Fikrat Amirov's ballet to be staged in Russia

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The Buryat Opera and Ballet Theater will stage Fikrat Amirov's "One Thousand and One Nights" ballet on July 3 and 4.

"One Thousand and One Nights" is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. Known in English as the "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 her execution.

The exciting story of Scheherazade laid the foundation of the ballet of the same name.

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

"One Thousand and One Nights" was staged for the first time at the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theater in 1992. 

The ballet's new version was premiered as part of the 5th Mariinsky International Far East Festival.

More than 300 costumes with hand embroidery were made for the ballet show directed by Honored Art Worker of Russia Eldar Aliyev.

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

Azerbaijan's traditional music instruments - tar and naghara were presented to the theater on behalf of the national musicians.

The long-necked music instrument featured in the score of Fikrat Amirov. The eminent composer started his musical journey as a tar performer.

The idea to add tar performance came from Eldar Aliyev. Ramin Azimov, the soloist of the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater, performed on tar during the premiere.