"WHITE HORSEMAN" IN THE SKY

A remarkable event has taken place in Azerbaijan's cultural life - the premiere of a new opera, Intizar, by People's Artist Firangiz Alizada. The premiere was held at the Heydar Aliyev Palace on 11 May and was part of an international music project by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The libretto was written by Professor Nargiz Pasayeva, creative director of the Uns theatre and member of the Azerbaijan Association of Writers. The new version of the opera was created by an international group. The production director was Russian People's Artist Dmitriy Bertman, artistic director of the Moscow Helikon-Opera; Hartmut Shorghofer was artistic director; Vladimir Ponkin conducted; choreography was by Edvald Smirnov and the choirmaster was People's Artist Gulbaci Imanova. The premiere was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.  

The new version of the opera is based on the principles of modern European musical stage direction. Throughout the performance, the possibilities of modern stage movement and choreography combined with traditional forms in a creative presentation of voice and image. The choreographic flexibility and colour of crowd scenes and their harmonious movement gave a dynamic to the dramatic course of events. The most sophisticated technology was used in the setting of the performance: - a moving stage, video installation and complex palette of colours. Another distinctive feature of the production was the very young cast.

The opera unfolds in the context of tragic events from Azerbaijan's recent history, around the universal theme of the fight between good and evil. Evil forces, which have come to a hospitable land, callously betray it, unleashing violence, savagely killing people and ousting them from their homeland. These atrocious developments echo through the lives of one family.

The work demonstrates again that no matter how terrible and strong the pressure of evil forces may be, they cannot break the will of those living in belief and love of the motherland and family or destroy their determination to fight. Despite the tragic course of events, the opera ends with an impressive finale which reflects the expectation of happiness and justice, hope and belief, and the spirit of struggle. The appearance of a "white horseman" in the sky is a beam of hope for all people looking forward to a forthcoming victory. This is hope and belief at all costs.

Music critics say that Intizar's greatest asset is the music, which is rich in themes, national intonations, diversity of views, feelings and conditions, and melody. Appreciating this, the audience, enchanted by the elegant arias performed by Sabina Vahabzada, Inara Babayeva, Avaz Abdullayev, Ramil Qasimov, Azar Rzayev, Ilham Nazarov, Nazrin Zarbaliyeva, Mehseti Cabbarova and others, erupted with a storm of applause after the last chords had been played. The musical material by Firangiz Alizada allows different interpretations of the events reflected in the libretto and the music takes different approaches to stage presentation.

Remarkable direction. Theatre critics maintain that it was difficult to find a redundant moment in the two-hour show. This holds true for the movement of actors and dancers on the stage - no-one betrayed the ensemble and all was synchronised and harmonious. It was also difficult to find fault with the way the troupe was arranged on the stage - everyone seemed to be in his place in every scene, even though there were sometimes more than 50 people on stage.

We recall that Intizar was first shown at the Azerbaijani State Theatre of Opera and Ballet. That was a public performance of the first version of the opera. Then it was staged as a concert, also at the Heydar Aliyev Palace, and was part of the music festival to mark the 75th anniversary of the Azerbaijani Association of Composers. The concert form, presented on such a large stage (the concert involved 300 people, including the Uzeyir Hacibayov State Symphony Orchestra and the State Choral Chapel led by Gulbaci Imanova) produced an indelible impression.

The production of the opera Intizar is a remarkable event in Azerbaijan's musical life and its national culture. It has tremendous political importance, because the work has a patriotic scenario, while music glorifying national heroes and their readiness to sacrifice themselves for the motherland serves to exalt the national spirit.