ADILA AND ADILIA

We were all children once and we hold the childhood memories which forged our attitudes to the world - in love or hate, in joy or sadness.  Our childhood paints the world in the colours that accompany us for the rest of our lives, becoming the decisive feature in creating - or otherwise - the harmony within and around us...

Girl prodigy 

Adila's childhood was quite happy and harmonious.  She had a grandmother, grandfather, mom and dad, her younger brother and everything else a child in the Soviet land was supposed to have.  Her paternal grandfather, Aga Aliyev, was from Samaxi, from a prominent pious family, and her maternal grandfather was a doctor, famous in Qarabag and loved by people who still remember him to this day.  Count Konstantin Nikolayevich Khudyakov was not merely a historical figure in the history of Qarabag, he is a legend.  After receiving an excellent medical education, first in Belgium and then in St Petersburg, His Highness was not shot by the Bolsheviks; instead, they exiled him to Qarabag to provide medical services to the locals. In 1933, there was an outbreak of plague. The doctor contracted the disease from one of the patients and burned himself to prevent the spread of a dangerous disease.  His brother, Nikolay Nikolayevich Khudyakov, took care of his children and widow.  Nikolay lived in Baku; he was the chairman of the State Control Committee and was married to Xursid Qacar, an excellent singer and beautiful woman.  She was not only a beautiful woman, but also an extraordinary one.  It remains a mystery how she, a descendant of the Qajar shahs, managed to survive sovietisation and achieve her high social position.  A great singer, she could combine her art and work at the operatic studio she headed.  She was friends with Nezhdanova, Mayakovskiy and Sobinov.  She corresponded with them for many years.  And no one knows what young Adila's destiny would have been had her grandmother not died following a medical error during a blood transfusion and had her mother not been adopted by Nikolay Nikolayevich and Xursid xanim.  Adila remembers:

- It was Xursid xanim who took me to the music school.  And because she was a straightforward and honest person, she would not stand for any patronage and so she told the school principal straight away:  "If she has no talent, send her home.  There is no point in taking someone else's place!"

Adila was only 5 years old then, but she took her grandmother's words quite seriously.  Her mother, Countess Nina Konstantinovna, a biochemist by occupation, loved music very much.  Her uncle gave Nina an excellent education, and she pursued other interests in life besides her occupation.  She instilled her love for music to both her children, Adila and Nadir.  Grandma Xursid xanim probably never regretted taking Adila to the music school because already by the age of 6, she had a performance recorded by the All-Union Radio, and her first concerto, with a symphony orchestra under conductor Leo Ginzburg, was organized when she was only 7 years old.  A wonder girl, a phenomenal girl!  A documentary was filmed about her, called 'Tunes of Friendship', in which she performed Shostakovich's 2nd Concerto with conductor Niyazi.  So what happened to the prodigy child after that?

- Nothing special happened. There was music and my desire to keep playing it. That was my normal state and my soul's desire.  No one ever forced me into it. I simply liked playing...

- Where did you study the skills of performance?

- I do not think that you can really learn that.  You can improve the techniques given to you by mother nature, bestowed on you from above.  Not many people are lucky enough to recognize and understand what exactly destiny holds for you.  As luck would have it, I was privileged to meet people who managed to see something in me and develop that something.  Both Xursid xanim and the music school teachers did so...  I graduated from the Bul-Bul Music School in Baku and left for Moscow to join the P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatoire...

- How did Moscow greet you?

- Very well!  I graduated from the conservatoire with an honours diploma.  And I joined the post-graduate programme there...

- With honours?

- Yes, with honours.  What would have been the purpose of my studying there otherwise?  I learned one rule very well from my relatives:  if you start something, do it with all your heart, with pleasure and with integrity.  And try to grasp the very essence of what you are doing.

- Were those your mother's instructions?

- Father's too.  And all my relatives'.  Mom was always supportive.  Life is an interesting thing...  At some point all the lessons received in the form of advice, instruction or wish become part of your way of thinking to the extent that you start living by those rules as naturally as you breathe, without thinking where they came from...

It is true; our parents are always with us, visibly or invisibly.  And when they pass away, there is a feeling of cold and abandonment.  We begin to feel vulnerable to the world and to a future that we cannot even imagine without our parents. Adila xanim's mother passed away in 1976 and Adila, who had already taken her first steps towards a successful career, immediately returned to Baku.  She felt that she would be more protected there. They say that even walls help you at home.  Her brother did the same - he returned from Turkmenistan.  The children did not want to leave their dearly loved father alone.  Adila began work at the State Concerts Agency.  There was such an agency in the Soviet era; it was in charge of organizing concerts, tours and other events.  There were a great many of them and they provided a strong incentive for professional growth.  She accumulated experience.  Most importantly, however, composers and conductors wanted to work with her because, in contrast to other performers, she could memorize sheet music quickly and easily and would play it adhering closely to the composer's instructions.  This usually took her just a couple of days!  And composers valued her gift highly.  The music seemed to engulf her, filling her with feelings known only to her and easily understood and accepted by the public.

- What made you move to Moscow eventually?

- My work, of course.  And my professional relationships and friends.  Qara Qarayev, Kabalevskiy, Rodion Shchedrin, Kirill Volkov, Flyarkovskiy...  They persuaded me to go back there.  The prospects of creating the Zvezdy Rossii chamber orchestra presented quite interesting creative opportunities, so I could not resist.

- So what changes happened in your life?

- Many things changed.  I cannot remember them all right away...

- Can you remember the most important event?

-  I met my future husband, Sergey Bespalyy.  He is a composer and conductor...

A very reticent and amazingly charismatic woman, Adila xanim finds it difficult to talk about herself.  As if she is surprised - what is there to say?  But there is a lot to say.  She is the only Azerbaijani to have an international competition of pianists named after her, in France.  The competition has been held regularly since 1998 and representatives of 40 countries take part in it. There are Azerbaijani participants too. She was the first performer of works by Qara Qarayev, Edison Denisov, Boris Chaykovskiy, Rodion Shchedrin, David Byers (head of the music department of BBC Radio), Oqtay Racabov, Ramiz Mirisli, Azar Dadashev and Vagif Mustafazada - this is an incomplete list of composers who have dedicated their works to her.  A huge number of performances and radio and TV broadcasts in various countries in Europe and America, concerts and discs - this is only a small part of our compatriot's invaluable contribution to the portayal of an attractive image for our country. She promotes the music of her people all over the world; this is her sincere wish and she is very happy to have the opportunity. Adila Aliyeva has given solo concerts to commemorate Heydar Aliyev, on Azerbaijan Day at the United Nations (Geneva, Bern, Vatican, Baku, Finland) and so on.  These concerts were recorded by international radio stations and TV channels, and distributed on compact discs and DVDs.

Marcel Landowski, chancellor of the French Institute and permanent secretary of the Fine Arts Academy, wrote in a telegram that she "is one of the greatest pianists of the century."  That is precisely why her art is so sought after all over the world.

Heydar Aliyev once said that artists can achieve more than diplomats, because the language of art needs no translation and achieves its goals faster.  It is now clear that the president was right.  The patriotic aspirations of Adila Aliyeva and her husband Sergey Bespalyy, who are on friendly terms with many people in the higher echelons of government organizations in France and other countries, aim to create qualitatively new relations between our countries.  One of her ideas is to establish multilateral ties between Azerbaijani and French cities.  In the past, this was called 'twin cities'.

- Why do you live in France?

- I work here.  I organize concerts, record music for more than 200 radio and TV stations, record CDs in many countries of Europe, America and Asia.  I teach piano in France and Switzerland.

- How did you find yourself in Europe?

- We visited the French town of Ancy on a tour to give a concert. The mayor of the town and the communications minister, who turned out to be a great connoisseur of music, were impressed by the concert.  And the minister offered me a job.

The French newspaper Le Dophine Libere:  "Everything is unusual in Adila Aliyeva's performance; the music resembles starlight.  Her fairy-like fingers have touched many keyboards with tenderness or passion, transporting the audience to another world, where the fire of her huge talent blazes."

British newspaper The Belfast Telegraph:  "With a pianist of Adila Aliyeva's class, the entire concert was surprisingly elevated above the level of modern music."

Swiss Music Review:  "...is a true revolution:  now with incredible power, now with 'velvety fingers', this performer of volcanic temperament captivates and enthrals the audience by her very presence, stormy performance and exquisite skill."

There are a great many delighted reviews and superlative epithets of this type. Our compatriot of international acclaim performs in the most prestigious concert halls:  the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Danish Radio Concert Hall in Copenhagen, the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, the De Doelen Concert Hall and the Convention Centre in Rotterdam, the Royal Palace in Stockholm and many others.

- What is your attitude towards international fame?

- Do you mean autographs and being recognised in the street?

- No, I mean the social possibilities which international acclaim has earned you.

- The international acclaim, as you phrased it, opens many doors.  Including the doors of persons highly placed in government organizations.  And of course, in 20 years of life abroad, we have met a great many people with whom we have warm relations.  This gives us the right and the opportunity to discuss important and promising relationships between the two countries in trade, for example. To introduce them to compatriots who can conduct talks in the relevant field means doing good for our country.  We are very serious about this.

She is a member of the International Congress of Azerbaijanis of the World. She talks about her participation in the forum with pride; it is important to her. And so is the state's attention to her and her work.

- I was very flattered by the first lady's regard for my work. During her visit to Geneva, she invited me for a personal conversation. The conversation was interesting and important. It is good to think that my husband and I can be of use to my country there, in Europe.  I admire Mehriban xanim, her wisdom, sophisticated taste and tact.

Adilia - this is the name they call her in Europe - discussed the peculiarities of the French national character.  She discovered traits held in common with Azerbaijanis and differences. Going into details, she underlined the idea that only a person of integrity who has never broken his word can be trustworthy.  And there is something in the character which predisposes one towards dialogue and charm. She cited the example of a visit in June to the competition named after her by the chief consultant of the socio-political sector of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Matanat xanim Bagiyeva.  Her speech at the competition's closing ceremony left an indelible impression on the French audience.

- The heartfelt poetry of Matanat xanim's speech fascinated the French.  They were simply captivated by her Eastern beauty and soft lyricism of tone.

- And what are your plans for the near future?

- For the next six months, I am to give concerts in England, Poland, Germany, Russia (Kazan), Finland, Sweden and Denmark.  I will perform works by my friend Vaqif Mustafazada...

- And what about the patriotic plans to start the 'twin cities' programme?

- We will work on that too; these concerts help to melt the ice of distrust and stir interest in our country and its culture.

- Has it been long since you visited home?

- Yes, it was quite a long time ago. The schedules are too tight. But I can see how my city is changing. The changes are striking. I think that this is the result of the wise policy of Ilham Aliyev's government.  And Azerbaijan can pride itself on many things.  Tomorrow, a major businessman will arrive here.  There will be talks on cooperation.  Potentially, this visit will initiate new relations.

- How did the idea of twin cities occur to you?

- It occurred not to me, but to our ambassador in France, Mr Elcin Amirbayov.  Knowing that my husband and I were friends with high-level French officials, he asked for assistance in strengthening ties between French and Azerbaijani cities.

Adilia Aliyeva and Sergey Bespalyy organized a meeting between representatives of the Ictimai channel, which is headed by Mr Ismail Omarov, in the opinion of Adila a prominent representative of Azerbaijani culture, with Mr Paul Rivier, president of TV 8 Mont Blanc (a French TV channel which, together with France Monde, is broadcast worldwide via satellite).  They filmed interviews and exchanged plans for future cooperation. So the process has started.

A petite, fragile-looking woman, the granddaughter of Count Khudyakov serves her country as loyally as did her entire family, as did her grandfather who protected the Qarabag residents against deadly diseases.