TRADITION: LOVE FOR CELLO

Jamal Aliyev is the world famous Turkish cellist. His first teacher was his grandfather, the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan Gara Aliyev. The Aliyevs' musical traditions begin with Jamal's great-grandfather, Hamza Aliyev, who was one of the founders of the tar playing school. His brother was a famous violinist, People's Artist of Azerbaijan, Professor Azad Aliyev.

Jamal was first awarded at the Trakya University International Youth Cello Competition when he was nine. In 2004, he won the 5th Antonio Gianigro International Competition in Zagreb and was entitled to give a concert at the famous Assembly Hall. Already a student of the Music Faculty of the Bilkent University, Jamal began performing with numerous concerts accompanied by the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, and the Borusan International Chamber Orchestra. In 2005, he received the title of honorary guest of the Turkish parliament.

Mstislav Rostropovich said after he listened to Jamal’s performance: “Before you, I was confident that there was not and most likely will not be a cellist better than me. Now I have to think again...” Thanks to maestro’s recommendation Jamal Aliyev received a scholarship from one of the most prestigious educational institutions in London, the Yehudi Menuhin School, which covered Jamal’s education fees in full for the first time in the last 14 years. President of the school, Daniel Barenboim, later said about Jamal: “This boy will certainly glorify his country.” And his prophetic words came true. In 2007, Jamal took part in a concert in Moscow, which coincided with the International Tchaikovsky Tournament. After the concert, Natalya Shakhovskaya, chairman of the jury, invited Jamal to study in her class at the Moscow Conservatoire. But in 2008, Jamal went to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School. Over the years, he has constantly given concerts in the most prestigious halls in London, including the Menuhin Hall, Royal Festival Hall, St. John's, Smith Square, Wigmore Hall. At international festivals held in France and Switzerland, Jamal gave several solo concerts with the chamber orchestra of the Menuhin School,.

Today Jamal Aliyev is one of the 30 best musicians under 30 according to the British music radio station Classic FM. His solo concerts with orchestra are played on BBC’s radio stations.

“You were born into a musical family. Your mother and grandfather are cellists, your father is a violinist, and your grandmother is a pianist. Are there differences of opinion regarding music. Or you’re all on the same tune?”

“Unfortunately, my grandparents are no longer alive. But I felt their influence when I was a child. Undoubtedly, the opinion of all members of my family has always been important. I realised that they are older, more experienced, wiser and want the best for me. Even in moments of disagreement, I still tried to listen to their words. Time proved that they were absolutely right.”

"Are there musical traditions that are passed on in your family?"

"The major musical tradition in our family is the love for cello. There are already three cellists in our family. Grandpa, mom and me."

"Apart from what your family and environment gave you, you also received musical education abroad and gave concerts on various world stages. I hope you’ll also agree that the true knowledge of music does not come immediately. At what point did you truly become aware of music and feel its influence?"

“I’m not a workaholic by nature. This is a big disadvantage for any musician. Forgive me for being indelicate, but I’ve always felt, perhaps due to my talent, that I could understand everything related to music very easy. On the one hand, this is a big plus, but on the other hand, it is very relaxing. At school, I treated music lessons as a hobby. I spent more time playing football, swimming, playing snooker, and socialising with my friends instead. One hour of classes a day was enough to perform well at a concert. I began giving concerts when I was studying at the Royal College of Art. So I gradually began to realise that music must be taken seriously, with love and respect. I realised that if I am gifted, then I must take care of it, cherish it, if you will, and to constantly hone and develop my skills. Otherwise, no matter how talented you are, you cannot become a real musician.”

"You sometimes play national music like the well-known Ayrılıq, Yalqızam, and so on. But we yet to see you on the national stage, in Azerbaijan. Why?"

"I often get asked this question. Azerbaijani music has always been an integral part of our family's life. I grew up on Rashid Behbudov’s songs, mesmerising compositions of Vagif Mustafazade, the amazing mughams of Alim Gasimov. It is a shame that I have not yet mastered the melismatics of the national music. Although my dad is amazingly knowledgeable about it. He does something on the violin that I never dreamed of. When we come together, we definitely work on it. I promised to myself to perform Laçın the way it should really sound. As for the concerts in Baku, it’s a painful issue indeed. My planned concerts were cancelled at least four times, for completely different reasons. On October 26, the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Conservatoire was celebrated in Moscow. The event took place in the Great Hall of the Conservatoire. The concert was performed by the Russian National Orchestra conducted by our wonderful maestro Yalchin Adygozalov. There were other famous Azerbaijani musicians as well. I was also invited to the concert. Although the concert was not in Baku, it was associated with Azerbaijan. This was a very important and honourable event for me."

"Nevertheless, you work with Azerbaijani musicians. One of them is Elvin Ganiyev. Who else did you work with?"

"Elvin and I grew up together. At first, our grandparents became friends; now our parents are friends. We are also great friends with Elvin. He is a very good violinist. It is very easy to play with him, I enjoy it. So far, I have never played with anyone from Azerbaijan. But I hope that everything is still ahead (smiles)."

"When one day you come to Baku..."

"I have been to Baku several times. I have always admired the beauty of my city. I have a lot of subscribers from Azerbaijan who are looking forward to my concerts. Therefore, when one day I come to Baku, I will definitely try to compensate for the lost years."

"We know that you dedicated Ayrılıq to the fallen soldiers of the Second Garabagh War..."

"I was born when part of my country had already been occupied. Garabagh is the birthplace of my great-grandfather, the famous tar player Khamza Aliyev. Even before the occupation, one of the streets in Shusha had been named after him. So, this problem was especially painful for our family. The song Ayrılıq is the cry of my soul. All these years, our people have lived in anticipation of the triumph of justice. And now the day has come! Last year was the most difficult year for the whole world. But thanks to the prudent policy pursued by the leadership of Azerbaijan, incredible dedication and heroism demonstrated by our people, 2020 became the happiest year for all Azerbaijanis!"

"For ten years, you have learned playing the cello with your grandfather, the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan Gara Aliyev. Then your parents sent you to Paris to take lessons from Mstislav Rostropovich himself. What did you learn from each of these persons?"

"Unfortunately, I could get only one lesson from Mstislav Rostropovich in 2005. I was 12 years old then. As it turned out later, at that time he was already seriously ill. He passed away two years later. But these two hours spent with the Maestro completely changed my destiny. During the years of studies with my grandfather, I got from him so much that any musician can envy me (laughs). The rest is what I’ve built upon this foundation."

"Where did you film the video clip on your excellent performance of Franz Schubert’s Ave Maria in London?"

"It is the St. Barnabas Church in London. When we were looking for the filming set, we were offered several churches. I reviewed the proposed locations for a long time but could not make a choice. But when I entered St. Barnabas, I immediately had an inexplicable desire to take my instrument and start playing there. I think that was what made the record incredibly inspiring. The video has been viewed about 5 million times. It was also a pleasure to receive amazing reviews. Frankly, I did not expect such a success..."

"You always choose interesting and controversial locations for your videos. How do you sekect them? Does it have to do with your associations with the selected melodies?"

"Well, everything happens intuitively actually. I would very much like to make these videos more professionally. But this requires a completely different approach and much more time."

"What's in your repertoire? Do you consult with anyone when choosing the compositions to play?"

"Unfortunately, a cello repertoire is much small than a violin repertoire, let alone the piano. I have already performed all the classical pieces for cello. I need more. That is why I play many pieces that have been transcribed to other instruments. Also, there are quite a few contemporary pieces that I haven't played yet. They are so many that I can't keep up the pace. I add them to my repertoire from time to time. As for the choice of the program, if I have any doubts, I only turn to my parents for advice. They are my main advisers, not only in my professional activity, but in my life in general. I can call them at any time of the day or night, knowing for sure that even in the most difficult situation I will get their support and advice. In general, my managers know the entire list of works that I perform. That’s why when I’m offered a concert, they determine the entire program. Of course, I have the final say in what they choose, but I completely trust my managers who make the selection very professionally."

"You’ve been selected one of the 30 best musicians under the age of 30 as part of the project run by the British music radio station Classic FM. We congratulate you with this achievement! How did you receive the news?"

"I didn't even know about it. I learned about by selection from my close friend, who contacted me early in the morning. At first, I took this with complete indifference. But when friends and acquaintances from all over the world started calling me with congratulations, I realised that something very important had happened (laughs). The list includes three cellists only. This means that I have become one of the three best cellists in the world under 30."

"It’s not the only surprise that caught you unexpectedly. “My dream came true – I played together with [the Turkish pianist and composer] Fazil Say,” you said. What other significant dreams have come true in your life?"

"I guess I can call myself a happy person. Much of what I dreamed about has come true, including even the things I did not dare to dream. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but there are so many plans that I would like to implement in my lifetime. That's normal. After all, it is our aspirations that drive us towards evolution and development. Fazil Say is a living legend. Not only because he is a genius pianist, but he’s also an amazing composer who perfectly uses elements of national music in his works. And it is not surprising; he is a great patriot too. He is considered a national hero in Turkey. It is a great pleasure for me to play music with him."

"What are you working on now?"

"Since 2017, I have been a soloist of the well-known English agency YCAT (Young Classical Artist Trust). They have organised all my concerts so far. In 2019, I signed a contract with the famous American agency CAG (Concert Artists Guild). In the past I have given concerts in China and Singapore. But I'm really looking forward to my first concert in Hong Kong. It is scheduled for early January 2022. But the authorities require a two-week quarantine before the concert. So, we’ll have to greet the New Year in Hong Kong.

“Even before the pandemic, we had a lot of concerts planned. But last year turned the whole world upside down, including our plans. Now we are gradually resuming our activities. We plan tours in Turkey, Americas and Asia. In October, we had concerts with Fazil Say in Antalya. On December 25 and 26, grand concerts are slated for at Istanbul's stunning Volkswagen Arena. For the first time, I will perform a cello concert of Fazil Say’s Shahmeran. For the next year, we plan very important recordings with an interesting program. We can only hope that the pandemic will not cancel our ideas again.”

“Tell us about your performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall.”

"Performing on the stage of this hall is a dream of any musician. By the way, it is located right in front of the Royal College of Art, where I studied. When I first saw the hall, I told myself that I would definitely give a concert there. And it was another dream that came true. Later, I was lucky enough to perform there several times. My cooperation with the BBC Orchestra, which is recognized as one of the best orchestras in the world, was also quite successful. It was the first orchestra, which I have performed with in London. Every summer, the Royal Albert Hall hosts a BBC Proms concert, which the British are very fond of. It attracts viewers from all over Britain. It is sort of a wrap-up of the results of the entire musical season. The 2017 concert was held to commemorate the anniversary of the famous Hollywood composer, Oscar winner John Williams. He personally chose all the soloists. I was later told that when the organisers were choosing a cellist to perform the theme from Memoirs of Geisha, Mr. Williams selected me without hesitation. By the way, I hadn't even met him before. And it was double pleasant a feeling. After the concert, I received excellent reviews from famous media outlets, including The Telegraph, Gramophone, etc."

"Can you tell us about your meeting in the House of Lords of the British Parliament initiated by Baroness Emma Nicholson? What was the reason for this meeting? And if it's not a secret, what did you talk about at the reception?"

"To my great shame, as a person completely far from politics, I did not know what post she held. Later I found out that the baroness was a big fan of mine. She attended all my concerts in London. One day I received a letter from her in which she said that she was sorry for not being able to attend my concert at the Wigmore Hall. That’s why she asked me to be her guest in the House of Lords. Of course, this came as a big surprise to me. I have never met such a comprehensively competent person before. I was especially surprised by how enthusiastically she spoke about her visits to Baku, Azerbaijan. It's nice to hear when they speak of your country like that."

"What is the driving force behind your creativity?"

"I’m always thirsty for new knowledge, the discovery of the unknown. There are many more musicians, orchestras and conductors with whom I would like to perform. And only time can show where my creativity takes me one day. Today, the most important thing for me is the health of my relatives and friends. My life experience shows that if one really wants something, he will definitely achieve this. The main thing is never to despair and believe. Dreams always come true. I know this for sure..."