Mutual enrichment of modern cultures through classics

The opening of the International Scientific and Performing Conference "Cultural-educational space in creative works of contemporary composers’’ has taken place in the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in the context of "Tchaikovsky Heritage,’’ the International competition, festival and heritage of contemporary composers.’’ The organizer of the contest-festival and the conference was the Tchaikovsky Foundation for the Support of National Culture with partner support from the independent non-commercial organization 'Association of Musicians', and the Baku Musical Academy n.a. U. Hajibeyli.

The aim of the project is to promote the musical heritage of contemporary composers, the approximation of theory and practice of performing arts, as well as the enrichment of the contemporary cultures of various countries.

“The musical culture of Azerbaijan, or the Azerbaijani oral tradition, is one of the most beautiful, distinctive features of the national art and has a long history. It is represented by two major layers: folk music, which includes music of the folk song and dance and music of oral professional art, which includes the art of mugham and the creativity of the Ashiks. This kind of music is popular beyond the boundaries of the country. Certainly, the country is geographically located at the crossroads of two continents: the European and the Asian continents. That is why it could not remain apart from global values. Uzeyir Hajibeyli's creativity grew at the beginning of the 20th century, in the atmosphere of an entire cohort of educational pursuits of Azerbaijani intellectuals. He was the author of the first opera in the Muslim East,” Agigat Magerramova, Associate Professor of the Department of Fine Arts of Ataturk University, says.

The author of the project of scientific, performance competitions and conferences was Professor Tarlan Mir Ashraf oglu Seidov, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan. He told Vestnik Kavkaza that the task is the interchange of cultures among different countries: “I used to say that Azerbaijan takes something from anybody. In this case, Russia repeated the experience of our Republic at the international level, within the walls of the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. This experience will continue in other countries, not only in Russia, but also in Albania and Bulgaria. Being the author of the project, I am very glad that it is taking place.

The problems of musical performance, ties with contemporary art of performing, the composers’ creation are discussed at the conference. It shows how the connection between performance and composing arts, how closely they are intertwined. And how important it is nowadays.”