Various Composers - Azerbaijani Piano Concertos (Various Artists)

Information

• (01) Fikret Amirov, Elmira Nazirova - Piano Concerto after Arabian Themes
• (04) Vasif Adigezalov - Piano Concerto No. 4
• (07) Tofig Guliyev - Gaytagi
• (08) Farhad Badalbeyli - The Sea
• (09) Farhad Badalbeyli - Shusha

Farhad Badalbeyli, piano (1-3, 7, 9)

Murad Adigezalzade, piano (4-6)

Joan Rogers, soprano (9)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Dmitry Yablonsky, conductor

Date: 2011

Label: Naxos

https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572666

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 8

This is fun. Amirov and Nazirova’s concerto is based on Arabic themes, and while it has its share of “snake charmer” music, it makes a worthy successor to, say, Saint-Saëns’ “Egyptian” Concerto. Elmira Nazirova, who worked with the composer on the piano part, is the same woman that Shostakovich allegedly encoded in the horn theme in the third movement of his Tenth Symphony. Adigezalov’s Fourth Piano Concerto might be thought of as a sort of Azerbaijani answer to the concertos of Khachaturian. The pace is moderate, the ethnic color heavily underlined, the form is dodgy, but the melodies are often captivating.

The remainder of the disc consists of a brief dance for piano and orchestra (by Guliyev) and two works by pianist Farhad Badalbeyli, one a tone poem (“The Sea”) for piano and orchestra, the other a wordless vocalise for soprano and orchestra. What this latter is doing on a disc of piano concertos is anyone’s guess, but both works are very pretty in a cinematic sort of way. Certainly the performances show the music in a very positive light. Nationalist music such as this may take us back to the late 19th century, and perhaps to a more innocent age, musically speaking—but so what? As I said, this is fun.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Nov11/Azerbaijan_PCs_8572666.htm

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Dec11/Azerbaijan_PCs_8572666.htm

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Jan12/Azerbaijani_PCs_8572666.htm

https://www.allmusic.com/album/azerbaijani-piano-concertos-mw0002216339

https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.572666&languageid=EN

https://www.amazon.com/Azerbaijani-Piano-Concertos-Amirov/dp/B005KNOE1S

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fikret Amirov (November 22, 1922, Ganja – February 20, 1984, Baku) was a prominent Azerbaijani composer of the Soviet period. He studied at the Ganja Music College and the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire, where he was a student of Boris Zeidman and Uzeyir Hajibeyov. Amirov's music was strongly influenced by Azeri folk melodies. His symphonic "mugams" were based on classical folk pieces and were performed by many renowned symphony orchestras throughout the world. Amirov was a prolific composer; his works include symphonic pieces, concertos, ballets, an opera, piano pieces and numerous film scores.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fikret_Amirov

***

Farhad Badalbeyli (born 1947 in Baku) is an Azerbaijani pianist and composer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhad_Badalbeyli

***

Dmitry Yablonsky (born 1962 in Moscow) is a Russian classical cellist and conductor. His mother is famed pianist Oxana Yablonskaya. Yablonsky was educated at the Juilliard School of Music and Yale University. Among his teachers are Lorne Munroe, Aldo Parisot, Zara Nelsova and Otto Werner Muller. For several years Yablonsky has been Principal Guest Conductor of Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted many orchestras all over the world. He has made more than 70 recordings as conductor and cellist for Naxos, Erato-Warner, Chandos, Belair Music, Sonora, Connoisseur Society.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Yablonsky

http://www.dmitryablonsky.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLAC, tracks

Links in comment

Enjoy!