August 11, 2021 11:57 am (UTC + 04:00 am)

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By Laman Ismayilova

The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theater successfully staged Azerbaijani composer Fikrat Amirov’s “Thousand and One Nights” as part of his tour.

The soloists of the Primorsky Stage Irina Sapozhnikova, Anna Samostrelova, Sergei Umanets, Kanat Nadyrbek, Lilia Berezhnova, Katerina Floria, Guilherme Junio ​​and Yuri Zinnurov, the main artists of the Saint Petersburg troupe Renata Shakirova, Ekaterina Chebykina and Nikita Korneev as well as Anastasia Kikot (soprano) and the tar musicians Ramin Azimov and Nadezhda Medvedeva plunged the audience into the “Thousand and One Nights”.

The fascinating story of Scheherazade directed by the distinguished Russian Artist, the eminent choreographer Eldar Aliyev left no one indifferent.

“A Thousand and One Nights” is a collection of folk tales from the Middle East compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age.

Known in English as “Arabian Nights”, the work is about Scheherazade, a Sassanid queen, who tells a series of stories to her husband, King Shahryar in order to delay his execution.

The theater program also included the ballets “Le Corsaire”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Giselle”.

The ballet was first performed at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in 1979. In 1980, the ballet was awarded the State Prize of the USSR.

“A Thousand and One Nights” was first performed at the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theater in 1992.

The new version of the ballet premiered as part of the 5th Mariinsky Far Eastern International Festival.

Over 300 hand-embroidered costumes were made for the ballet performance conducted by Eldar Aliyev, Honored Artist of Russia.

Some of them were made in the workshop, while most were made by experienced craftsmen in St. Petersburg.

Traditional Azerbaijani musical instruments – tar and naghara were presented at the theater on behalf of national musicians.

The long-handled musical instrument featured in Fikrat Amirov’s score. The eminent composer began his musical journey as a performer of Tar.

The idea to add tar performances came from Eldar Aliyev. Ramin Azimov, the soloist of the Azerbaijani National Opera and Ballet Theater, performed on tar at the premiere.

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