FADING INTEREST IN OPERA

They say one's profession transforms a person, leaving an imprint on their consciousness and character so that the profession becomes part of the person. Azerbaijan People's Artiste, professor and a holder of the Sohrat and Saraf orders, Xuraman Qasimova, makes the impression of someone carrying the best features of her profession: dignity, intelligence and aristocracy. The charm emanating from Xuraman creates an unusual atmosphere so that even the familiar walls of the Baku Academy of Music look different under the influence of her soothing voice.

 - It has become common for many artists to become media personalities. You however rarely communicate with the press...

- I have never shunned the media. However, from our young years, neither my sister, Fidan, nor myself, have been keen to advertise ourselves. Occasionally we are invited to participate in various programmes and are interviewed. This has resulted in viewers coming to know about us. To be honest however, we refuse to take part in certain programmes and TV channels. This has its reasons. We want journalists to invite us in order to discuss educational topics that are of interest to everybody. We enjoy such conversations. As for my sister and me rarely being in the media and our concerts and performances rarely being broadcast, it would be better to address the question to certain TV stations. There is an extensive music material about our activities, as are TV programmes which I think will be interesting for viewers.

- In one of your interviews you said that it is your greatest dream to set up a school or a centre of opera performers. Is this a realistic prospect?

- We have undertaken certain steps towards the goal. We have designed our charter and submitted it, alongside with an application, to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and to the government. We have not received any response yet and the issue has been open for many years. Let me emphasize that this is not our dream only.

I remember well that in 1994-1997, my sister and I worked in Turkey where we had very talented students. Despite the fact that Turkey is almost our second homeland, we greatly missed Azerbaijan which is why we held annual solo concerts in Baku. The national leader and members of his family personally attended almost all our concerts, which was a great encouragement for us. After one of such concerts, Heydar Aliyev came to us behind the scenes. He congratulated us, said that he is well familiar with our activities in Turkey and added: "However, I need you here more. There is emptiness in the opera art now. Young people greatly need your help in order to revive and develop it. I would very much like you to return home and educate new talented performers here and to continue your art here." We followed our national leader's advice and returned to Azerbaijan in 1997 despite the fact that the then president of Turkey, S?leyman Demirel, greatly respected us and even called us Atat?rk's daughters. This is when we decided to set up a singing school here. The time however is different now. We have completely shifted to the market economy. Our country has great achievements in culture and politics. Fifteen years have elapsed since the time yet the school has not been created yet. 

-Why should there be a separate school? You have students now and your art itself is a school. And generally, how do you see the future of the art of opera performance in Azerbaijan?

- The preparation of a vocalist is a lengthy process which cannot be reduced to the work of one faculty only. For example, we have undoubtedly talented applicants. However, failing difficult admission test deprives them of the right to study in the academy. If we had a separate school, an academy, things could be organized differently. Currently we do not have such possibilities. Therefore, our students have to travel abroad to receive paid education. For example, our students who are studying in Italy did not have to pass these tests. They only examined their vocal abilities and they only continue studies in this direction. In our profession, four year studies to gain bachelor's degree are not sufficient. The reduction of the number of students to be accepted for master's degree studies a few years ago has also had a negative influence on this.

When the great Caruso was asked what needs to be done in order for one to be a good vocalist he said: "One has to live through one's life twice. In the first one you permanently learn and in the second one you permanently work, that is, you sing." Think for yourself, if one life is insufficient to master the opera art how can anyone achieve anything in just four years?

I do not want our nation to be wrongly regarded as uneducated. Our country has such great composers and performers as Uzeyir Hacibayov, Xan Susinki, Qara Qarayev, Bulbul, Fikrat Amirov and Rasid Behbutov...we need to preserve the school they have created. We are here for this very purpose and we shall stay in our homeland despite the fact that we receive a lot of invitations from many countries. We remember the words our national leader told us and we try to teach young performers what we know. Sometimes they say about us that if we are such wonderful performers why don't we live abroad rather than live in Azerbaijan? Let me ask these people a question: how can you judge us for not forsaking our homeland? Let our people respond to this question for each person is free to decide where they want to live. Wherever we were we always thought about our homeland and preferred to live here.

- You have students who represent our country abroad and teach in foreign countries...

 - Yes, we do have many such students. However, let me emphasize that I have never wanted to advertise myself by using the names of my students. I have been the head of the solo singing faculty at the Baku Academy of Music for over 20 years. My work involves a lot of responsibility. My sister, Fidan, works with me at the faculty. She, alongside other colleagues, is my closest friend, advisor and supporter. I can now say that we have many graduates whose voices can now be heard in faraway countries such as Turkey, Russia, Italy and Germany. Their success delights us and we are closely following their achievements. I want them to also remember where they received their education and which school they represent. This is the school of the great Uzeyir bay.

Today I can say with a sense of pride that I received my education in Azerbaijan and I graduated from this very musical school. At the moment, I am the only vocal performer in the world who has become the laureate of the most prestigious music festival in the world - the Chaykovskiy international competition. No other young performer has achieved such success yet. Both Fidan and I want to have as many talented students as possible. We will extend great help and support to them.

- Have you encountered difficulties in your profession? Has there been envy, jealousy and have these left any imprint on your career?

 - I have certainly encountered difficulties. Any artist experiences difficulties. There were cases when some people were not happy about us succeeding at such a young age. We have also encountered envious culture officials who could not come to terms with our success and placed obstacles on our way. For our part, we have continued to do our job and our response has always been our art. We have never shied away from difficulties that were linked with our activities. Silence does not mean failure or defeat. Thank God, we are now alive and well and we work. If I do not perform today this does not mean that I have parted from my art. I think the more seldom you appear on stage the greater interest this generates in you. Some people even tried to involve us in some scandals yet we have never succumbed to these provocations. If we, through our mastery, have managed to win the love of thousands of people this means that we need to continue in the same vein.

 - Do contemporary Azerbaijani composers compose operas? If they do, why do they not win wide acclaim? Have you performed them?

- It is not an easy job to compose opera. It takes a lot of responsibility, erudition, talent and ability. The opera art is a difficult area and composition is a special gift. A person who composes opera ought to know the art of the vocals. When I joined theatre I performed in various roles in the operas of our contemporary composers, such as Salma in the opera Diceived Stars by Mammad Quliyev and Xanim in the opera Xananda's Fortune by Cahangir Sirgast oglu Cahangirov. The last one I did was the role of Xursidbanu Natavan in Vasif Adigozalov's opera, Natavan. We have staged Intizar, an opera by Frangiz Alizada. Afterwards, there were almost no operas and I could say there is certain stagnation in this field. Increasingly many new operas are emerging abroad. I understand that it is hard to compose an opera but the saddest thing is that in Azerbaijan they do not even compose songs for children. Sometimes, we have to train children through love songs.

- It seems like in the Soviet times the opera art was more popular in Azerbaijan. If this is true, to what do you attribute this?

- That is absolutely true. Interest in opera has waned, which greatly worries me. But please do not ask me to comment on the performance of the Azerbaijani Theatre of Opera and Ballet. I do not wish to comment on this because some people deliberately distort my sincere words and ideas. I cannot observe such falling interest in opera in Europe.

- Could one say that the opera art is not sufficiently promoted in Azerbaijan?

- I could say that this, as well as the level of opera performance mastery, leave much to be desired. Most importantly, we have almost no directors working in opera. This is a major issue. They have been inviting foreign directors to direct new performances recently. The latter however are little familiar with our national Azerbaijani culture. For example, when Russian composer Reinhold Gli?re, composed music for Sovkat Mammadova in the opera Shah-Sanam, he learnt the history of music of not only Azerbaijan but of the entire Oriental world on the whole. Are the foreign directors who are invited here as well familiar with the history of Azerbaijani music? Fidan and I have been reluctant to go to our Theatre of Opera and Ballet for a long time. This certainly has its reasons. Despite this, we are aware of all new artistic developments in the theatre. The majority of those working in the opera department there are the graduates of our faculty.

- As a person of the arts who has visited many countries of the world can you say that any opera performances in Azerbaijan are comparable in calibre or performance level with the most celebrated performances of the world?

- The only example of recent years that comes to my mind is Leyli and Mejnun. However, this opera is based on the Azerbaijani mugam style of music which is why it has been received with interest in foreign countries. In general, there is a great interest in our school of Mugam. The great care and support by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and its president Mehriban Aliyeva greatly contribute to its success and promotion. As for your question, I do not think that we stage any such European-style musical performances at the moment. I know that individual Azerbaijani performers work abroad. But at his point I do not think that we will have a European level performance of classical music here any time soon. I would be delighted to see this though.

- How can one be truly dedicated to one's art? What is your advice to young performers?

- Fidan and I have gone through this. I remember that while in the USA we were both operated on. Such unexpected situations may emerge in anybody's life. The interesting thing however is that while under anaesthesia we both sang. The doctors said that, on the one hand, they were very surprised and, on the other, they derived great satisfaction. We are happy with our life. We have always been committed to our art. We have seen the world and tried to promote Azerbaijani culture and arts at the highest level. Perhaps, this is why the leadership of this country has for many years been showing such care and attention to us. In the past, Heydar Aliyev highly valued our art and showed respect and care for us. Currently, President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, are showing particular attention to people of culture and extend every possible assistance to them. Fidan and I have recently been awarded the Saraf order. My advice to young performers is for them to love their art and to work in order to permanently improve. However, before all that they need to receive good education, not to waste time, and to think about the art rather than seek to gain quick popularity. In due time, their work will pay off.