The 15th International Music Festival, organised by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, co-supported by the Ministry of Culture with the support of the Uzeyir Hajibeyli Baku Academy of Music and the company “Gilan”, continued with a big closing concert in Gabala.
In addition to Azerbaijan, musicians and dancers from Germany, Russia, Austria, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Uzbekistan and Vietnam took part in the festival, says the regional correspondent of AZERTAC.
In keeping with the project’s objective, the city of Gabala hosted an important space for intercultural dialogue during the festival, hosting prominent guests from a variety of countries and cultures.
The closing ceremony and final concert were conducted by the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli under the direction of Honoured Artist Fuad Ibrahimov. People’s Artists Azer Zeynalov (tenor) and Samir Jafarov (tenor), Honoured Artist Elnara Mammadova (soprano), as well as Lala Murshudlu (soprano), performed at the concert.
It started with the “Victory Overture” by Jahangir Jahangirov, followed by the song of Koroghlu in Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s opera “Koroghlu”, the romantic song “My Country” by Koroghlu to Jafar Jabbarli’s words and the song “Sevil” by Balash in Fikrat Amirov’s opera “Sevil”. The programme also included well-known masterpieces from the worldwide repertoire of opera.
During the week-long concerts, residents and guests of Gabala enjoyed performances by artists from various countries. Occasionally, the performers even danced with the audience, adding to the festive mood, and audience members waved their farewell bids with loud applause and bouquets of flowers.
Founded in 2009, The Gabala International Music Festival has grown into one of the most important festivals for world music and cultural dialogue, where different musicians of world music gather. The musical platform not only celebrates classical compositions, but it is also an intercultural exchange that brings people together, bridges divides and creates indescribable moments.
