Ganja Hosts Concert Dedicated To Well-Known Tar Player

Ganja State Philharmonic Hall has presented a concert program dedicated to the memory of well-known tar player Zarif Gayibov within "Ganja and the People of Ganja" project, Azernews reports.

During the concert, the soloists of the International Mugham Center, Vasif Yusifov, and soloists from the Ganja Philharmonic-Rustam Jafarov, Samira Hadiyeva, Musa Bayramov, Vusal Namazov, Fuad Ramazanov, Firdovsi Firdovsizade, and Zamina Mustafaeva, along with international competition laureate Mirnofel Hasanov delighted the audience with works by such classics as Suleyman Alasgarov, Vasif Adigozalov, Said Rustamov, Ramiz Mirishli, as well as beautiful mugham compositions. They were accompanied by the folk instruments orchestra of the Ganja State Philharmonic Hall, conducted by Hayal Gahramanov. The concert program aroused great interest among music lovers.

Zarif Gayibov was born on February 4, 1920, in Ganja. His father, Ismayil-bay, was a well-known educator, and his mother, Firuzakhanum, was a teacher.

Recognizing his son's musical abilities, Ismayil-bay, on the advice of his close friend, the great composer Uzeyir Hajibayli, enrolled 9-year-old Zarif in the Ganja Music School to study tar.

His first teacher was Hamza Aliyev. Later, at the initiative of Uzeyir Hajibayli, he was admitted to the Baku Music College, where he became one of the favourite students of the outstanding composers Said Rustamov and Ahmad Bakikhanov.

Zarif quickly gained fame in Baku as a talented tar player, performing at the State Philharmonic and on radio with a repertoire consisting of classical pieces and mugham.

He had an exceptional memory for the unique characteristics and nature of each mugham.

Thanks to these qualities, he was invited to the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater named after M.F. Akhundov, where he performed with the symphony orchestra.

In 1938, he participated in the Decade of Azerbaijani Literature and Art in Moscow, and in 1939, he was among the musicians representing the republic at the first All-Union Review of Folk Instrument Performers in Moscow, where he was recognized as one of the best musicians in the USSR.

In 1940, Zarif Gayibov became a soloist of the Ganja Philharmonic, where he also created his own orchestra.

Zarif Gayibov had many plans related to his creative work. Sadly, they were never realized. He passed away on December 14, 1943, after an illness. He was only 23 years old...

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