President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva meets with winners and jury members of Mugham TV Contest 2007
President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador, MP Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva met 22 January with winners and jury members of the Mugham TV Contest 2007.
Opening the meeting MRS. MEHRIBAN ALIYEVA said:
Dear friends, I greet you at Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Welcome. In the beginning of our meeting I must mention with great sorrow that the art of music of Azerbaijan has big loss. Outstanding figure of art, popular singer Lutifyar Imanov has died. I believe his creativity, his voice, contributions he has made to our culture will endure human life. God rest him in peace.
Dear friends, I am very delighted to see you. Today we will together discuss successful results of Mugham TV Contest 2007. You know that this project has been implemented due to support of Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Foundation of Friends of Azerbaijani Culture. The goals we set when initiating the project were to popularize the ancient Azerbaijani mugham, to search for new voices for the rich mugham school, and of course, to create conditions for young performers to completely realize their potential. And I think we have achieved all of them. Mugham contest ended with great success and showed once again the greatness of mugham to everyone. It again proved mugham is one of most valuable and favorite genres of music in Azerbaijan. During these 3 months I receive lots of letters from Azerbaijan and abroad. People sending these letters write of their love and respect for mugham and express their support this contest. The contest became very popular among people, and I think that it should become traditional. I sincerely congratulate all participants, specially laureates of the mugham contest on this bright victory.
I know, for 3 months you were very nervous. Because there was a serious competition in the contest. All participants had wonderful voice and showed beautiful singing. Of course, victory in the end of such way is very honorable.
I again congratulate you and wish you success in future. I also want to mention along this contest you have possessed the love of people with your voice and skill. This is the most important factor and I believe this love will be growing. Your skills will be growing. So, I once more cordially congratulate you and wish you success.
Today I express my deep thanks to the jury members. I know that you had big trouble in preparation of this contest. You were in different regions of our country, cast participants, fairly and professionally valued their singing. The fact that the jury of the contest consisted of our masters of mugham turned it into an open mugham master-class. To everyone, it was a lesson of establishing relationship between masters and youth.
Mugham is one of the pillars of the Azerbaijani culture, and, safeguarding, developing and bringing it to next generations is a moral debt of every Azerbaijani. Taking an opportunity, I express my deep gratitude to all our famous mugham masters for their efforts towards development and popularization of mugham. Thank you so much.
As you know, we, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Foundation of Friends of Azerbaijani Culture are realizing a number of projects in this direction. A music album “Garabagh khanendeleri” (Mugham singers of Garabagh) has already been released, Mugham magazine is published, and electronic versions of the Encyclopedia of Mugham is under preparation, and above all, a Center for Mugham, for which we all laid cornerstone, is being built, and I am sure we will attend its opening in August. It is a huge achievement. Because it will be native home to every mugham master and mugham lover. We held our contest in Song Theater, philharmonic society but I believe in future we will hold there. Because it will become native home of mugham indeed. This project is supported also by UNESCO and it is international center. We can hold international events there and we must popularize our mugham all over the world. In short, mugham, most valuable heritage of Azeri culture, is precious and favorite to every Azerbaijani. Today I once more express my gratitude to you. Because you make huge contributions to protection of this art.
Thank you very much.
Members of the jury – people’s artists Alibaba Mammadov, Arif Babayev, Agalhan Abdullayev, Sakina Ismailova, Mansum Ibrahimov, secretary of Azerbaijan Composers Union, doctor of art studies, professor Ramiz Zohrabov, performer of Mugham TV Contest Project, honorary figure of art Nadir Akhundov thanked the First Lady for the care to Azeri culture. They said this 3-month contest discovered talented singers, enriched our culture and stimulated growth of new generation of singers. They expressed a desire for conducting mugham-related international symposiums and festivals.
Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva welcomed the idea of conducting a contest of players on the Azerbaijani folk musical instruments. She pointed out the role of talented youth in popularizing rich cultural traditions of Azerbaijan as well as suppressing the attempts of the notorious neighbors to steal our ancient heritage. Noting Azerbaijan will partake this year in Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade Mrs. Aliyeva reminded the song submitted by Armenia to Eurovision has been composed of fragments of Azerbaijani music. She said to prevent such cases talented youth of Azerbaijan should make efforts to popularize our ancient and rich mugham and folk songs.
