The 13th edition of Azerbaijan’s Gabala International Music Festival
The Gabala International Music Festival in Azerbaijan has been celebrating its 13th edition with a special focus on young musicians.
“Each concert programme includes a young performer,” explained Fuad Ibrahimov, the the artistic director of the Azerbaijan State Symphonic Orchestra.
The future of each country is its youth, and, of course, participation of young people in such a festival is precious,” he added.
Azerbaijan has beeen running a project titled “Support for Youth” which began in 2016 and identifies and supports young talent from all over the country.
“The festival serves educational purposes as well. Lectures are delivered before each concert. You can hear children’s voices behind me. Let them get used to good music!” said festival organiser Farhad Badalbeyli.
As well as musicians from Azerbaijan itself, this year musicians performed from Britain, Turkey, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Poland.
Badalbeyli conducted the “Memories of Shusha” to Niyazi’s rhythmic “Rast” symphonic mugam.
And Gara Garayev’s “Sonatina”, and Sevda Mammadli’s “Lachin Ballad” were other Azerbiaijani highlights.
The programme also featured Sergey Rachmaninov’s “Fugue in D minor” and Emin Sabitoglu’s “Dade Gorgud” movie themes, alongside fragments from Fikrat Amirov’s ballet “One Thousand and One Nights” and Vasif Adigozalov’s music piece “Baku”.
Arranged by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture, the festival has become an annual celebration of classical, folk, jazz and dance music
Set in the wild and beautiful Caucasus Mountains, the festival started out as a purely classical music festival but has opened up to other music genres over time.
It’s enjoyed by the both local people and visitors from many countries, most of them in the Arab world.
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