ETUDES TO DECIPHER THE PHENOMENON

A book called "Alim" has come off the press. This is the first fundamental publication about the renowned Azerbaijani musician. The author of the book is a music critic and publisher, senior consultant for the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Natavan Faiq (Mustafayeva). She dedicated four and a half years to the research. The "small presentation" of the book was held at an August news conference by jazz pianist Sahin Novrasli who won the second award at a prestigious competition in Montre. He also became the first owner of the book, after receiving it from the author and a sponsor of the publication. The official presentation of the book about the great singer of Mugham, Alim Qasimov, is due in September.

How did the idea of creating such a book emerge after all? The word "book" would put too tight a frame on the publication - the word "project" would be more appropriate. It was born more than four years ago, when Natavan Faiq, the then head of the culture department of the Azerbaijan News newspaper, wanted to interview Alim Qasimov following an award the musician received from UNESCO.

They spoke for hours. Alim would repeatedly interrupt the interview due to urgent business. The music critic witnessed the whole day of this outstanding man's very busy life, where business was intertwined with professional exercises which cannot be interrupted even for one day. During the interview, the well-known musician nonchalantly complained to Natavan that after concerts abroad he is often besieged by fans asking for some films, article and books as keepsakes, but there is nothing he could share with them... "I was frustrated by such injustice," Natavan remembers. And she decided to create a book about Alim. "We have become friends. He started inviting me to his rehearsals, wedding parties of his children, recordings of some songs, or simply as a translator… All this laid the foundation of the script, albeit not intentionally. The book contains something different. There are questions which don't and can't have answers because they concern a 'genius'."

Time has shown that one book will not be enough… The spark of idea to publish a book translated into the flames of a large project. The foreword for the book was written by the well-known writer, Cingiz Abdullayev, who is also the editor of the publication. Author of the review is famous composer Firangiz Alizada, consultant is the president of Baku Musical Academy, Farhad Badalbayli, while the epigraph to the book is the phrase by famous American cellist, leader of the legendary Silk Way, Yo-Yo-Ma: "I am proud to live at the same time with Alim Qasimov."  

As a matter of fact, another great cellist of modern times, Mstislav Rostropovich, who is familiar with Alim's creative work and the publishing works of Natavan Faiq, was also impatiently waiting for the appearance of the book. Unfortunately, he was not lucky enough to see the results of the effort Natavan and colleagues in the project…

No repetition 

The text of "Alim" represents the intentional difference of styles, which does not have the traditionally polished scenario but includes a whole number of semantic layers, multi-faceted musicological deliberations and admiration with professionalism. It is difficult to define the genre, but Natavan herself says the following: "The genre of this book is the expression of love. This is why there are also poems there. White poems… Because when you speak about Mugham, you cannot do without poems."

A section of illustrated commentaries is another independent part of the publication. It can be considered to be a mini-encyclopedia of Azerbaijan's musical culture. Natavan Faiq carefully gathered all small details of the book, starting from small biographical notes by people of culture and science mentioned in the text, explanations of key terms of Mugham and other aspects of folk music and art as a whole, to the description of geographical locations which carry tremendous meaning for Alim and for the book (from Qavaldas and Qobustan with its rock inscriptions to Atasgah and Yanardaq with its flames spurting from under the ground).

During the work, the text component of the work was closely connected with the visual, which include the design of the book, pictures and a video film (computer design by Cavansir Azizov). It is very a colorful and valuable publication. A luxurious square case contains three copies: one in the native language, one in Russian and one in English. But it is not only the language that matters. To be more exact, it is easier to find differences in them than similarities, because there is only one thing in common - the text. As for illustrations, apart from the cover and two more pictures - the first and the last ones which carry an almost sacred meaning for the author - not a single picture (!) in the three books is repeated. It is a three-tome photo album of the musician. This alone makes the publication a remarkable present for any fan of Alim Qasimov's talent. Materials for the photo section of the edition were collected from everywhere - not only from the musician's personal archives but also from the collections of his fans.

Another detail is very special for the author: the block of commentaries is not available in the Azeri version. It is expected that every Azerbaijani already knows what Tar is, what is a Xananda and who was Nizami. To repeat these basic things would be an insult to the national reader. At the same time, for a foreign reader such information is the clue to the text. These all not just utilitarian prompts, they have a more important function… "I see this section of commentaries as my own patriotic act. Dry, unemotional arguments backed by links to reliable sources and presented in such a way, between the lines, so to speak, impacts on the reader much more strongly than vociferous shrieks of those trying to appropriate the cultural heritage of our nation," Natavan Faiq says.

This idea can also be traced in the visual appearance of the publication. Here is just one example: one of the broadsides of the book contains a collage of notes from popular Azerbaijani songs Aman Ovcu, Qara Gila, Qarabag Sikestesi, Sari Galin, etc., which our neighbors in the region have been persistently trying to portray as their own…

Mystery of Alim 

The author of illustrations and design is well-known sculptor Mir-Teymur. The music critic and artist worked together in close contact - the text and the visual images go hand-in-hand. Particularly impressive is Mir-Teymur's graphic series called Mugam. The first page contains the image of a linear still life of musical instruments, which is almost a sketch. On the second page this fundamental but basic foundation becomes gradually enriched with ornament. Then the process gains momentum and finally, on the last page, the once linear sketch turns into an intricate arabesque densely speckled with fine ornament. The ornamental thickness is evidence of the richness of sound in Mugham.

The illustrations component of the Alim project is full of surprises and mysteries. For instance, the array of works by well-known Mir-Teymur is unexpectedly but harmoniously blended with the Mugham drawing by 8-year-old Nazrin Mammadova. Even the script is full of enigmas. For instance, one of the letters in the word Alim on the front cover is protruded upwards in the form of a sharp peak - this points to one of the best known gestures of the great Xananda: prayer, appeal to the heavens…

Another project branch is the film about Alim. Its position in the publication represents a logical continuation of the idea of unity of all its components. The disc is placed on the end-leaf of the book, while the drawing on it repeats the ornament on the end-lead. However … Turn the disc over and you will see a significant portion of the Bubna-Qaval, which partly "flows over" from the reverse side, "break off". A large share of national music would thus go public - as does the work of Alim which has been so generously endowed to the world…

The 25-minute film contains excerpts from Alim's concerts abroad - in Germany, Sweden, Belgium, France, USA, etc. There are fragments of behind-the-scenes life, rehearsals, jam-sessions with vocalists from different countries… Despite its mosaic nature, the film has a clear scenario. As was the case with the text component of the book, Natavan Faiq gave it a special genre definition: "The film has been shot in the style of Guram-video, which is the most suitable style of showing the life of a person of such caliber."

The semantic center of the film is a unique recording. Black-and-white and made by a private individual in Sweden, it is nonetheless the only one of all concert recordings to be provided in full. "I could not dare to shorten it. The composition is simply fantastic," Natavan explains. And not in vain - this appearance of our musician was quite symbolic. Just imagine Alim and his daughter Farqana singing Sari Galin in a Swedish church. They are accompanied by German musicians, while vocal support comes from a group of Irishmen and … a Tibet nun.

"Just look: the whole world is singing Sari Galin with an Azerbaijani!" says Natavan with admiration. "Alim has proved wrong the theory that it is impossible for the East and West to interact, he has adapted Mugham for the whole world and enchanted residents of many countries with his music. What is his mystery? There is no answer and cannot be one. He does not know one himself. For instance, he carefully looks through the records of his concerts and rehearsals. I asked him why he was doing that. He answered: 'I learn from myself…' This is no showing off, but an absolutely sincere confession because while performing he does not have the feel of reality, so to speak. And then, while looking through the records, he tries to analyze what happened, check harmony with algebra and disclose his own enigma. And my project is an attempt to decipher the mystery of Alim by looking at his phenomenon from the side."

However, what many residents of Baku have already seen and can still see starting from September is certainly not a complete embodiment of the Alim project. The publication has been published in t here languages, while the text is already available in seven. As for the project components still at the stage of preparation, suffice it to say that Natavan worked with a total of 21 translators (not to mention people of other professions), which speaks volumes. Let me add that one of the translators into English was Sabina Rakcheyeva, currently living in America, who is the soloist of the World Youth Festival Orchestra.

"Alim Qasimov will be written about many more times," Natavan said in conclusion. "But this book has an undeniable advantage - it is not a product of a music research, which would inevitably add a touch of cold-blooded observation to it. It is a publication where the author has come, seen and fallen in love, so to speak. Alim is first of all a talent, while talent is a diamond which needs cutting. And I have tried to make the cutting suit his inimitable nature - of course, as much as I could. This is all."

The publication of such a book has been quite costly. Natavan Faiq has been helped in publishing the book by the director of AzEuroTel, Nuri Ahmadov. "I have no idea when I can complete the translation, design and printing of all the other language versions of the project. I am afraid I can only present the complete publication to Alim Qasimov for his 70th birthday," Natavan Faiq said with some sad irony in her voice.

It only remains to hope that the success of the first portion of the project would draw attention of patriotic patrons of arts and help complete this grandiose initiative.