fascinates with its unique beauty.