THE MAESTRO AND HIS MENTORS

Recently, the 75^th anniversary of the famous composer, scientist, the Honored Teacher of Azerbaijan, academician of Pedagogical and Social Sciences of Russia, Ogtay Rajabov, was was widely celebrated at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic. The maestro and professor of the Baku Music Academy agreed to meet with R+ to discuss his works.

- My introduction to music was not simple. As a child, I attended the musical school №1 to take the class of violin. Then, when I was a ten-years-old kid, I began going to the Dzerzhinsky Club but my father had insisted that I would enter the Pedagogical Institute, with minor in Physics. For two years, I took composition lessons from the great Fikret Amirov. He was my first mentor.

It turned out that when he was appointed day of the exam in physics in graduate school, I decided to devote myself to music and entered the Conservatory in the composition class of People's Art Worker of Azerbaijan Jovdat Hajibeyov. He is my second mentor.

- What was performed at the jubilee evening? New compositions?

- There included almost all new works written in the last five years. Concerto for Soprano and String Orchestra based on the Azerbaijani folk song “Sarı gəlin”. The solo part was greatly performed by the winner of the Shanghai competition Aynur Iskenderli. A wonderful conductor, People's Art Worker of Azerbaijan Fakhraddin Karimov has interestingly interpreted my new Symphony No. 7 named Khojaly. This is a symphony made in four parts: 1. Khojaly: Every Day, 2. Wedding (in spite of the war, people fall in love and get married), 3. Khojaly in a Dream, 4. Khojaly on Fire. Almost the main part of this symphony is performed by the choir, which in addition to back vocal creates a vivid picture of the atrocities of our enemies and the suffering. The choir performance was prepared by our unmatched conductor, the People's Art Worker of Azerbaijan Gulbaji Imanova. I am pleased with her work.

- You have also performed a rhapsody on Jewish themes. Why Jewish, by the way? Can you tell us the history of this creation?

- We have worked together with a great pianist, the Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan Roza Shifrin, who asked me to compose a rhapsody on Jewish themes. We recorded it to a disk, which is advertised in the US, where she currently lives. Another excellent Azerbaijani pianist Adila Aliyeva, now the rector of the Academy of Music in one of the French cities, heard my work and asked me to orchestrate it. Thus, was born the Rhapsody on Jewish themes for symphonic orchestra.

- Can you please tell us about your teaching career? No wonder the outstanding Azerbaijani composer Tofig Guliyev called you ‘Kabalevsky of Azerbaijan’ and ‘Kabalevsky of the Caucasus’ for a definite reason. More than 400 of your works are dedicated to children.

- The teachers of 5000 Azerbaijani schools teach music lessons from the 1^st to the 9^th grades based on my textbooks. In addition, I am the author of experimental music programs. In 1996-2010, 16 different textbooks with a total circulation of 1.5 million copies were published under my direct supervision. 11.5 thousand copies were issued in Azerbaijani and 8 thousand copies in Russian.

- How did you come to an opinion that our children need experimental musical training?

- A civilized society is impossible to nurture without aesthetic education. Everything goes through the beauty that is inherited since childhood through drawing and music. Today's children are our future society: doctors, engineers, and teachers. One hour of music a week is very small. During these lessons, not only they listen to music, but they also have discussions on some of the works, their character and personal impact. Since we live in the Internet era, the work is much easier. In the Baltic States and Germany, 2 hours per week are devoted to music, while in Japan - 3 hours for drawing and music, respectively. Despite the unfortunate facts of nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the country is developed in terms of high technology. Their cars and other equipment exceed the level of their counterparts in other countries. Music awakens and develops children's imagination. Without imagination, as is known, no science or art is possible anywhere. Now, we are trying to get permission for a 12-classroom training, as in the Baltic States. I hope it will be possible then to increase the art hours at schools up to 2-3 times a week.

- You used to communicate with the outstanding Russian composer, People's Art Worker of the USSR, Dmitry Kabalevsky. Can you tell us some more?

- The All-Union conference of experts on music education for children based on Kabalevsky system was held in 1977, in Sverdlovsk. The experimental music programs of secondary schools included the dance of Negro girls from the ballet “Path of Thunder” by Gara Garayev. When I was given the floor, I said “Gara Garayev is an outstanding composer of our time, he has composed a lot of wonderful music”. Then the organizers had added another dance of girls from the ballet “Seven Beauties”. I sang a very popular children's song by Gambar Huseynli, which was by that time translated into many languages ​​of the world. It was Cücələrim (My chickens). The audience stood up and sang with me. After the conference, Dmitry Kabalevsky invited me into his room for 15 minutes. But our conversation lasted for 3.5 hours. Since the meeting in Moscow, my correspondence with the composer continued up until 1987. I still keep his letters written to me. In the latter, just before his death, he wrote: “The children will be culturally developed, the whole nation will be culturally developed.” Dmitry Borisovich was my fourth mentor. And the third was our great composer Tofig Guliyev, whose songs were a great school for me. In addition, together we were engaged in various projects for the musical education of Azerbaijani children. We both were awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize of the Republic. I am glad that children respond positively to musical experiments. After our lessons, the students are able to assess the beauty and tend to do everything beautifully. You know, even the politics must be beautiful, not rough. Today, the experimental classes are carried out in 50 schools of Azerbaijan and filmed for television.

- Where do you teach today?

- At the Academy of Music under the Department of the Azerbaijani folk music. I am educating the masters, writing theses on the Azerbaijani folk music. I have managed to train two doctors and 12 candidates of sciences, wrote 30 books, my research works fit into 10 books. Also, I am the main researcher at the conservatory laboratory for musical education of children.

- What kind of music are you composing now?

- Quite recently, I have completed my work on Ataturk opera and the ballet called Great Love based on a biblical theme and Jesus Christ. Currently, we are on top of financing issues and the staging of the play - in Azerbaijan or Dallas, TX.

- You have accomplished quite a lot during your lifetime. You have much to be left for us. One can say that you are friendly, satisfied and happy. These are just some rare features nowadays. Why?

- Well, actually, it seems that everything is easy and simple, but there are some difficulties that I have overcome. Kabalevsky once said that it was easy to teach music, but it is necessary to devote a lifetime to it. I am happy with the work done, my communication with the children and music. I am an optimist.