Rhythmic festival comes to end in Sheki

By Amina Nazarli - AzerNews

The musical “Nagara 2015” International Percussion Instruments Festival solemnly came to end in the country’s ancient city of Sheki on August 26.

Supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Sheki City Executive Power, and the “Almus Production” company, the rhythmical event gathered musicians from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Iran to the Sheki Summer Theatre.

Sheki Executive Authority head Elkhan Usubov said that the event, being held in the country for the third time, is an important occasion in the cultural history of Sheki.

Famous Azerbaijani percussionists Natiq Rhythm Group gave spectacular concert for music lovers. The concert started with a rhythmic composition based on the folk song “Sari Gelin.”

Spectators also enjoyed the exciting dances accompanied by national music performed by the group.

Toward the end, other participants such as the Uzbek “Abbos” group, Turkey’s “Istanbul Harem” and Iran’s “Lian” group also joined the Natiq Rhythm Group in providing an unforgettable musical experience.

The Natiq Rhythm Group, led by prominent Azerbaijani drummer Natig Shirinov, was found in 2001. Throughout their more than 15 years of activity, the group toured the world, giving concerts in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, the U.S., Holland, Turkey, Taiwan, South Korea, and the UAE.

The roots of percussion instruments in Azerbaijan go back to primitive societies.

The “Gaval dash” (tambourine-stone), located in one of the oldest places of human habitation, Gobustan, is a sample of the ancient instruments pervasive in the region at the time. When striking the stone with your hand or an object, it emits a sound reminiscent of a drum tone.

The nagara is a folk drum that is played with bare hands. It is one of the most popular percussion instruments of Azerbaijani folk music.

This instrument is described in the Early Middle Age Azerbaijani literary epic, dated to the 16th century "Kitabi Dada Gorgud”, a heroic epic poem of the Turkic tribal group Oguz.