French Pianist: Gara Garayev’s music masterfully blends folk motifs with classical elements
Baku, February 2, AZERTAC
February 5, 2026, marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of Gara Garayev – an outstanding figure in Azerbaijani culture, a great composer, academician, renowned scholar-pedagogue, public figure, People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, and laureate of the State Prizes of the USSR and Azerbaijan.
To commemorate this occasion, AZERTAC is conducting a series of interviews with musicians and figures from the world of culture and art living and working across the globe.
Pianist Yulia Ryabova-Shilovskaya (France) shared her insights on the significance of Gara Garayev’s work:
"The work of the eminent Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev is known worldwide; his piano cycle '24 Preludes' continues to draw significant interest from young musicians throughout Europe. His ballet 'Seven Beauties' was received with great enthusiasm by the Parisian public. In Gara Garayev's music, folk motifs and classical elements are masterfully intertwined. His creative legacy has greatly contributed to the development of musical education in Azerbaijan and the emergence of a new generation of talented young composers."
Other news in this section
