Hurriyet Daily News

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The 2nd Gabala International Music Festival opened Sunday in the Azerbaijani town of Gabala

The festival, supported by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, features young musicians performing in a program that includes professionals and master-classes. As part of the festival, the British Council is implementing a new art project titled “New Work, New Audience.”

During the official opening of the festival Friday, Azerbaijani musicians played a series of concerts, with performers including Murad Huseynov, Yegane Akhundova and Gulnaz Ismayilova, who all bear the title “Honored Artist of Azerbaijan,” international competition winners Saida Tagizade, Farid Mammadov and Javid Samedov, as well as national competition winners Alexey Miltikh and Sabina Asadova.

The festival program includes chamber music by Azerbaijani, Russian and European composers and Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the festival’s guest of honor, performed at the official opening ceremony.
During the festival, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be directed by conductors Dmitry Yablonsky, Daniel Boico, Azerbaijani “People’s Artist” Rauf Abdullayev and Ramiz Melikaslanov. World famous musicians Yuri Bashmet, Boris Berezovsky, Dmitry Yablonsky, Oxana Yablonskaya, Chloe Hanslip and Emilio Pons will also perform. The popular Ysaye Quartet will appear on stage as well.

Gabala, one of the most picturesque parts of Azerbaijan, hosted the first festival in August last year. The idea for the festival came almost two years ago, when world-renowned musicians, pianist Yablonskaya and cellist and conductor Yablonsky, visited Baku and performed on the best stages in the Azerbaijani capital. The main objective of organizing the festival is to showcase Azerbaijan’s social and economic development.

The festival will run until Aug. 5.

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