National Music Day celebrated in Italy
In Azerbaijan, September 18th is celebrated as National Music Day. This date is associated with the birthday of the founder of Azerbaijani classical music and the composer of the national anthem, Uzeyir Hajibeyov.
On September 18, 1885, the great Azerbaijani composer, conductor, and musicologist Uzeyir Hajibeyov was born in the Shusha district, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan and the historic heart of the ancient Karabakh Khanate. Uzeyir Hajibeyov made invaluable contributions to the history of Azerbaijani music, being the first to bring women on stage in the East and founding the genre of opera.
Uzeyir Hajibeyov combined Azerbaijani folk literature and music with classical Western music, striving to make classical music beloved by the people. In this way, Western classical music found a unique place in Azerbaijani culture.
Located at the crossroads of East and West, Azerbaijan witnessed the staging of "Leyli and Majnun," the first opera in the Muslim East, composed by Uzeyir Hajibeyov in 1908, based on the namesake poem by the 16th-century Azerbaijani poet Muhammad Fuzuli.
In total, Uzeyir Hajibeyov wrote 7 operas and 3 operettas, and discovered a new genre of chamber vocal music called the "romance-ghazal."
Thus, since 2009, from September 18th onwards, the “Uzeyir Hajibeyov International Music Festival” has been held annually across the country to highlight the invaluable contributions of this great figure to the progress of national music. This year as well, from September 18 to 28, various cultural events are being organized both domestically and abroad under the organization of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
As part of these celebrations, on September 20, the famous film "Arshin Mal Alan" based on the operetta of the same name by Uzeyir Hajibeyov was screened at the Cultural Center of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Italy.
The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, Italian cultural and media figures, students, and fellow countrymen living in Italy. Before the screening, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Italy, Rashad Aslanov, delivered a presentation about Uzeyir Hajibeyov's art and creativity, speaking about his significant role in the world music. The film was well-received by the audience.