NEWS

Azerbaijani Eurovision 2020 song has reached two million views on Youtube.

Since its release, the music video " Cleopatra" has been watched by 2 ,131 628 viewers. The music video was filmed at the Gobustan National Park. 

As the singer says, Cleopatra is a song about trusting your gut instinct, standing up for yourself and being a "Queen" - even when things get tough and especially if someone betrays or hurts you.

"It is truly a song about freedom, a celebration of all cultures and all sexualities and it's a song that is meant to inspire people to be who they are and to be proud of themselves - just as Cleopatra was. She was a queen who went through love, heartbreak, and betrayal, but she stood up for herself and is now remembered as an icon of strength and femininity," she said.

Samira Efendi will represent Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Cleopatra". The song is written by Luuk van Beers, Alan Roy Scott and Sarah Lake.

The singer was selected based on the votes of an international group of musical experts. Notably, this was her 5th attempt to represent Azerbaijan.

The 28-year-old Samira has taken part in the popular musical projects, such as "The New Star", "The Big Stage" and "The Voice of Azerbaijan".  In 2017, she performed at the Silk Way Star, an international singing competition aired in Kazakhstan (3rd place). Last year, the singer successfully represented Azerbaijan at the Voice of Nur-Sultan. 

Azerbaijan officially confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2020 on September 16, 2019,

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will be held in the Netherlands in May 2020, after Duncan Laurence's victory in Tel Aviv.

Rotterdam has been selected as the Host City for the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. The song contest will consist of two semi-finals that will be held on May 12 and May 14. The final will be held on May 16.

Azerbaijan debuted at Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 after the Azerbaijani television channel ITV joined the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and received the official right to broadcast the competition. 

Azerbaijan marked its debut in 2008 with the duo of Elnur and Samir, who managed to become eighth in the final with their song "Day after day".

The brilliant duet of Aysel and Arash, which represented Azerbaijan next year, took the third place at the song contest, while Safura Alizada, who represented the country at Eurovision 2010 in Oslo, became fifth.

On its fourth attempt with Ell and Nikki's "Running Scared" song, the Land of Fire won the event, bringing the contest to Baku’s Crystal Hall in 2012. Ell and Nikki were the first mixed-gender duo to win the contest since 1963 and the first winners from Azerbaijan.

It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan reached the Top 5 in five consecutive contests - 3rd in 2009, 5th in 2010, 1st in 2011, 4th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013.

In 2018, Aysel Mammadova brilliantly performed at Eurovision 2018 semi-final, but she couldn't make it to the final. The singer represented Azerbaijan with the song "X My Heart".

Azerbaijan's Chingiz Mustafayev impressed all Eurovision fans with his stunning performance last year.  The singer finished in the eighth place at the song contest.

Azerbaijani jazz legend Vagif Mustafazade would have turned 80 years old. On the eve of his birthday, Vagif's friends, public and art figures and fans of his music, have visited the grave of the outstanding pianist. They stressed his invaluable role in the Azerbaijani musical culture.

Vagif Mustafazade enriched the world music with new jazz style. Founder of Azerbaijani jazz mugham, wrote numerous jazz compositions, including fugues, preludes, ballads and scherzos, many of them written in the 1970s. He released a total of eight albums, all with different line-ups, mood and style.

By the early 1960s, Vagif was gaining recognition far beyond Azerbaijan.

Winner of numerous jazz festivals such as "Tallinn-66", "Tallinn-67", Baku festival "Jazz 69", Donetsk 1977 festival, and "Tbilisi-78", Vagif Mustafazade always fascinated listeners with his originality and virtuosity.

Musician's death was a shock to many people. He was only 39 years old when he died on stage while performing in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 1979.

Jazz schools around the world have recognized Vagif Mustafazade as a phenomenal musician. His works represent a unique combination of eastern and western schools, of tradition and innovation.

Azerbaijani carpets have been showcased at Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.

Initiated by Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, the exhibition aims to conduct research on the scientific attribution of Azerbaijani carpets, stored in the museum's collection.

The event is the first project implemented jointly by museums of the two countries.

In their remarks, the directors of the museums Shirin Melikova and Serajeddin Shahin as well as the deputy director of Istanbul culture and tourism directorate Mumin Yildiztash stressed the project's importance in cultural life of both countries.

They also noted that the event was timed to the 53rd anniversary of Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and the 10th anniversary of the inclusion of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in UNESCO Intangible Heritage List.

Museum directors then presented each other prints issued by their museums over the past few years.

The exhibition was co-organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Azerbaijan Cultural Ministry, National Carpet Museum and Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum as of the "State Program for the Preservation and Development of Carpet Art in Azerbaijan for 2018–2022". The exhibition will last until June 13.

Unique Azerbaijani carpets are well-known all over the world for their quality and high artistic value. Besides, amazing and fantastic carpets of Azerbaijan represent a real mystery, leading one inside the fairy tales full of majestic feelings.

The Land of Fire has seven carpet producing regions including Baku, Shirvan, Guba, Tabriz, Karabakh, Ganja and Gazakh and each of them has their own technology, typical patterns and colors.

Colorful Karabakh carpets, which are classified in four groups, represent a fabulous symphony of the most delicate shades of the amazing Karabakh nature.

Karabakh carpets still retain their glory, featuring in many prestigious international auctions, estimated at tens of thousands of dollars. Samples of the Karabakh carpet weaving as cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, kept in major museums, including the Louvre, Hermitage, and adorn the Vatican and the White House.

Famous designer Rufat Ismayil will present his Autumn-Winter 2020/2021 collection in London on April 15.

The fashion collection features such fabrics as crepe, silk and chiffon, as well as semiprecious stones.

The collection was first presented recently at the Haute Couture Week in Paris. As part of the presentation in London, a project dedicated to the Azerbaijani fashion industry will also be presented.

The collection will also be showcased in Dubai.

Rufat Ismayil is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of AFFFAIR brand. He is involved in the collection design and leads the innovative and creative lab of the garment production line.

As a teenager he started modeling for fashion houses, which brought him the title of Best Model of Azerbaijan in 2000. He continued working as a model for major names such as Paco Rabanne and Valentine Yudashkin.

Soon his passion for fashion shifted from modeling to creating his own looks. Rufat Ismayil decided to move to Istanbul to launch his own label.

Rufat Ismayil presented his unique collections in Italy, Iran, Turkey, UAE and other countries. His men's clothing collection was shown at Pitti Uomo 2015, the most important International event for menswear and men accessories collections.

In 2019, his fashion collection was successfully presented at New York Fashion Week. While creating these looks, the designer used chiffon, silk and other fabrics reminding the khari bulbul flower, the symbol of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region.

Stunning gowns of the national designer were highly appreciated by fashionistas.

The world's leading fashion publications, including Vogue magazine (Italy), wrote about fashion collections created by the Azerbaijani designer.

Samira Efendi will represent Azerbaijan at Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with her song Cleopatra.

The song features three traditional Azerbaijani instruments: an oud, a balaban and a tar included into UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The song was written by Luuk van Beers, Alan Roy Scott and Sarah Lake and was produced together with Tony Cornelissen.

As the singer says, Cleopatra is a song about trusting your gut instinct, standing up for yourself and being a "Queen" - even when things get tough and especially if someone betrays or hurts you.

"It is truly a song about freedom, a celebration of all cultures and all sexualities and it's a song that is meant to inspire people to be who they are and to be proud of themselves - just as Cleopatra was. She was a queen who went through love, heartbreak, and betrayal, but she stood up for herself and is now remembered as an icon of strength and femininity," she said.

The music video for song was filmed in Azerbaijan at the Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

Samira Efendi was selected based on the votes of an international group of musical experts. Notably, this was her 5th attempt to represent Azerbaijan.

The 28-year-old Samira has taken part in the popular musical projects, such as "The New Star", "The Big Stage" and "The Voice of Azerbaijan".  In 2017, she performed at the Silk Way Star, an international singing competition aired in Kazakhstan (3rd place). Last year, the singer successfully represented Azerbaijan at the Voice of Nur-Sultan. 

Azerbaijan officially confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2020 on September 16, 2019,

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will be held in the Netherlands in May 2020, after Duncan Laurence's victory in Tel Aviv.

Rotterdam has been selected as the Host City for the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. The song contest will consist of two semi-finals that will be held on May 12 and May 14. The final will be held on May 16.

Azerbaijan debuted at Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 after the Azerbaijani television channel ITV joined the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and received the official right to broadcast the competition. 

Azerbaijan marked its debut in 2008 with the duo of Elnur and Samir, who managed to become eighth in the final with their song "Day after day".

The brilliant duet of Aysel and Arash, which represented Azerbaijan next year, took the third place at the song contest, while Safura Alizada, who represented the country at Eurovision 2010 in Oslo, became fifth.

On its fourth attempt with Ell and Nikki's "Running Scared" song, the Land of Fire won the event, bringing the contest to Baku’s Crystal Hall in 2012. Ell and Nikki were the first mixed-gender duo to win the contest since 1963 and the first winners from Azerbaijan.

It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan reached the Top 5 in five consecutive contests - 3rd in 2009, 5th in 2010, 1st in 2011, 4th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013.

In 2018, Aysel Mammadova brilliantly performed at Eurovision 2018 semi-final, but she couldn't make it to the final. The singer represented Azerbaijan with the song "X My Heart".

Azerbaijan's Chingiz Mustafayev impressed all Eurovision fans with his stunning performance last year.  The singer finished in the eighth place at the song contest.

Manuscripts of famous Azerbaijani poetesses have been displayed at Institute of Manuscripts in Baku.

The exposition includes manuscripts and archival photographs of ten poetesses.

The event was attended by the director of the Institute of Manuscripts Teymur Karimli, head of Institute's International relations Department Nigar Babakhanova, who spoke about the works of national poetesses. The exhibition aroused great interest among viewers.

Institute of Manuscripts is engaged in scientific-research, archive and library science activities, as  well as translation and publication of medieval manuscripts.

The Institute of Manuscripts has rich and rare manuscripts collection covering all fields of the medieval sciences - medicine and astronomy, mathematics and mineralogy, poetics and philosophy, theology and law, grammar, history and geography, prose and poetry in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Arabic, Persian and other languages.

There are more than 40,000 materials were collected in the Institute of Manuscripts. In addition, the institute has preserved personal documents of prominent figures of science and literature of Azerbaijan, who lived in the 19th-20th centuries.

The oldest manuscript in the Institute of Manuscripts is Surah An-Nisa written on parchment in the 9th  century.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to erect a monument to Muslum Magomayev in Baku.

Baku city Executive Power and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture will ensure the implementation works on erecting the monument. The Cabinet of Ministers will resolve the issues arising from this order.

The place where the monument to be erected have been chosen as well. The statue will be erected in National Seaside Park.The height of the statue will reach 2.5 metres. The model is not ready yet.

Famous for his beautiful voice, Muslim Magomayev made great contribution to the Azerbaijani music. His creative activity occupies a special place in the country’s music history.

The idol of millions became famous around the USSR at the age of 19 after a stellar performance at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. He became known in Europe after a successful performance at the Youth Festival in Helsinki, Finland.

A very important stage in mastering his vocals skills even further was his training in the La Scala Opera Theater in Milan. Muslim's stay in Italy – a country of innumerable art treasures and the home of belcanto – in the 1960s was not only beneficial for his singing, but also affected his inner world.

At age of 30, Magomayev was one of the youngest recipients of the highest artistic title, People's Artist of the USSR. He also received numerous awards for his contribution to opera and popular music in the Soviet Union.

The legendary singer also wrote songs, film soundtracks and music for theater performances. In addition, he played in films and acted as a host in television and radio broadcasts. He also loved to paint pictures, but called it his hobby.

In his later life, Magomayev struggled with a serious heart condition. In 1998, Magomayev officially ended his musical career and gave only a few performances together with his wife.

One of the greatest singers of the 20th century died of a heart failure in Moscow on October 25, 2008, and was laid to rest in Baku.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on an official visit in Azerbaijan, has today visited the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. The Turkmen President was informed of the museum. In 2010, Azerbaijan's traditional art of carpet weaving was included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The carpet museum, where unique samples of applied arts are exhibited, has been located in different places throughout its history. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and UNESCO provided assistance in the construction of the new building. The building design is reminiscent of a rolled up carpet. The museum now houses exhibits and items, including carpets, thread-work samples, metalwork, fabrics, clothing, ceramic, glass, wooden and paper items, jewelry, books, and a unique collection of photographs. The exhibits are conserved on the basis of recommendations and instructions of Louis Sguirer, a renowned specialist in fabric conservation at the Victoria and Albert Museum who was invited to Baku in 2013. Designed by acclaimed Austrian architect Franz Janz, the museum highlights all areas of the Azerbaijani carpet making school and features a wide assortment of centuries-old carpets and thread-work samples. The Turkmen President viewed the museum’s Jewelry Fund which includes women’s and men’s jewelry belonging to the late 19th - early 20th century, as well as some created in the Bronze Age. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov donated Turkmen carpet to the museum. The Turkmen President was presented with a keepsake.

Young musician Osman Mustafazade has won the "Golden Classical Music Award" at the Carnegie Hall in New York.

The first-year student of the Baku Music Academy (BMA) took part in the competition that brought together 37 musicians from around the world.

Supported by the State Committee on Work with Diaspora, Osman Mustafazade delighted the audience with magnificent performance.

Osman Mustafazade, who studied in the violin class of the People's Artist, Professor Zahra Guliyeva at the BMA, has already won the prizes in several international competitions: Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition in Vienna (2015) the 12th Republican Competition "Rodniki Dushi" (2016), the 5th Future Stars International contest (2016) and others. The musician thrills music lovers with complex and interesting repertoire.

"Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition is open to all nationalities and ages in strings, piano, wind and vocal.

Each discipline is divided into different age categories: Young Musician (8 years old and under), Junior (9 to 12 years old), Intermediate (13 to 15 years old), Advanced (16 to 18 years old) and Senior (no age limit). 

The main goal of the contest is to discover artists of outstanding personality and provide awards which can help to launch international careers.

Works of local and foreign artists have been displayed at Art Tower Gallery.

Co-organized by Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Arts Council Azerbaijan (NGO), the art project aims to increase interest in art among young people. The curator of the project is Sabina Najafova.

The exhibition aroused great interest among art lovers. Vibrant colors and warmth of paintings left no one indifferent.

The event will last until March 14. The exhibition is open between 11.00-17.00. Admission is free.

Arts Council Azerbaijan is an international and independent art platform, aimed at promotion of Azerbaijani culture and art.

The organization is the head of the International Arts Council Network operating in different countries around the world. Arts Council Azerbaijan is headed by Dadash Mammadov since 2006.

Many projects have been operating for many years under the auspices of the organization. Among them are Art Gazette, Production Studio, Azerbaijan Animation Museum named after Nazim Mammadov, Art School Drawing School, "Under open air" plein air, Art Residence, Youth Network.