Triumph of mugham in Israel

Yegyana Salman, director of the Azerbaijani cultural center under the International Israel-Azerbaijan AssociationA concert of Azerbaijani mugham took place in Jerusalem, the city of the three religions, as part of the 15th International Oud Festival.The Jerusalem theater was full of music lovers from all over Israel. There were connoisseurs of oriental music, those who love ethnic music and those who came from different parts of Israel to hear mughams they know from their childhood, performed by one of the most famous hanende (mugham performer) of contemporary Azerbaijan, Gochag Azkerov. From the very first sounds the audience was captured by the voice of Gochag Askerov. Waves of the magic music mesmerized the listeners and did not leave them until the end of the performance. The audience not only experienced an outstanding performance of mugham but could also connect to the spirit of Azerbaijan, because the music conveyed the songs of nightingales, the murmurs of cold streams in the shade of trees and even the gusts of the wind in Baku...The audience was so fascinated that nobody moved, even when the musicians left the stage. The applause made the musicians - Sahriyar Imanov, Elnur Mikailov and Kyamran Kerimov -  come back to the stage and perform again. The drums created a unique rhythm that can only be compared to the heart beating - the heart of this wonderful band, that has performed on all continents together with Gochag Askerov, a native of Karabakh and the pride of Azerbaijanis.After the concerts many listeners wanted to meet the singer backstage. They expressed their joy and gratitude and shared the emotions that were overwhelming both those who were hearing mugham for the first time and those who grew up listening to these magic sounds. They were trying to find an explanation of the miracle that was happening to them during the concert, of that unusual feeling born when the talent and skill of the artists resonates in the souls of the listeners.It was during the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, when mugham was simultaniously broadcast in all the countries of Europe for the first time. One of the mugham legends, hanende Alim Qasimov, opened the finals and accompanied the Azerbaijani performer Sabina Babayeva. The government of Azerbaijan and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation often involve mugham performanceso at official receptions because this music conveys the philosophy of the Azerbaijani people. At the Azerbaijani Musical Academy there is a specialization in mugham with students from Iran, Turkey and South Korea. In 2003, UNESCO, under the influence of Mekhriban Aliyeva, acknowledged the authenticity, richness and cultural significance of mugham and declared it to be a masterpiece of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity."It was through the sounds of the Azerbaijani mugham Bayaty-Shiraz that the viewers of Tarkovsky's film "Stalker" could feel the emotions that overwhelmed the protagonist in the "Zone", they felt how his feeling vibrated when they were set free. I saw an audience in Taiwan that listened to a mugham performed on an Azerbaijani harmonica by the young Aydin Aliyev in fear of missing a single sound. The concerts of the famous singer Alim Qasimov, the UNESCO laureate, fill concert halls all over the world," writes Sanubar Bagirova, a musicologist and expert of UNESCO.Recently a concert of Austrian and Azerbaijani musicians took place in Vienna. The Viennese orchestra performed with Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Qara Qarayev and Fikret Amirov, while Ramiz Guliyev was performing on the tara classical pieces by world and Azerbaijani composers. At the end of the program Ramiz Guliyev had to play on only one string - the second broke during the concert  - repeating the precedent of the genius violinist Niccolo Paganini.

Yegyana Salman, director of the Azerbaijani cultural center under the International Israel-Azerbaijan Association


A concert of Azerbaijani mugham took place in Jerusalem, the city of the three religions, as part of the 15th International Oud Festival.
The Jerusalem theater was full of music lovers from all over Israel. There were connoisseurs of oriental music, those who love ethnic music and those who came from different parts of Israel to hear mughams they know from their childhood, performed by one of the most famous hanende (mugham performer) of contemporary Azerbaijan, Gochag Azkerov. 
From the very first sounds the audience was captured by the voice of Gochag Askerov. Waves of the magic music mesmerized the listeners and did not leave them until the end of the performance. The audience not only experienced an outstanding performance of mugham but could also connect to the spirit of Azerbaijan, because the music conveyed the songs of nightingales, the murmurs of cold streams in the shade of trees and even the gusts of the wind in Baku...
The audience was so fascinated that nobody moved, even when the musicians left the stage. The applause made the musicians - Sahriyar Imanov, Elnur Mikailov and Kyamran Kerimov -  come back to the stage and perform again. The drums created a unique rhythm that can only be compared to the heart beating - the heart of this wonderful band, that has performed on all continents together with Gochag Askerov, a native of Karabakh and the pride of Azerbaijanis.
After the concerts many listeners wanted to meet the singer backstage. They expressed their joy and gratitude and shared the emotions that were overwhelming both those who were hearing mugham for the first time and those who grew up listening to these magic sounds. They were trying to find an explanation of the miracle that was happening to them during the concert, of that unusual feeling born when the talent and skill of the artists resonates in the souls of the listeners.
It was during the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, when mugham was simultaniously broadcast in all the countries of Europe for the first time. One of the mugham legends, hanende Alim Qasimov, opened the finals and accompanied the Azerbaijani performer Sabina Babayeva. The government of Azerbaijan and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation often involve mugham performanceso at official receptions because this music conveys the philosophy of the Azerbaijani people. At the Azerbaijani Musical Academy there is a specialization in mugham with students from Iran, Turkey and South Korea. In 2003, UNESCO, under the influence of Mekhriban Aliyeva, acknowledged the authenticity, richness and cultural significance of mugham and declared it to be a masterpiece of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
"It was through the sounds of the Azerbaijani mugham Bayaty-Shiraz that the viewers of Tarkovsky's film "Stalker" could feel the emotions that overwhelmed the protagonist in the "Zone", they felt how his feeling vibrated when they were set free. I saw an audience in Taiwan that listened to a mugham performed on an Azerbaijani harmonica by the young Aydin Aliyev in fear of missing a single sound. The concerts of the famous singer Alim Qasimov, the UNESCO laureate, fill concert halls all over the world," writes Sanubar Bagirova, a musicologist and expert of UNESCO.
Recently a concert of Austrian and Azerbaijani musicians took place in Vienna. The Viennese orchestra performed with Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Qara Qarayev and Fikret Amirov, while Ramiz Guliyev was performing on the tara classical pieces by world and Azerbaijani composers. At the end of the program Ramiz Guliyev had to play on only one string - the second broke during the concert  - repeating the precedent of the genius violinist Niccolo Paganini.