NEWS

World-famous singer and composer Brandon Stone will perform in Baku. The concert will take place at the Sea Breeze Event Hall on October 9.

The singer will delight the audience with a new concert program which includes old and new hits.

Brandon Stone is the author of more than 700 music pieces. He became famous after participating in the singing competition "The Voice Russia".

Brandon Stone is a multitalented singer whose  sincerity and emotional performance leaves no one indifferent. Each song plunges listeners into wonderful world of music. 

The musician is a frequent guest at Zhara Music Festival. He also took part in the arrangement of the musical composition "Shusha".

The song was performed by People's Artists Zulfiya Khanbabayeva and Tunzala Aghayeva, Honored Artist Abbas Baghirov and pop singer Khayyam Nisanov. The lyrisc to the song were written by Seymur Aslanov. 

In 2005, Brandon released his first album in Russia titled "Glance". In the same year, he took 4th place at the New Wave International Contest of Young Pop Singers. From 2005 to 2010, he worked as the festival's music sound producer. 

Tickets for the concert can be purchased on the iticket.az website. Entry is possible only upon COVID passport (both doses) or an immune certificate.

Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater is getting ready for a new season. The theater remained closed amid coronavirus pandemic. 

The Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers has recently made a decision to re-open cultural facilities, conference halls, cinemas and theaters in Azerbaijan with a total capacity of no more than 50 percent from October 1. 

In the next season, the State Opera and Ballet Theater will please the audience with many works, including the operas "Sevil", "The Cloth Peddler", "One Thousand and One Nights", "Leyli and Majnun", "Shah Ismail" and much more.

The theater will re-open its doors to Baku audience on October 9.

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, the theater has marked its 100th anniversary. 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 provided insight into the country's opera art as part of "Bizi birləşdirən mədəniyyət" (United by Culture) project.

The National Carpet Museum invites you to discuss the ancient and avant-garde carpet examples.

The museum's director, chairman of ICOM Azerbaijan National Committee Shirin Malikova, and talented artist and sculptor Chingiz Babayev will deliver a speech on the topic "Tradition and Innovation" within the museum's recently opened exhibition "Carpet Art: Evolution of Meanings".

The exposition won the sympathy of the audience. Notably, this event was the first large-scale exhibition in Tatarstan dedicated to Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art.

The exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to discover the wonderful examples of traditional carpets of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Each carpet reflects different regional traditions distinguished by their ornamental features, colors, and techniques.

Through the exhibition, the museum visitors can enjoy the contemporary interpretation of ancient carpet art, the dialogue between past and present through the works of famous artist and sculptor Chingiz Babayev.

The meeting will be moderated by Ph.D. in Arts Elchin Shamilli. 

According to the quarantine requirements, no more than 10 people can attend the event.

The State Dance Ensemble has successfully performed at the 35th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts in Jordan.

The Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts is an annually-held event held in Jerash, Jordan. It is part of the Jordan Festival, that aims to enrich cultural activities in Jordan.

Founded in 1981 by Queen Noor, it features several shows performed by Jordanian, Arab and foreign artists.

The ensemble performed a suite "My Azerbaijan", dance compositions "Naz Elama", "Ag Chichak", "Qaytagi", "Sari Galin" and  "Karabakh Yalli".

Jordanian media called the ensemble's performance one of the most beautiful at the festival.

Since 1970, Azerbaijan Dance Ensemble promotes Azerbaijan's dance art, beauty and elegance of national dances.

The ensemble constantly participates in state events of Azerbaijan, successfully tours in Russia, CIS countries, USA, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Israel, India, Nepal, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, Cuba and many other countries.

The team traditionally represents the culture of their country at international festivals in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Egypt, Qatar, China, Japan, Tunisia and other countries.

In 1991, the State Dance Ensemble was awarded the title of Honored Collective of Azerbaijan for its outstanding contribution to the development of national culture. The enseble`s artistic director is People's Artist Rufat Khalilzadeh.

Teymur Gambarov's film "Gukhuroba" has won a special prize at the Umut 2021 International Forum of Young Cinema.

The film narrates about a taxi driver who fulfills a friend's request to deliver a wedding dress for his daughter from Baku to the highland of Gukhuroba village.

The cast includes Elkhan Samadov, Roza Ibadova, Ilgar Dadash, Jahangir Malik, Rada Nasibova.

Previously, the film "Gukhuroba" was named best at the Commonwealth International Film School of Young Cinematographers in Georgia. The film received the prize of the Jury of Film Critics.

More than 30 films from 14 countries took part in the short film competition held as part of the festival.

Meanwhile, another national film will be presented at the international festival.

Teymur Hajiyev's "Towards Evening" will be screened at the New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival on October 6-13.

The film tells about a couple for whom physical proximity doesn’t mean spiritual closeness at all. They make their way to a family event outside the city; a disagreement over a mundane issue forces them to stop, yielding an unexpected yet predictable discovery.

The cast includes Leyla Madatkhanova, Teymur Hajiyev, Gultakin Aghayeva, Ogtay Mirzoyev.

The New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival aims to become the main platform for debut cinema in Russia.

The festival aims at creating a professional space for independent directors, writers, and producers who are looking for an opportunity to implement creative ideas.

Rustam Huseynov's documentary "Paul Nadar's Baku voyage" has been screened at the first Baku Street Photography Festival, organized by the YARAT Contemporary Art Space.

Photographer and historian Rustam Huseynov, composer Araz Ozara and curator Konul Rafiyeva were engaged in the project.

The film was shot in partnership with the French Embassy in Azerbaijan and the French Institute in Azerbaijan (IFA) with the support of the Mediatheque of Architecture and Heritage under the French Culture Ministry. 

The film tells about the photographs captured by the French photographer Paul Nadar in Baku.

In 1890, the famous "The International Sleeping-Car and European Great Expresses Company" organized a trip to Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Paul Nadar was invited to take part in this expedition as a photographer. He was one of the first foreign passengers of the "Trans-Caspian Railway".

As part of this trip, traveling through the Caucasus, Paul Nadar visited Baku, the images of which were reconstructed and reinterpreted for the public via his photographs.

In his Baku photographs, Paul Nadar paid special attention to Icherisheher (Old City) known as the city's historical core.

The event was opened by the head of the YARAT cultural programs department Ulviya Akhundova, who stressed the importance of showing a documentary within the Baku Street Photography Festival.

In his remarks, the film director Rustam Huseynov noted that the photographs of Paul Nadar are of key importance not only for the history of photography, but also for the history of Baku.

Unfortunately, the State Archive of Azerbaijan does not store the originals of his works (photographer's negatives) although they are important for the history of Azerbaijan's photography.

Nadar was the first to use a portable camera in Azerbaijan, as a result of which his report can be considered the first full-fledged photo reportage of street photography in Azerbaijan.

"Paul Nadar's photographs were taken in 1890. Our film also features the cover of the first edition of Jules Verne's novel "Clodius Bombarnac" from the IFA archives. In fact, half of this novel was written from Paul Nadar's travel diary, where he described the city of Baku and his trip in general. Unfortunately, the diary was not translated into Azerbaijani, and I think it would be great in the future if it is translated and published in our country," said Huseynov. 

Next, curator Konul Rafiyeva, the first counselor of the French Embassy in Azerbaijan Julien Le Lan and the director of the French Institute (IFA) Jerome Kehl highlighted the photographer's activities. They pointed out the significance of the photographs taken in Baku. 

The film screening was followed by a performance of famous composer and musician Araz Ozara.

Many cultural and historical monuments in Azerbaijan have been razed to the ground as a result of the Armenian occupation.

The Azikh (Azykh) and Taghlar caves, known as the first human dwellings, as well as monuments belonging to the Caucasus Albania, and other cultural sites were seriously damaged or destroyed for three decades. 

Severe consequences of the Armenian military aggression against Azerbaijan have been discussed at the ICOM 2021 International Virtual Conference on Museums.

Director of the National Carpet Museum, chairman of ICOM Azerbaijan National Committee Shirin Malikova made a presentation on "The Destruction of Cultural and Historical Sites and Museums in Times of War and Military Conflicts on the Example of Karabakh". 

In her report, Shirin Malikova touched upon the destruction of the Azerbaijani historical and cultural sites in Karabakh as well as the restoration carried out on the liberated territories. 

Malikova stressed that the desecration and deliberate destruction of the world’s historical and cultural monuments are open disrespect and disobedience to international law and violation of UNESCO, The Hague, and the Council of Europe conventions, the worst atrocity against humanity.

The absence of real mechanisms of influence of international organizations to prevent the destruction of cultural heritage during the Karabakh war, is also very alarming.

Shirin Malikova informed the conference participants about the plight of thousands of exhibits belonging to 22 museums, which remained unknown, falsification of ancient Albanian monuments, and illegal archaeological excavations.

She also spoke about the ongoing recovery work on the liberated territories and demonstrated the photographs of the reconstructed monuments.

The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27. 

The 44 days of war ended with the Russian-brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.  

The peace agreement ended the 30-year conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

For about three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict. 

Mesmerizing, vibrant, and unique are just a few words that will effortlessly define Karabakh carpets.

The Chalabi carpet is considered one of the brightest and most distinctive in the Karabakh carpet group.

One of the earliest carpets Chalabi dates from the late 17th  to the early 18th centuries, being woven during the reign of the Safavid dynasty. 

With its rich colors and original technique, the Chalabi carpet will be presented to the public on Victory Day, celebrated on November 8. 

The public holiday is dedicated to Azerbaijan's victory in the 2020 Karabakh War. 

Inspired by the rich statehood and military history of the great ancestors, the Azerbaijani people proved to the whole world that they were a victorious nation and won a historic victory over the enemy at the end of the 44-day Patriotic war, writing another glorious chronicle of heroism. 

The Chalabi carpet will be woven as part of the new project "Knots of Karabakh" (Karabakh Ilmelerde) launched by the Azerbaijani Journalists' Network, the Culture Ministry, the Azerkhalcha and Tamiz Shahar OJSC on the occasion of the anniversary of the Patriotic War.

The project has been solemnly presented at Azerkhalcha's exhibition center.

At the event, the memory of the martyrs of the Karabakh war was honored with a minute of silence.

Moderated by the chairman of the Azerbaijan Journalists' Network Ayaz Mirzoyev, the event was attended by the author of the idea and the project manager of the Azerbaijan Journalists' Network, Orkhan Jabbarov;  the chairman of the Azerkhalcha OJSC, Emin Mammadov; the director of the National Carpet Museum, Shirin Malikova; the chairman of the Icharishahar State Historical and Architectural Reserve, Askar Alakbarov; the chairman of the board of the Tamiz Shahar OJSC, Etibar Abbasov; Azerkhalcha's production director Alisafa Nuriyev and the project's sketch artist Neva Aghaliyeva.

In their remarks, the speakers stressed the importance of the project timed to Azerbaijan's victory in the 2020 war. 

Following the opening ceremony, the employees of Azerkhalcha OJSC Nijat Guliyev and Mammad Zulfaliyev, who fought in the Patriotic War were first to tie a symbolic knot on the carpet. 

Talented craftswoman Sevinj Osmanli, whose son Elchin is also a hero of the Patriotic War, also took part in the carpet's creation.

Baku residents, who want to join the social project "Karabakh Ilmelerde", can tie a knot on the Karabakh carpet by approaching the private vehicle parked in front of the showroom of Azerkhalcha OJSC in the  Icharishahar State Historical-Architectural Reserve until September 30.

A large number of people will be involved in the project, which symbolizes the hard work, unity, and equality of all Azerbaijani citizens.

After October 1, the project team will start its tour across the regions. The route will be announced in advance on social networks of the  Azerkhalcha OJSC,  the Azerbaijan Journalists' Network, and the Tamiz Shahar JSC.

Apart from that, a series of videos and a short documentary film will be presented to the public as part of the project. 

Baku Music Academy (BMA) has hosted an event dedicated to Remembrance Day in Azerbaijan for honoring and mourning servicemen who sacrificed their lives for the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty during the Second Karabakh War in 2020.

Established under President Ilham Aliyev's decree, Remembrance Day is held in Azerbaijan on September 27, the day when the war with Armenia broke out.

At the opening ceremony, the memory of the martyrs was honored with a minute of silence.

Baku Music Academy, People's Artist Farhad Badalbayli and BMA Vice-Rector for International Relations, Public Relations and Social Affairs, People's Artist Yegana Akhundova stressed the historical significance of the 44-day Patriotic War in Azerbaijan's history.

The heroes of the second Karabakh war shared their memories and spoke about the glorious combat path, the courage of the Azerbaijani soldiers who became martyrs as well as veterans, who liberated the territories of Azerbaijan from the Armenian occupants.

Next, the second Karabakh war veteran, holder of the "Brave Fighter", "For the Liberation of Fuzuli", "For the Liberation of Gubadli", "Heydar zirvasi" medals, laureate of republican and international competitions Vugar Mammadzadeh presented the video material "Dedication to Martyrs".

The cavalier of the medals "For the Liberation of Fuzuli", "For the Liberation of Khojavand", an honorary diploma "For the Battle Path and Social and Political Training", violinist Azizagha Guluzade, winner of the medal "For the Liberation of Lachin", pianist Murad Bayramov, winner of the medals "For the Liberation of Fuzuli" , "For the liberation of Khojavand", "For the liberation of Jabrayil", a second-year student of the faculty of "Music Teacher" Adil Amirli presented a music composition "Dedication to Martyr Friends".

Participant of the battles for the liberation of Jabrayil and Khojavand regions, laureate of republican and international competitions, ex-soloist of the Bolshoi Theater's Youth Opera program, the soloist of the San Carlo Theater's youth troupe Atash Garayev performed a music piece " Shahidlik Zirvasi" to the music of Ph.D. in art history Konul Huseynova, and to the words of national poet Vahid Aziz.

The music piece was dedicated to the memory of martyr Ulvi Hajiyev.

In conclusion, Atash Garayev performed Vasif Adigozalov's "Carnation". The musicians were accompanied by Yegana Akhundova.

The performances were greeted with applause from the guests of the evening.

Another concert has been held as part of the 13th Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival. 

The concert titled "Youth echoes of the Uzeyir art" gathered Honored Artist Ilham Nazarov and his students  Subkhan Rustamov, Gunel Binnetli, Adelin Ozturk, Tofig Zeynalov, Kanan Rahmanzade and concertmaster Ilaha Ismayilova.

The concert repertoire was quite extensive - from the Baroque era to the modern time. The evening featured music pieces by Muslim Magomayev, Alessandro Stradell, Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms and others.

The audience was waiting for Ilham Nazarov to appear on the stage. The singer has long won the love and respect of music lovers.  

Next,  Ilham Nazarov and his students performed Muslim Magomayev's song "Azerbaijan". The deep, heartfelt performance delighted the audience. 

Ilham Nazarov is the only countertenor in Azerbaijan and the only singer in Azerbaijan having two voices at once - countertenor and baritone. 

As a baritone, he performed at the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater playing the part of Nofel (Leila and Majnun), Silvio (Pagliacci), etc.

In 2017, he took part in the 5th International Professional Competition of Young Opera Singers "The Great Opera" in Russia.

The opera singer graduated from the Baku Musical Academy. He completed a three-year internship at the Italian Academia D'Arte Lirica - first as a baritone, and then as a countertenor.

He became the first Azerbaijani vocalist who performed at the Roman Opera House.

In 2020, Ilham Nazarov released a new album "Inspiration" that featured Franz Schubert's "Swan Song" song cycle for voice and piano. 

The music album was recorded at Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall and Namiq Zeynalov Record Studio. 

During album recording, Ilham Nazarov was accompanied by a talented pianist, doctoral student of the Baku Musical Academy Gunel Bakirli. 

Ilham Nazarov is the first countertenor in the world to perform a series of works by Franz Schubert.