Azerbaijani singers perform in UK
Baku, August 24 (AZERTAC). Eighteen-year-old Baku-born London resident Fidan Hajiyeva performs alongside her mentor, the Azerbaijani singer Gochaq Askarov. One of the most distinguished and eloquent exponents of the ancient mugham form, Askarov has worked closely with Fidan during a recent three-week period of teaching and performance in Azerbaijan. Following last year’s riotous celebration of Colombian music, this year BBC Radio 3’s World Routes Academy turns east to the state of Azerbaijan.
Also featuring on the bill is the first public performance of the newly formed Trio Da Kali, musicians from the Mande culture of southern Mali, and the central Malian singer/ngoni (lute) player Bassekou Kouyaté with his band Ngoni Ba - two celebrated groups fusing traditional and popular styles, who have taken the world music scene by storm.
World Routes is the leading ‘world’ music programme in the UK, being broadcast internationally from the BBC website. In 2009, the World Routes team, led by broadcaster and academic Lucy Duran, recorded and broadcast two special programmes from Azerbaijan, exploring the musical traditions around the country. Since that time, recordings of Azerbaijani mugham and ashiq music have been regularly featured on the programme, particularly focusing on the performances of mugham singer Gochag Askarov.
For the past three years, the programme has organised the World Routes Academy, where an established singer is paired with a young singer of the same genre who is resident in the UK. In January, a concert took place at the BBC Radio Theatre, where it was announced that the 18-year-old Enfield resident Fidan Hajiyeva would be this year’s protégé, studying under the tutelage of Gochag Askarov. The development of her talent has subsequently included two trips to Baku to study Azerbaijani music.
The Royal Albert Hall resonated to the captivating sound of Azerbaijani mugham for the first time, when Fidan and Gochag team up for a late night concert in the BBC Promenade Concert series.
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