NEWS

Baku Choreography Academy (BCA) and St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture have signed an agreement on cooperation in science, education and culture.

During the meeting, BCA's Vice-Rector for Educational Affairs Aziz Garayusifli and the First Vice-Rector of the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture Sergey Shukshin discussed partnership in culture, choreography and education, Azertag reported.

The sides agreed on holding joint competitions, festivals and conferences. Special attention was paid to the issues of academic exchange between students and faculty.

Furthermore, Aziz Garayusifli also met with ballet critic Alexander Maksov, director general of the Vozrozhdenie Theater Workshop Gennady Galitsky and the Russian Honored Art Worker Eldar Aliyev to discuss the art of choreography. 

Next, Aziz Garayusifli met with the Azerbaijan's Consul General in Russia Soltan Gasimov. The sides exchanged views on prospects of further cooperation.

Founded in 2014, Baku Choreography Academy aims to ensure the development of the Azerbaijan's choreographic art.

UNESCO calls on the world community to protect cultural heritage sites in Afghanistan, UNESCO press officer Thomas Mallard told TASS on Tuesday.

"UNESCO is closely following the developments in Afghanistan and coordinates its actions with the partner agencies within the system of the United Nations Organization to ensure the safety of personnel," he said.

"The rich and diverse heritage on the territory of Afghanistan is of exceptional value for humankind. And this heritage must be preserved," Thomas Mallard said.

First and foremost, this concerns the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul, the Museum of Islamic Art in Ghazni, UNESCO world heritage sites - the minaret and archeological sites in Jam, as well as the cultural landscape and archeological finds in Bamiyan Valley, he said.

The fighters of the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) entered Kabul without encountering any resistance on Sunday and started to take control of government buildings, the Al Arabiya TV Channel reported. President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani left the country. The Taliban later announced that it had established control of all the districts in the Afghan capital.

French specialists have expressed fear over the fate of Afghanistan’s historic monuments. In 2001, Taliban militants blasted two statues of Buddha in the central part of the country. They were carved in the rocks in the 6th century and were part of Buddhist monasteries. The destruction of cultural monuments shocked the global community and was condemned at the time.

The World Exhibition of Fine Arts will be held in Italy on October 31 this year.

According to the Report's local bureau, the event in Florence will feature works by artists from 78 countries.

Well-known Ukrainian artist Iryna Benderovska will join the international exhibition with her works 'Azerbaijani carpets'.

She said that the exhibition is supported by the European Parliament, UNESCO, and the Italian Ministry of Culture: "I will take part in this exhibition with my handicrafts 'Azerbaijani carpets'. I am delighted with this. In this regard, I have worked on various patterned versions of Azerbaijani carpets. The works reflect the original elements of the cultural and national heritage of Azerbaijan."

Benderovska currently lives in Poland and has participated in various international exhibitions.

Azerbaijan's young singer Iskandar Hasanzade has won the third place at Baqytty Bala-2021 International Kids Vocal Contest in Kazakhstan.

Moreover, Kazakh composer and producer Ulykpan Zholdasov also wrote a song for the young talent. 

Speaking about the song contest, Iskandar Hasanzade said that he is proud to represent Azerbaijan at the competition. 

Baqytty Bala is an annual kids vocal competition that brings together young talents from all over the world. The competition is open for 10-15 years old singers. 

The competition is curated by the famous Kazakh singer, composer Dimash Kudaibergen.

In 2021, applications were received from 12 countries around the world.  About 20 young vocalists from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland and Greece passed to the final.

Iskandar Hasanzade has been engaged in vocal since childhood. At the age of 6, he entered  Baku Children's Music School No. 35.

The young singer has successfully performed at over 15 music competitions.

Iskandar Hasanzade is a laureate of the international festival Riga Simphony 2019, the Elena Obraztsova International Competition for Young Opera Vocalists, the finalist of the music competition "Children's New Wave-2019", "Slavianski Bazaar-Children 2019" and so on.

The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has hosted a presentation of a postage stamp timed to the 175th anniversary of Abai Kunanbayev, a prominent Kazakh poet. 

The stamp was previously issued in Spain under the auspices of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.

The postage stamp depicting Abai Kunanbayev reflects his creative work, as well as the cultural values ​​of the Turkic world and traditional musical instruments.

The President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva addressed the event.

In her remarks, Afandiyeva pointed out that Azerbaijan has always paid a great attention to the poet's legacy.

In 2011, one of the streets in Baku city was named after Abai Kunanbayev. Moreover, Abai Kunanbayev Center also operates at the Baku State University.

Now the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation will issue a book about the poet. 

The Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Serzhan Abdykarimov spoke about the work of a prominent Kazakh poet and thinker. He stressed that the poet's heritage is highly appreciated in Turkic-speaking countries.

The Ambassador emphasized that the postage stamp issued by the Foundation on the occasion of the anniversary is another expression of respect for the memory of the great poet and composer.

The ceremony was followed by a gala concert with participation of Azerbaijani and Kazakh musicians. 

Initiated in 2012, Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation focuses on preservation of Turkic heritage in member countries as well as conducting projects in collaboration with partners in third countries.

The Foundation provides assistance in the protection, study and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage through supporting and funding various activities, projects and programs. It carries out its activities in cooperation with TURKSOY and the Turkic Academy.

Cooperation Council of the Turkic Speaking States (CCTSS) is an intergovernmental organization, which aims at promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic Speaking States.

The organization was established by the Nakhchivan Agreement, which was signed at the Turkic Summit in 2009.

In order to fulfill the objectives and tasks of the CCTSS, the organization has been divided into the following structures: Council of Heads of States; Council of Foreign Ministers, Senior Officials Committee, Council of Elders, Secretariat, Coordination Committee, Representation Office of the Turkic Council in Budapest.

Azerbaijan is to join the Junior Eurovision 2021 song contest due in Paris,Report informs, citing the Public Television (ITV).

The country will be represented by Sona Azizova. Active preparations are currently underway, with the choice of a song for Azerbaijan's Eurovision entry.

The 19th Junior Eurovision song contest will take place on Sunday, December 19, at the Le Seine Musicale concert hall.

The Russian Information and Cultural Center in Baku  will celebrate  the 79th anniversary of the outstanding singer and composer, Muslim Magomayev.

Students of the Baku Music Academy will take part in the concert organized as part of the celebration.

Muslim Magomayev made a 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 Theatre in Milan. Muslim's stay in Italy – a country of innumerable art treasures and the home of bel canto – in the 1960s was not only beneficial for his singing but also affected his inner world.

At the 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 theatre 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 heart failure in Moscow on October 25, 2008, and was laid to rest in Baku.

An educational project "Music for All" has been presented at Art Tower Gallery within Simurg Music Festival.

The main goal of the project is to expand the knowledge of kids and adolescents in the musical art. 

The lecture was delivered by musicologist, teacher of the Leopold and Mstislav Rostropovich Music School Sevda Mammadova.

The young talents were informed about musical instruments, their main features and qualities. 

The author of the project is the head of the Arts Council Azerbaijan NGO, artist, art critic Dadash Mammadov, curator- national pianist, director of the Simurg Music Festival Saida Taghizade.

After the lectures, the participants received diplomas and mementos.

The event was held in accordance with the quarantine measures,  taking into account the sanitary and epidemiological rules.

Notably, Simurg Music Festival 2021 aims at identifying all creative abilities of young people. The festival is headed by talented pianist Saida Tagizade.

The previous festival was held only among pianists. This year, the festival's program is more diverse and spectacular as it brings together not only pianists but also musicians and even vocalists.

Simurg Music Festival 2021 has opened with a marvelous open-air concert held in Icherisheher, next to Art Tower Gallery.

The festival is supported by the Ministries of Education and Culture, Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve, Baku City Main Cultural Department, Baku Media Center,  Arts Council Azerbaijan, Pasha Holding and Aqua Vita.

Amazon’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series is moving production from New Zealand to the UK for Season 2, Report informs referring to Variety.

The untitled series was picked up for multiple seasons at the streamer when it was first ordered back in 2017. Filming was completed on the first season of the show on August 2. Season 1 post-production will continue in New Zealand through June 2022, while pre-production on Season 2 will begin concurrently in the UK after the first of the year.

This will mark the first time any of the modern “Lord of the Rings” live-action onscreen projects have been produced outside of New Zealand, including “The Hobbit” trilogy.

Amazon recently announced that Season 1 of the “Lord of the Rings” series will debut on September 2, 2022.

Azerbaijani fairytale character has featured in the cartoon "Masha's tales".

The new episode invites kids to join a magical journey of Jirtdan and Masha.

Jirtdan is the most popular fairy tale character among the children's tales in Azerbaijan, meaning "small" when translated from Azerbaijani.

Many fairy tales are based on this character, who is distinguished for his keenness of wit, courage and bravery. 

Masha and the Bear are heroes of Russian folklore, known to all Russian children.

The cartoon "Masha's tales" tells about fairy tales of other nations. The animated series combines 3D CGI technology and 2D Flash animation.

Each six-minute fairy tale is drawn in a new art style that never repeats.