|
| | | | | Fiftieth Anniversary
of Azerbaijan Opera by Jeyhun Hajibeyli (1891-1962) The first Azerbaijan opera,
"Leyli and Majnun", was written by two brothers, Uzeyir
and Jeyhun Hajibeyli. Jeyhun, the younger of the two, later entered
politics and took an active part in the struggle against Communist
domination, while Uzeyir continued his fruitful activities as
a talented composer and librettist. Consequently the name of
Jeyhun Hajibeyli is no longer mentioned as co-author of the opera.
In an account given by Soviet reviewers of the first presentations
of "Leyli and Majnun", not only was Jeyhun Hajibeyli's
name omitted, but also the names of many members of the original
cast who had taken an active part in the struggle against the
Sovietization of the country. Their names were replaced by the
Soviet authorities with others more acceptable to the regime. Below: Three Hajibeyov Brothers - Left to right: Zulfugar (1884-1950), Jeyhun (1891-1962) and Uzeyir (1885-1948). Photo in 1910s. Courtesy: Hajibeyov Home Museum.
The truth is, that in all Baku, on the cultural society, Nijat, and a certain Imran Gasimov, a member of the middle classes, supported and encouraged the composers in any way. Nijat was materially interested and Imran Gasimov was anxious to display his talents as a singer. The rehearsals were held in the Hotel Islamia, the residence of the composers, and in Gasimov's home, much to the dismay of Imran's brother, Haji. Many people shook their heads in doubt and thought that the venture would end in utter failure, while the clerical, reactionary elements were disturbed and even hostile. In order to forestall any possible demonstration, the promoters asked Beshir Bey Ashurbeyov, a prominent notable respected by the people of Baku, to talk to the audience before the curtain was raised and ask them to sit quietly during the performance and not to disturb the performers in any way. This warning had an unforeseen effect. The audience not only sat quietly, but also did not even dare to applaud the pathetic scenes of the opera. Only deep sighs and moans were heard and tears were shed; the audience vividly felt the suffering of the principle characters as portrayed by the script of Nizami and Fuzuli and the musical interpretation of the Hajibeyli brothers. The venture was a complete success and the opera was reproduced several times by public demand. This encouraged Uzeyir Hajibeyli to continue his create activities in new fields and during the six years following his production of "Leyli and Majnun", he produced four more operas, "Shah Sanan", "Rustam and Zorab", "Shah Abbas and Khurshid Banu", and "Asli and Karam" which were all based on legendary themes. He also wrote three music comedies based on contemporary themes criticizing the attitude and the bearing of the bourgeois classes toward the lower strata of society. His musical comedy, "Arshin Mal Alan" was particularly successful; it was translated into many languages and like, "Leyli and Majnun", is still performed in many countries. During the visit of the Egyptian President Kamal Abdul Nasser to Azerbaijan last spring [1957], Abdullayev, the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Supreme Soviet, while acquainting his guest with the culture of his country, told him that "Leyli and Majnun" was the first Azerbaijan opera and mentioned with pride the name of Uzeyir Hajibeyli. On the very day he arrived in Baku, President Nasser attended a performance of "Leyli and Majnun". During the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the Azerbaijan opera on April 27, 1958, a statue of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, by the talented sculptor Omar Eldarov [this is Omar Eldarov who is still alive and currently rector of the Art Institute in 2001] was unveiled. Now, after his death, many musical, cultural and other institutions, including a [home] museum, are named after Uzeyir Hajibeyov. The Soviet authorities are now trying to obliterate from the pages of history the 18 years of systematic persecution that the founder of Azerbaijan opera suffered. The cult of Uzeyir Hajibeov
may be explained by the fact that little of interest in the field
of opera has been produced in the country since his death ten
years ago. Several attempts have been made to write operas on
historical subjects, but none of these has attained a high artistic
standard, a fact that has been lamented by responsible elements
in various congresses. |
Article: The 50th
anniversary of Azerbaijan opera should have been celebrated on
January 12, 1958, to commemorate the first performance of the
first Azerbaijan opera, "Leyli and Majnun", by the
brothers Uzeyir and Jeyhun Hadjibeyov, in the Taghiyev theater
in Baku on January 12, 1958. It soon became evident, however,
from brief and intermittent announcements in the press that the
Soviet authorities of Azerbaijan intended to postpone the celebrations
until April 28, with the obvious desire of connecting the development
of operatic art with the Sovietization of the country that occurred
on April 28, 1920.