NEWS

People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, national tenor Yusif Eyvazov has received the prestigious classical music award of Grand Prix de la Culture in Austria.

Eyvazov has been awarded in recognition of his perfect voice, performances and the characters he created on various opera stages around the world.

Grand Prix de la Culture is a joint project of Wiener Privatbank SE and the International Artists Agency Hollaender-Calix aimed at supporting young musicians in their careers and evaluating well-known artists in their performances.

The Bolshoi Theater will amaze opera lovers with Antonin Dvorak 's opera Rusalka (Mermaid) on  April 8-12. The theater invited opera star Dinara Aliyeva to perform the role of mermaid on April 8th, 10th and 12th.

Rusalka is one of the most famus works of the Czech composer, who found his inspiration in the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid".

The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Bozena Nemcova.

Described as "a singer who possesses the gift of heaven" by soprano Montserrat Caballé, Azerbaijani soprano Dinara Aliyeva joined the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow as soloist in 2010, and has since appeared at major opera houses and concert halls throughout the world.

She has performed in major opera halls including Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Bavarian State Opera, among others; and under the batons of conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Bashmet, Constantine Orbelian, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Marcello Rota, Emmanuel Villaume, Pier Giorgio Bruno Morandi, Giuseppe Carello, Vasily Sinaisky and Tugan Sohiev.

In 2010, Aliyeva joined Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre as a soloist, making her debut as Liù in Puccini’s Turandot, and subsequently appeared in roles including Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Violetta in La Traviata, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Mimi in La Bohème, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Micaëla in Carmen, Marfa in The Tsar’s Bride, Nedda in Pagliacci, and many others.

In April, 2020, Cape Town, South Africa will serve as Global Host City for the ninth annual International Jazz Day. This marks the first time a city on the continent of Africa will have hosted this special celebration and its cornerstone event, the All-Star Global Concert, which brings together dozens of the world’s greatest jazz artists for an unforgettable evening of cultural exchange and live music.

The 2020 Global Host City event theme, “Tracing the Roots and Routes of African Jazz,” includes discovering, through jazz music, African identity and the creative potential of Africa to inspire global music making.

Officially declared by the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011, International Jazz Day is celebrated annually on April 30. Reflecting the immense excitement on the part of South Africa’s jazz community, the 2020 Global Host celebrations will extend throughout the entire month of April, with education, outreach and performance programs impacting students, music lovers and the broader public in key urban hubs and their surrounding townships.

The All Star Global Concert is a major media event capturing the imagination of people worldwide, with a reach of more than 2 billion annually.

The International Jazz Day celebration engages artists, educators and audiences worldwide.

The National Hydrometeorology Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reports that the weather will be partly cloudy and mainly dry, with a mild south-west wind in Baku and Absheron peninsula on February 19.

The temperature on the peninsula will be +4 to +6 C at night, +8 to +11 C in the daytime, in Baku +4 to +6 C at night, +9 to +11 C in the daytime.

The atmospheric pressure will drop from 771 mm to 764 mm, relative humidity will be 65-75 % at night, and 55-60% in the daytime.

In the regions of Azerbaijan, the weather will be mostly dry, but rain may fall in southern regions and snow in the mountains. South-west wind will sometimes reach 18-23 m/s in some areas.

The temperature will be 0 to 5 C at night, +9 to +14 C in the daytime, in the mountains +5 to +10 C at night, +1 to +6 C in the daytime.

According to the medical and meteorological forecast, intensive south wind and lower atmospheric pressure on February 19 will not be favorable for people, sensitive to weather.

The third World Harmony International Competition of Young Performers has opened its doors to music lovers at Baku Music Academy.

The large-scale project brought together young talents from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Ukraine.

Founded in 2017, the contest aims to discover young talents and promote classical music and folklore.

The "World Harmony" is being held in the following categories: solo - piano, string instruments, wind and percussion instruments, folk instruments; vocals - academic, national, pop; dance (solo and ensemble), instrumental ensembles (classical and folk), vocal ensembles (academic, folk and pop), choral and dance ensembles.

The contestants who pass in the third round will be accompanied by the Gara Garayev Chamber Orchestra.

The contest jury is composed of music experts from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Russia and Turkey.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the project founder, President of Union of Georgian Folklore and Classical Music "Harmony" Tsitsino Bichikashvili  stressed that the first ever World Harmony International Competition took place in Baku in 2017.

The competition was held for the second time in Vilnius, Lithuania  in 2018. Next February, the 4th World Harmony competition will be held once again in Vilnius.

Notably, the 3rd World Harmony International Competition of Young performers will last until February 24.

The project is co-organized by the Georgian Union of Folklore and Classical Music "Harmony" and "Gənclərə dəstək" (Youth Support) project with the support of the Culture Ministry as well as Baku Music Academy and the National Conservatory.

Azerbaijan and Iran have discussed opportunities for further tourism cooperation during the second Iran-Azerbaijan tourism symposium held on in Tehran February 15.

The symposium, organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran and “Aysan Parvaz” company, was attended by the leading tourism companies operating in Iran, representatives of Iran’s Economic Cooperation Organization and media representatives, local media reported.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Tourism Agency Fuad Nagiyev said that in recent years Azerbaijan and Iran have been developing relations in the field of tourism.

Nagiyev noted that this year, 3 group matches and 1/4 finals in the final stage of the European Football Championship will be held in Baku.

He reminded that the city of Gabala was chosen as “Tourism Capital of Islamic Countries” in 2020, noting that a number of international events will be held in Gabala, including the 11th meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Nagiyev said tourism relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are expanding. In 2020, more than 255,000 Iranian tourists visited Azerbaijan, which is 6.3 percent more than in 2018. He added that Iran is one of the most visited countries by Azerbaijani citizens, as well.

He went on saying that many Iranian tourists come to Azerbaijan during the Novruz holiday, adding that work is underway to make it easier for tourists to visit Azerbaijan. Nagiyev noted that since December 2019, the visa regime was abolished to facilitate the travel of Iranian citizens to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and daily direct flights between Tehran and Baku are being carried out.

For his part, Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh noted that the countries enjoy friendly and fraternal relations. “Mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries in all areas is showing an upward trend. Tourism is also one of the most important sectors of the economy,” he said.

 “Mutual tourism visits are in the best interests of both countries. The fact that people have kin relations is one of the factors that contribute to the tourism development. It is important to use this opportunity and develop tourism,” Jahangirzadeh noted.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Bunyad Huseynov said that relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are based on a shared history, ancient traditions of friendship and brotherhood. He emphasized that over the past 7 years, there have been Presidents of Azerbaijan and Iran have held 13 meetings, more than 150 mutual high-level visits have been held and more than 75 documents have been signed.

Huseynov noted that Azerbaijan is one of the most comfortable destinations for Iranian citizens. He stressed that ASAN Visa has been created to facilitate travel to the country. At the same time, Iranian citizens are issued visas at the airports.

“Baku-Tehran, Baku-Tabriz and Baku-Mashhad flights are being carried out. Azerbaijan is ready to launch flights to other cities in Iran. Three of the four border checkpoints on the Azerbaijan-Iran border are operating 24/7 to facilitate the flow of people from both countries,” he said.

Huseynov went on to say that a new highway has been laid from Astara border crossing to Baku, reducing the driving time from four to two and a half hours. There is a passenger train operating in Tabriz-Nakhchivan and Nakhchivan-Mashhad directions.

He informed that Iranian tourists become attracted by the tax free system and trade festivals held in Azerbaijan. Moreover, the country has great opportunities for tourism investment and business activities.

“All of this has led to an increase in the number of tourist trips between the two countries. The friendship, mutually beneficial relations and historical ties between the countries also contribute to the tourism development,” he said.

As part of the event, Azerbaijan’s Association of Tourism Agencies of and Iran’s Association of Tourism Agencies of signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.

Azerbaijan has been successfully represented at Small Word 2020 held in Nigeria.

The charity festival encourages citizens of various countries living in Nigeria to present their national culture. The festival brought together representatives of 36 countries.

National pavilion aroused great interest among the festival's guests, who were informed about Azerbaijan's culture and history, Trend Life reported.  

The visitors were greatly interested in beautiful dresses presented by the Center of Azerbaijani Traditional Clothes.

During the festival, the guests enjoyed delicious sweets and pastries like shekerbura and pakhlava. Moreover, Azerbaijan's traditional dance "Qavalla" caused a storm of applause.

All money received will be donated to local schools, hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes.

Graphic works by talented artist  Zarnaz Imanzadeh has been displayed at Yeni Gallery Art Center. 

The gallery hall was filled with art lovers wishing to view artist's vibrant paintings.

Zarnaz Imanzadeh is a member of the Azerbaijan Architects Union. She is engaged in scientific work. In her free time, Imanzadeh make small sketches by computer.

"Elchin Aliyev, my good friend, Ph.D. in art criticism, helped me with the preparation of the exhibition. He  saw my works and advised me to hold exhibition", she told Trend Life.

Her graphic works are inspired by nature, dreams, fantasies and Azerbaijani carpet weaving art. In her paintings, the artist brilliantly reflected all the richness of national carpets.

Furthermore, director of Yeni Gallery Rafael Gulmammadl noted that after a long break, Yeni Gallery opens the exhibition season.

In his speech, Elchin Aliyev stressed the importance of graphic works displayed at the exhibition. He said that the exhibitor featured modern art forms.

Director of the Institute of Architecture and Art, professor Ertegin Salamzadeh, Secretary of the Azerbaijan Architects Union Farhad Mollazade, Honored Artist, professor Kubra Aliyeva and others highly appreciated the creative work of Zarnaz Imanzade.

Imanzadeh graduated from the State University of Architecture and Construction, after which she became a researcher at the Institute of Architecture and Art. Apart from scientific activity, Imanzadeh is engaged in design and visual arts.

The exhibition was highly appreciated by art lovers.

Azerbaijan is able to grow enough potatoes both to ensure the needs of the local market and for export, Elmar Allahverdiyev, director of the Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Growing of Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Ministry, told Trend Feb. 14.

Allahverdiyev noted that after eliminating certain problems in this industry, Azerbaijan will stop importing potatoes.

“The volume of potato growing in Azerbaijan allows meeting the needs of the domestic market, as well as exporting to foreign countries,” the director added. “However, entrepreneurs have one problem. Farmers cannot find storage facilities for their products, and this causes problems in the winter months."

"Due to the lack of storage facilities, farmers sell products at very cheap prices. In the Azerbaijani districts, several entrepreneurs have already solved this problem. They built special warehouses where potatoes can be stored. After solving this problem throughout Azerbaijan, the country will no longer import potatoes,” Allahverdiyev said.

Azerbaijan’s consumer price index increased by 2.7 percent year-on-year in January, State Statistical Committee has told local media.

The committee informed that prices for food, beverages and tobacco products increased by 4.6 percent, while those for non-food items by 1.1 percent, for services by 1.5 percent in January 2020.

The prices increased by 0.6 percent; prices for food, beverages and tobacco products increased by 1.3 percent, for non-food items by 0.3 percent, while the prices for services decreased by 0.2 percent in January 2020, compared to December 2019.

“Prices for rice, buckwheat, pasta, beef, fresh and frozen fish, sausages, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, butter and vegetable oils, lemon, apples, pears, pomegranates and hazelnuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, garlic, sugar, tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, sour cream, tangerines, quince, persimmons, chestnuts, cabbage, pumpkins, onions and potatoes increased in January 2020, compared to those in December 2019,” the report reads.

The committee noted that there was a decrease in prices for granulated sugar, walnuts, bananas, lentils and oranges.

During the reporting period, among non-food products an increase in prices was recorded for fabrics, clothes, carpets and other floor coverings, furniture and household utensils, wallpapers, boards, paints and spare parts for cars.

The prices for refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, mobile phones, cameras, personal computers have decreased, the committee said.

It was also noted that prices for dry cleaning, sewing and rental of clothes, shoe repair, medical, cosmetic and hairdressing services, catering and hotel services increased in January 2020, compared to the previous month. On the contrary, the prices for passenger transportation by rail and air transportation decreased.

Note that in 2019, Azerbaijan’s inflation rate amounted to 2.6 percent while cash income of the population exceeded inflation by 2.8 times.

The value of the products sold by retail trade facilities in Azerbaijan reached 39 billion 319.7 million manats ($23.1 billion) in 2019, thus, increasing by 3.6 percent compared to 2018.

Over the year, the population’s expenditures on the purchase of food products, beverages and tobacco products amounted to 19 billion 967.4 million manats ($11.7 billion), which is a 3.2 percent increase, and to 19 billion 424.3 million manats ($11.4 billion) on the purchase of non-food products (a 4 percent increase).

Based on the government's medium-term forecasts, inflation rate in the country is expected at 4.6 percent in 2020, 4.5 percent in 2021, 4.1 per cent in 2022, and 3.9percent 2023.