“Classical music should always be considered a pillar in a progressive society, the study of a musical instrument an added value for the individual. I believe that Azerbaijan constitutes an excellent example in this regard. A model of dedication and appreciation of the creative forces of its people, preserving the wealth of a musical tradition as an indispensable reference point for civilization, the spiritual dimension and as an instrument of the peaceful unification of peoples.”
By Aldo RAGONE
My profession as a musician has often taken me outside my country of origin and, for this reason, I have had the opportunity to play, teach and study abroad, getting to know different cultural realities. On three different continents, during my stays in different countries, it was inevitable to compare the Italian musical world with that of other countries. Unusually, of all the countries I had the opportunity to visit, one in particular impressed me more than the others, Azerbaijan.
Lying between Asia and Europe, bordered on the east by the Caspian Sea and on the west by the Caucasus mountain ranges, this small Eurasian country (small only in size, but big in traditions), in rapid economic development and with international prestige, maintains and expresses a special attention with understandable pride for classical music.
My visits to Azerbaijan date back to 2017 and 2018, visits that I consider happy events in my professional activity. In particular, then I had the opportunity to play and hold two master classes lasting several days for students of the National Academy of Music in Baku, the main institution of musical studies in the country. Immersed in that new musical environment, I quickly acclimated, feeling deeply impressed. After meeting brilliant young talents and some of the most renowned pedagogues, I had the opportunity to personally witness an enthusiasm and respect for classical music that is extremely rare to find among young Italians, even among the students of our Conservatories. Following the professional and friendly relationships that I established with some musicians of that country, I learned about the prestige that the Azerbaijani government attributes to its artists and the appreciation it gives to the national musical tradition.
This tradition is the result of the combination of the Russian-Soviet school with the amazing richness of Azerbaijani music, whose style is the fruit of the union of rhythms and chromaticisms with a strong oriental color, influenced by Western classical music, as well as by Turkey and ancient Persia.
The passion for national music is extraordinary among Azerbaijani musicians, to the point that every student or professional often includes in his study programs or concerts works by Beethoven, Bach, Chopin alongside those of Fikret Amirov, Kara Karayev or Arif Melikov, to name a few. I too, after the exciting discovery of Azerbaijani classical music, have performed in various concerts pieces by Melikov, Amirov, Magomayev and Ceyhun Allahverdiyev, a fantastic composer and pianist whom I had the pleasure of meeting during one of the editions of the Pera Piano Competition and Festival in Istanbul, where we were both jury members. Maestro Allahverdiyev is a professor of composition at the Baku National Academy, as well as a People’s Artist, a title reserved for the country’s most distinguished artistic personalities. Upon my recommendation, some of my students have also learned and performed pieces by Azerbaijani composers, so much so that one of them, in 2021, won the “Kara Karayev International Music Competition”.
Italy is a country with a great musical tradition, a tradition that has dominated vocal and melodramatic genres, to the detriment of instrumental ones. Many are the admirers of Palestrina, Monteverdi, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi or Puccini, but few are those who know or consider the instrumental works of Sgambati, Martucci, Respighi or Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
During a meeting with fellow teachers where new programs for academic piano studies were established, I had to endure the “blasphemy” of a colleague who, with the greatest carelessness, said that there was no shortage of Italian authors among the works performed by the students.
This lack of consideration for the national instrumental repertoire is unfortunately very widespread among Italian musicians. In this sense, I believe that Azerbaijan, the first among the countries of the Muslim world to see, in 1908, the creation of its own national lyrical genre with Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s “Layla and Majnun”, unlike Italy, demonstrates an openness to a more inclusive musical culture, which does not discriminate, but rather enriches its heritage in all its forms. Hajibeyov, whose 140th anniversary will be celebrated this year on September 18 (National Music Day of Azerbaijan), is known as the father of Azerbaijani classical music. He composed the music for the national anthem of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (which was restored after Azerbaijan regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991).
There is not only a rich vocal and instrumental creativity, but also a national style in the jazz genre, Jazz-mugham, founded by the composer and pianist Vagif Mustafazadeh. (His daughter, Aziza Mustafazadeh, is also a well-known singer, pianist and composer, who plays a combination of jazz and mugham with classical and avant-garde influences.) The reason for this open and unprejudiced attitude from Azerbaijani colleagues stems above all from the way the country has combined the various cultural influences that have concentrated there over time. The evolutionary course of the musical language and its breadth should have already proven that changes, but also combinations, are inherent in musical creativity and beyond. The musical vision of Azerbaijani musicians is extraordinary, as in their works and interpretations Western classical music is intertwined with oriental rhythms and harmonies.
Classical music should always be considered a pillar in a progressive society, the study of a musical instrument an added value for the individual. I believe that Azerbaijan constitutes an excellent example in this regard. A model of dedication and appreciation of the creative forces of its people, preserving the wealth of a musical tradition as an indispensable reference point for civilization, the spiritual dimension and as an instrument of the peaceful unification of peoples.