NEWS

Known as Azerbaijan's cultural capital, Shusha city is the hometown of prominent national composer Uzeyir Hajibayli. 

His extraordinary musical talent started a revolution in the Azerbaijani musical timeline. Uzeyir Hajibayli was the first composer of an opera in the Islamic world. He also composed the music of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic's national anthem.

The composer brilliantly combined the western and eastern musical traditions and opened a new page in the history of Azerbaijani music. 

The composer was born on September 18, 1885, in Aghjabadi in the family of a local clerk. Later, Uzeyir and his family moved to Shusha.

History behind Uzeyir Hajibayli House Museum

In 1959, a house where he spent his childhood in Shusha was transformed into a museum.

Numerous manuscripts of his works, personal items, and photographs depicting his life and creativity were displayed there. 

In 1978, Uzeyir Hajibayli's House Museum was renovated. It was also planned to renovate the museum for the second time in 1983.

Uzeyir Hajibayli's anniversaries and jubilees had been constantly commemorated in the museum at the national level.

In 1985, UNESCO solemnly marked the 100th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibayli's birth. The guests invited from different countries of the world visited Uzeyir Hajibayli's House Museum in Shusha, where the jubilee was celebrated.

Before the Armenian occupation, nearly 1700 exhibits were kept in the house museum.  Some 1600 exhibits were destroyed by Armenia. 

The museum employees managed to save only 136 personal belongings of Uzeyir Hajibayli, which were transferred to the composer's house museum in Baku.

Among them are his personal belongings - a suit, glasses, a coat - a violin on which Hajibeyli played in the Gori seminary, writing materials, a personal album, photographs, and the wedding dress of his mother Shirinbayim khanum (mode of address).

And the most valuable among the exhibits is a handful of Shusha soil from under the composer's favorite pear tree growing in the courtyard of the museum.

Uzeyir Hajibayli House Museum after Azerbaijan's victory

In 2020, Azerbaijan liberated its territories from the Armenian occupation.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have recently viewed the works to be done at the Uzeyir Hajibayli House-Museum in Shusha.

They also unveiled a statue of the eminent composer in Shusha on August 29.

The statue of the composer was erected in Shusha in 1985 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibayli.

The monument, designed by sculptor Ahmad Salikov, was completely destroyed in 1992 during the First Karabakh War by Armenia.

A new statue of the composer has been made on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev.

It was reported that the new monument was created on the basis of photos published in the press of that time and kept in the archives.

The bronze statue was erected in Shusha with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The monument was designed by sculptors Aslan Rustamov, Teymur Rustamov and Mahmud Rustamov.

Arts Council Azerbaijan has released a video "Chinese beauty" inspired by Nizami's poem "Seven Beauties".

The video was filmed Art Fest Nizami dedicated to the poet's 880th anniversary. 

The image of the Chinese beauty was embodied by the ballerina Dariga Naimanova. 

The video features music from  Gara Garayev's ballet "Seven Beauties".

Meanwhile, separate videos were shot for each "Seven Beauties". 

The project brought together Niyaz Ilyasoghlu (reader), Simon Peter (videographer) and Sabina Zulalova (costume designer). The curator of the project is Sona Guliyeva.

Art Fest Nizami features workshops for photographers and artists, exhibitions, screenings of animated films and other events dedicated to the work of Nizami Ganjavi. The festival encourages talented people to participate in various joint projects.

The project also focuses on raising awareness of the young generation about the poet's literary heritage.

Nizami Ganjavi started his creative activity with lyrical poems - gasidas, gazals and rubais. He dedicated his whole life to lyrical poems, and different philosophical problems.

The works of Azerbaijani poet and thinker have been translated into many languages.

Rare manuscript copies of his works are kept and preserved in world-famous libraries, museums and literary foundations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Baku, Tashkent, Tabriz, Tehran, Cairo, Istanbul, Delhi, London, Paris and others.

In Khamsa (Quintet), the poet revealed the living pages of history.

The attack of the Russians on Barda city, a fairy tale of the Russian Princess, the beautiful Shirin amazons, battles, described in various poems of Nizami - all this is historically and geographically related to medieval Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

Nizami Ganjavi passed away in 1209 in his native city of Ganja. A grandiose tomb was raised over his grave.

Musicians from Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan made up the combined symphony orchestra of the Caspian countries, which will debut at the gala concert of the Caspian classical music festival OperaFirst in Astrakhan on September 11.

The combined orchestra includes 65 best musicians from friendly countries. A unique musical group was assembled specially for OperaFirst by the Music Entertainment Cultural Foundation.

The conductor will be Mikhail Golikov, director and chief conductor of the St. Petersburg State Philharmonic Society for Children and Youth.

OperaFirst culmination will be a gala concert with the participation of stars of world opera Sumi Jo (Republic of Korea), Elizabeth Vidal (France), and Sergei Leiferkus (Russia / Portugal).

Within the event, Caspian Fashion Week, which will feature collections by designers from five countries, will be organized.

MIkis Theodorakis, a well-known Greek composer and political activist, died on Thursday, the Ministry of Culture confirmed. He was 96, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a condolence message, Minister Lina Mendoni said "today we lost a part of the soul of Greece."

"Mikis was global and his work belongs to the whole world ... touched and will continue to touch millions of hearts ... Greeks mourn today," she said.

Theodorakis composed different kinds of music, ranging from operas to symphonic and chamber music based on Western European forms and modern techniques.

Most of his songs were based on Greek poems, which were also performed by popular artists and bands around the world including the Beatles, Edith Piaf and Shirley Bassey.

Mendoni described him as teacher, intellectual, and "the one who made all Greeks sing poets."

He was most known for the music he composed for award-winning film Zorba the Greek in 1964. He won the BAFTA Prize for original music for the film Z (1969), Phaedra (1962), and Serpiko (1973).

Theodorakis was also instrumental in raising global awareness against Greece’s military dictatorship from 1967-74, for which he was arrested and imprisoned, and his works were banned in the country.

Azerbaijanfilm Studio has produced TV series inspired by Nizami Ganjavi's poem Khosrov and Shirin.

The series consists of 12 episodes filmed by the Azerbaijanfilm Studio and the Public Television (İTV) with the support of the Culture Ministry to mark the poet's 880th anniversary and the Year of Nizami Ganjavi in Azerbaijan. 

The film shootings took place in Mardakan, Shuvelan and Mashtaga settlements.

The directors of the series are Khayyam Abdullazade and Elmeddin Aliyev, scriptwriters - Khayyam Abdullazade and Ilgar Fahmi. The cast includes Rustam Jabrayilov and Kamalya Piriyeva.

"Khosrov and Shirin" is the second poem by Nizami Ganjavi from his collection "Khamsa" ("Five"), written from 1175/76 to 1191.

The poem tells about the love of Shah Khosrov for Princess Shirin, who, for political reasons, marries Princess Mariam. 

The three main characters of the poem - Khosrov, Shirin and Farhad symbolize the three degrees of perfection of the individual on the way to comprehending the truth.

Through the knowledge of the essence of love, the poet tries to penetrate into the mystery of being, and seeks to find a connection between God and human being. 

The poem "Khosrov and Shirin" touches upon a very wide range of problems that have worried humanity throughout history.

Nizami Ganjavi started his creative activity with lyrical poems - gasidas, gazals and rubais. He dedicated his whole life to lyrical poems, and different philosophical problems.

The works of Azerbaijani poet and thinker have been translated into many languages.

Rare manuscript copies of his works are kept and preserved in world-famous libraries, museums and literary foundations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Baku, Tashkent, Tabriz, Tehran, Cairo, Istanbul, Delhi, London, Paris and others.

In Khamsa (Quintet), the poet revealed the living pages of history.

The attack of the Russians on Barda city, a fairy tale of the Russian Princess, the beautiful Shirin amazons, battles, described in various poems of Nizami - all this is historically and geographically related to medieval Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

Nizami Ganjavi passed away in 1209 in his native city of Ganja. A grandiose tomb was raised over his grave.

A press conference timed to the ANIMAFILM 2021 International Animation Festival has been held in Baku.

The festival's director Rashid Aghamaliyev, famous animator Masud Panahi, organizer of master classes and workshops within the festival Nazrin Aghamaliyev and a member of the kids jury Rashad Alizade answered numerous questions about the upcoming event.

As Rashid Aghamaliyev said, it was not easy for the festival organizers to select the best films for the festival.

Meanwhile, the kids jury selects the best  animated film for kids and the best animation made by a kid.

Speaking about the festival, Aghamaliyev praised the fact that the kids in Azerbaijan are fond of animation, they make films themselves and take part in the festival.

He added that the theme of the upcoming festival is dedicated to people with disabilities.

"The proceeds from the sale of tickets to the festival will go to help children with disabilities. In order for people with disabilities to have the opportunity to attend screenings during the festival, we will provide them with free transport," he added. 

Masud Panahi  said that the festival expands from year by year, making it more exciting and diverse. He noted that 134 animated films from 40 countries will compete for the victory in 12 different categories

Nazrin Aghamaliyeva pointed out that the festival will also feature master classes and workshops led by  famous animators - Masoud Panahi, Nancy Danny-Phelps and Nick Phelps (Belgium), Olivier Catherine (France).

ANIMAFILM 2021 International Animation Festival will be held in Baku on September 3-7.

The festival's fourth edition promises an even more rich and interesting program. 

Dozens of foreign and local animated films for kids and adults are part of the five-day festival. The theme of this year's festival is "DISABILITY".

Participants from 40 different countries with 134 films and screenplays will compete for 12 local and international categories.

The winner in the category "Best Azerbaijani Short Animated Film" will take part in the Annecy International Animated Film Festival to be held in France next year. Moreover, a winner in this category will also get e professional MİFA accreditation.

The festival offers a rich non-competition and professional programs this year. Polish, Uzbek, French films, workshops for animation professionals, and a whole lot more!

Baku Book Center will represent Azerbaijan at the round table "Modern Book Distribution. Experience of Booksellers in Russia and the CIS".

The round table will gather experts from Russia and the CIS countries to discuss the state of the book market in the Commonwealth countries. The event will take place at the Moscow House of Books on September 10.

The director of the Baku Book Center, writer Gunel Anargizi (Rzayeva) will take part in the round table. 

At the end of the discussion, the bookselling enterprises and bookstores - winners of the competition based on the results of work for 2020, will be awarded with diplomas of the CIS Executive Committee.

Baku Book Center was officially opened to visitors on September 1, 2018. The main goal of the Center is to encourage people in reading book as a bearer of cultural, spiritual values and useful knowledge.

Here booklovers can also take part in presentations of books, literary and musical evenings, meetings with cultural and art workers, thematic master classes and much more.

The Center also organizes events with the participation of international organizations and diplomatic missions.

By the decision of the CIS Executive Committee, Baku Book Center has been awarded the diploma "For the great work in development of domestic book distribution and international book exchange in 2018."

Each of us and the entire Turkic world as a whole feels joy and pride that the integral part of Azerbaijan Karabakh and the ancient cultural center of Azerbaijan Shusha are reliving their historical days, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva told AZERTAC.

“If after years the poems of great artists, our classics, modern poets are heard here, the Azerbaijani mugham is spread all over the world, and when performing “Karabakh Shikastasi” you feel not pain, but a sense of pride, then Shusha breathes again and returns to its happy days.

We are grateful to all our heroes, headed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who gave us this Victory, returned our beautiful Karabakh, the pearl of Azerbaijani culture - Shusha.

I am sure that wonderful events, concerts and exhibitions will be organized here again, and Karabakh with its cultural heritage will once again become one of the treasures of the world. The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation plans to implement many projects in this area in these historic corners of Azerbaijan,” Gunay Afandiyeva said.

Chief conductor and music director of the Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater Ayyub Guliyev has been invited to the 25th Immling Bavarian Festival. 

The festival of opera art, held annually in one of the most picturesque places in Bavaria - Gut-Immlinge, traditionally gathers opera stars, conductors and directors from many countries. 

Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev performed at the festival's clothing ceremony,  where under his baton the orchestra, chorus and famous opera singers from the USA, Lithuania, Denmark, Russia, China and Kyrgyzstan performed arias from operas " La Boheme", "Love Potion", "La Traviata". 

Furthermore, Immling Festival Orchestra delighted the audience with  Uzeyir Hajibaylil's opera "Koroghlu".

The libretto is based on episodes from the Epic of Koroghlu, a heroic legend prominent in the oral traditions of the Turkic peoples. 

Giacomo Puccinil's "Madame Butterfly" and Gioacchino Rossinil's "Cinderella" were premiered as part of the prestigious festival. 

The festival also featured marvelous concerts of the instrumental music "Tango and Trio", "Chelissimo", works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as well as international vocal competition.

After 39 years, Vagif's Poetry Days have been once again held in Shusha.

The large-scale event was held for the first time in the poet's native city after its liberation from the Armenian occupation. 

Azerbaijan's national leader Heydar Aliyev gave instructions to hold Vagif's Poetry Days. Until 1991, the cultural event was held annually in Azerbaijan.

After so many years, Vagif's Poetry Days finally returns to Shusha. 

The opening ceremony was attended by President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. 

The cultural event brought together folk poets, mugham singers and many other cultural figures.

Vagif's Poetry Days 2021 were remembered by fascinating performances, colorful exhibitions, literary symposiums and heart-touching poetic composition "From Nizami to Vagif".

The highly anticipated event organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation left no one indifferent. 

People's Poet of Azerbaijan, MP Sabir Rustamkhanli addressed the event. 

"Arrival in Shusha is pleasing and inspiring, we are proud of our history. Thanks to Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani soldiers for giving us such joy. Vagif's Poetry Days is a great feast of poetry and literature. Our courageous sons passed those impassable roads that we saw when we were going to Shusha, with love for the Motherland. This is an act of the unprecedented heroism and the historical valor shown by the Azerbaijani soldier," he said.

Rustamkhanli also read a fragment from his "Return to Karabakh" poem, dedicated to Azerbaijan`s victory in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. 

On the second day of the event, poet Vagif Bahmanli,  chairman of the Caspian Branch of the Azerbaijani Writers' Union Arif Buzovnali, chairman of the Nakhchivan Writers' Union Asim Yadigar, head of the Ali Karim Poetry House Ibrahim Ilyasli, head of the "Soz" (Word) literary project Nigar Hasanzade,  Press Secretary of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union Hayal Rza, poetess Rasmiya Sabir, Chairman of the Union of Young Turkic Writers Akbar Goshaly, chairman of the Youth Council of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union Faig Huseyn read out poems.

Furthermore, winners of the International Mugham Competition Nisbat Sadrayeva and Khayal Huseynov thrilled everyone with their performance. 

Vagif's Poetry Days ended with a patriotic song "Karabakh, native land".