Fikret Amirov, one of the composers, grew up immersed in Azerbaijani national music, becoming a proficient tar-player and later holding significant artistic and administrative roles.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Cadogan Hall, London, UK, in July 2010.
Performer Biography
Farhad Badalbeyli, a pianist on this album, is also the rector of Baku Music Academy since 1991 and has won several international competitions.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The composers on this album, all graduates of the Azerbaijani State Conservatoire, successfully merge Western music traditions with Azerbaijani folk-music and mugam.
Compositional Technique
Mugam, a centuries-old improvisatory art-music form, is a key compositional resource for these composers, making them skilled musical storytellers with vivid orchestral colors.
Performer Biography
Dmitry Yablonsky, the conductor, began playing cello at age five and made his orchestral debut as cellist and conductor at nine with Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major.
Composer Biography
Fikret Amirov was the first Azerbaijani composer to write instrumental concertos and to fuse classical and native music in symphonic mugams.
