THE ESSENCE OF VOICE

Afag Abbasova is the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan and the soloist of the Opera and Ballet Theatre. This young talent with divine soprano is not even thirty years old. During the last four years in the Theatre, she has performed various roles in 12 operas. Yet she loves all of her characters – even the cameo appearances do matter.

"My voice is my soul", says Afag. It’s therefore not surprising that for the gurus of art the voice is regarded in the same way as any musical instrument. But for Afag her voice is rather a living organism, which reflects the slightest subtleties of a human nature, its state of health and much more. The young actress shared with R+ her thoughts about the creative environment that affected her choice and the daily routine.

- Can you tell us how you started singing?

- I grew up in a family of teachers, preparing to be an investigator. Although I was fond of drawing, I have always been excited about the opera. As a child, I was singing for the kids from our neighborhood holding an imaginary microphone and concluding all of my performances with the following announcement: “Please applaud to the national actress of Azerbaijan”. I believe that any dream can come true, if you work hard. Initially, I enrolled at the Asaf Zeynalli Music School but later on have completed my musical education under the tutorship of the People's Artist of Azerbaijan Fidan Gasimova. Aria of Violetta from "La Traviata" was my graduation work and, luckily, my first ever role in the theater. With all my courage, I went to the theater and asked the director, the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Akif Melikov, to listen to me. There were three of them: Mr. Melikov, Prof. Javanshir Jafarov, the conductor of the theater and the People's Artist of Azerbaijan, and head of the troupe Mrs. Tamara Eyvazova. They asked me to sing Violetta's part, which was received quite well. Our director welcomes young talents, for which I am grateful to him. That’s my short story of how I became a soloist.

- Who is responsible for training you for the role?

- Actually, we work as a team including the coach, the conductor, the orchestra, and the directors. I have to work hard before staging the play. One of my coaches is the director Guljahan Gulahmedova-Martynova, the People's Artist of Azerbaijan. We are very close. Thanks to her strong and wonderful character, I have been able to learn much from her talent. Singing is only a part of the story. It is equally important to feel the character. That’s why I work everyday and I really work a lot. To feel comfortable on stage, one needs to sleep well, to relax, and to avoid cold weather. I love all 12 operas that I have played in so far: "Sevil", "The Elixir of Love", "La Boheme", "Il Trovatore", "Manon Lescaut," "Il Tabarre", "Othello"... And while the "Othello" played on our stage is the concert rendition of the famous performance, since actors sing, sitting on the stage without any decoration, Verdi’s opera is immortal. Usually, it is conducted by the People's Artist of Azerbaijan, the magnificent Rauf Abdullayev.

- You have a reputation of an esteemed artist both in neighboring countries and far abroad. Your voice was heard in Turkey, Greece, Italy, the United States, Germany, Vienna, Bratislava, Moldova, Minsk, and Yekaterinburg and in a number of other cities and countries. What is particularly memorable for you?

- I think I will always remember that big concert in London, where I sang an aria from “Sevil” by Fikrat Amirov and the romance "Arzu" by Niyazi. They both were accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the People's Artist of Azerbaijan Yalchin Adigozalov. These performances were well-received and the audience had asked for autographs, inviting us to visit London again. We had also been interviewed. Also, I was awarded a title of the Honored Artist of Belarus during our concert in Minsk for my performance of the Aria of Leonora from Verdi’s "La forza del destino". And in Kazakhstan, we were lucky enough to take part in the festival and parade of opera stars of the CIS countries dedicated to the closure of the Year of Astana.

- What is your highest goal in art that you want to achieve?

- My idol is Maria Callas. You want to listen to her repeatedly. The stage was the major part of her life. Not only was she a great singer, but she was also an excellent actress.

- What do you feel on stage? Do you often fall in love with the characters of your play?

 - Of course, I do. Otherwise, I would have hardly been able to create my scenic image. After all, the scene is a scene. I remember that shortly before the first performance of "La Traviata", I could hear the beating of my heart behind the scenes.

- What are your plans and hobbies?

- I have to play Verdi’s Aida to show her great love to Radames. I am working on it currently. As for my hobby, I am still fond of drawing but I have less time for this.

- It is rumored that the opera has a deficit of demand, and the chances to survive are slim. Do you agree?

- Not at all! Thanks to full audience in our theater and in the prestigious music halls of the world, the opera is alive and will live for long a time. Both classic and modern operas are popular. Despite the youth craving for contemporary music and literature, the opera is still in the lead since it represents a blend of dance, music, painting, and drama. There has been a revival of the genre. Opera’s strong emotional influence is still in demand.

- I wish you all the best with "Aida"!