Azerbaijani pianist and musicologist Riad Mammadov has delighted
the audience in Moscow with mugham music, Azernews reports.
Mugham, renowned as the major genre of Azerbaijan's classical
folk music, has gone through a long path of development.
The mugham contains seven main modes: Rast, Shur, Segah,
Shushtar, Bayaty-Shiraz, Chahargah, and Humayun.
In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed Azerbaijani Mugham a "Masterpiece of
the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." It was added to the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2008.
The Mugham concert "East of Paradise III" left no one
indifferent. Riad Mammadov presented to the Russian public a
program combining mugham, jazz, and modern music.
The pianist shared the stage with academic and folk musicians:
Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan Teyyub Aslanov (khanende/qaval),
Honoured Artists of Azerbaijan Aliagha Sadiyev (tar), Kamran
Karimov (nagara), musicians Sergey Korchagin (double bass), and
Artem Yurlov (drums).
Riad Mammadov is considered one of the few professional
musicians in the world working in the jazz mugham genre.
The musician recorded a solo album with works by Tchaikovsky,
Chopin, and Debussy, two vinyl records with his own piano pieces,
and a single "Waiting for Aziza" in jazz mugham style.
In 2014, Riad was appointed special musical advisor for the 1st
European Games Ceremonies under musical directors, maestro Teodor
Currentzis, Vangelino Currentzis, and artistic director Dimitris
Papaioannou.
He was a student of such prominent music teachers as V.
Merjanov, A. Bonduryanskiy, M. Lidskiy, E. Nazirova, S. Beybutova,
and others.
While studying, Riad became a scholarship holder of the Heydar
Aliyev Presidential Fund. Upon graduating, he was invited as a
guest artist to the Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre.
The musician has successfully performed in over 15 countries. He
shared the same stage with the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra,
the Qara Qarayev State Chamber Orchestra, the Canadian Chamber
Orchestra, the New Munich Orchestra, and the State Academic Chamber
Orchestra of Novosibirsk Philharmonia, headed by famous conductors
T. Currentzis, R. Abdullayev, M. Emelyanychev, A. Skoryer, T.
Geokchayev, E. Quliyev, and others.
As a pianist, he has been a participant in such music festivals
as the Niagara Music Festival (Canada), the Diaghilev Festival
(Russia), the Primavera Classica Festival (Russia), the Music Ark
Project by V. Martinov (Russia), a summer jazz festival in the
Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the U. Hajibayli
International Festival (Azerbaijan), the Caspian Jazz and Blues
Festival, the International Baku Jazz Festival (Azerbaijan), the
International Music Festival in Gabala (Azerbaijan), the Electro
Jazz Festival in Electrotheatre named after Stanislavsky, and
others.
His performances have been broadcast on television and radio in
Russia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Belgium, the U.S., and other
countries.
Riad has extensive teaching experience. He is also an author of
a number of scientific articles on the classification of genres in
Azerbaijan's modern music.