Honored Artist Inara Babaeva Celebrates Sona Aslanova's Centennial With Gala Concert

(MENAFN- AzerNews) Laman Ismayilova Read more

International Mugham Center has hosted a concert by Honored Artist Inara Babaeva, who is a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, a teacher at the National Conservatory, an international competition laureate, Azernews reports.

The concert titled "Nəsildən nəsilə ötürülən iz" was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the prominent opera singer and actress Sona Aslanova.

The performance was accompanied by pianist and Honored Artist Zulfiya Sadigova. During the event, a presentation and book signing of Inara Babayeva's book "Sona Aslanova - 100" took place.

"I have been in love with Sona Aslanova's work since childhood. As a vocalist, she left an indelible mark on national art and as an actress in film. Her work is part of the golden fund of national culture. At the concert, I will perform pieces from Sona Aslanova's repertoire that have not been presented on the national stage for 60 years, including 'Qara gözlər' and 'Çiçək' by Aghabaji Rzaeva, 'Quşçuğaz' by Soltan Hajibayov, and 'Tellər oynadı' by Gambar Huseynli. I will also highlight the piece 'Sual' by Asaf Zeynalli, which has only been performed by men until now. Works by foreign classical composers will also be presented. The book includes significant milestones from Sona Aslanova's career, the scores of the pieces she performed, and special attention is given to previously little-known facts. For example, her father was repressed, and her mother had to raise eight children alone. During those years, Sona Aslanova had to work in various places – at a tea factory, art courses, as a museum guide, etc., trying to support her large family," Inara Babayeva told Trend Life .

Inara Babayeva's concert was met with applause and flowers from the audience. Sona Aslanova's nephew, Latif, expressed the family's heartfelt gratitude to Inara Babayeva for organizing the evening and the book presentation.

Professor Kamala Gulamova of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory spoke about Inara Babayeva's artistry and Sona Aslanova's significant contribution to the development and promotion of national music.

Sona Aslanova was born on October 4, 1924, in Baku. She graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory named after Uzeyir Hajibayli, where she later became a professor and taught opera singing. She is known as the first performer of the work "Suraya" by Seyid Rustamov, which brought her artistic success.

She actively toured the republics of the USSR and neighboring countries. She collaborated with outstanding artists such as Bulbul and Rashid Beybutov. Among her well-known roles are Nigar from "Koroghlu," Asya from "Arshin Mal Alan," Asli from "Asli and Karam," and Gulnaz from "O olmasin, bu olsun," all works by Uzeyir Hajibayli, who called her voice "heart-stirring."

Sona Aslanova also appeared in about twenty films, including "Bizim Сəbiş müəllim," "Görüş," "Telefonçu qız," "Bizim küçə," "O qızı tapın," "Gün keçdi," "Əhməd haradadır," etc. One of her standout roles was as Gulchohra in the film "Arshin Mal Alan."

Since 1994, she lived in the USA with her family. She passed away on March 9, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Media partners of the event are Azernews, Trend, Day and Milli.

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