"From Gabala to Johannesburg" concert held in South Africa

/AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

A classic music concert called “From Gabala to Johannesburg, The music knows no borders” was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 12-13.

The event was devoted to the 90th establishment anniversary of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and 20th anniversary of establishment of democracy in South Africa.

The event was co-organized by Azerbaijani Embassy in South Africa, Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the South African NGO “Friends of Azerbaijan.”

Addressing the event, Elkhan Polukhov , ambassador of Azerbaijan to South African, briefed the guests with some comprehensive information about Azerbaijan.

He also talked about the establishment of Azerbaijani embassy in SAR, and spoke about the relations between the two counties.

South African businessman, Ivor Ichikowitz, founder of the philanthropic organization Ichikowitz Family Foundation which supports educational and developmental programs also addressed the event.

He spoke of the historical importance of the concert.

Works of Azerbaijani classical music luminaries such as Gara Garayev, Fikrat Amirov, Soltan Hajibeyov and many others were performed by Azerbaijani conductor Yalchin Adigozelov, Saida Tagizade (piano) and Alexey Miltukh (violoncello) along with Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

The program included the world's premiere by Sevda Ibrahimova “Confession”, which was performed on the stage of the famous "Linder" concert hall.

The concert was attended by ambassadors accredited in SAR, representatives of diplomatic missions, officials, members of Azerbaijani and Turkish communities, music lovers and media reps.

A book fair was also held by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

This year, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra took part in the traditional Gabala International Music Festival, where it gave a number of concerts during the ten-day event.

Formed by a group of committed musicians, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra was established in May 2000 following the demise of the National Symphony Orchestra.