Israel Celebrates 140Th Anniversary Of Azerbaijani Composers

An event was held in Afula, Israel, to mark the 140th anniversary of the birth of Uzeyir Hajibayli, the founder of the Azerbaijani compositional school, musicologist-composer, and scholar, as well as the prominent composer and conductor Muslim Magomayev, Azernews reports citing the Azerbaijan State Committee on Work with Diaspora.

The event was organized by the Azerbaijani Cultural Center operating in the country, with the support of the Afula Municipality's Absorption Department.

The anniversary evening, held at the Azerbaijani Cultural Center, began with an introduction to mugham, an ancient musical genre of Azerbaijan.

Renowned Russian musicologist Ilya Yakovlevich Reibarh, artistic director and conductor of the "Russian Patterns" Academic Orchestra of the Moscow Region Philharmonic, delivered a two-hour lecture.

He underlined that mugham is an original folk music genre preserved in Azerbaijan, highlighting its significance as a fundamental part of Azerbaijani opera and national music, as well as a representation of the nation's spiritual and cultural values.

Following this, recordings of mugham pieces performed by famous Azerbaijani mugham singers who played a significant role in the development of mugham art were presented.

Subsequently, Ilya Reibarh spoke about the exceptional role of Uzeyir Hajibayli and Muslim Magomayev in the development of Azerbaijani national music culture.

He also shared information about world-renowned Azerbaijani composers such as Gara Garayev, Fikrat Amirov, Arif Malikov, and Niyazi, noting that their works have been performed on stages worldwide for many years.

In his speech, he also dedicated a portion to the creativity of Muslim Magomayev's grandson, the famous vocal performer and People's Artist of Azerbaijan and the USSR, Muslim Magomayev. The participants found it intriguing that the singer shares the same name as his great-grandfather.

The literary-musical evening showcased the richness of classical Azerbaijani music, featuring excerpts from famous works such as "Leyli and Majnun," "With Thunderous Roads," "One Thousand and One Nights," and "The Legend of Love," as well as the overture of the opera "Koroglu."

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