Another great concert with the music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh

This year, the famous American quartet KRONOS is celebrating its 50th anniversary. David Harrington, a distinguished violinist, founded a new ensemble in San Francisco in 1973, which later glorified the American performing arts in the field of quartet music throughout the world. KRONOS has received numerous Grammy, Polaris, and German Echo awards.. ⠀ It is gratifying to note that for over 30 years, this ensemble has been collaborating with the renowned Azerbaijani composer Frangiz Alizade, invariably including her works in their numerous tours. F. Alizadeh, in 1993, composed the work “Mugam Sayagi,” which set new records for the frequency of performance by many quartets from around the world, including those from the United States and Singapore. In 2008, when F. Alizadeh was awarded the UNESCO ‘Artist for Peace’ title, the Tang quartet from Singapore was specially invited to Paris from Singapore. They performed ‘Mugam Sayagi’ for the guests of the ceremony with great success. ⠀ A presentation of an entire CD album by the American company Nonesuch, performed by the KRONOS quartet, whose entire repertoire is made up of works by Frangiz Alizade, took place at the London Barbican Hall in 2015. The paths of Frangiz Alizadeh with KRONOS have crossed many times on different continents: in the New York Carnegy Hall, in the Tokyo Santory Hall, at the Istanbul International Music Festival, in the Geneva Congress Hall, etc. ⠀ This time, a significant meeting took place in Berlin during the anniversary celebrations of the quartet in the most prestigious concert hall – Pierre Boulez Saal. The occasion of the KRONOS quartet’s 50th anniversary was marked with numerous workshops in the capital of Germany, the presentation of “50 for the Future”, within which Frangiz Alizade’s “Dance” piece was performed, a concert at Pierre Boulez Saal, and also at the Day of Open Doors. ⠀ The ultimate culmination of all the anniversary festivities was the sensational KRONOS performance at the Pierre Boulez Saal, which had already been sold out a month before the event on May 20. This hall, located in the heart of the cultural capital of Europe, is now a benchmark for preserving the best traditions of the musical avant-garde. The hall was named after the legendary master of modern music, Pierre Boulez, who was an outstanding composer and conductor. ⠀ When David Harrington, the leader of the quartet, presented the work of Frangiz Alizade “Mugam Sayagi,” he said: “We are proud and happy that for many years our author has been the brilliant composer Frangiz. Modern music often loses its attractiveness and beauty because it reflects the intense events of life around us. The work of Frangiz is, in this sense, a rare example of true beauty and spirituality. This is a real island in which we find rest and consolation for ourselves and our listeners. Thanks for this, Frangiz! “. ⠀ The music of Frangiz Alizade was performed with great applause, and the author was summoned to the stage.

N. Gasimova