Azerbaijan State String Quartet leaves audience in awe [COMMENTARY]

The Azerbaijan State String Quartet has performed a spectacular concert in the Church of the Saviour in Baku.

The concert featured a lineup of talented soloists, including Farida Mammadova (soprano), Kamalia Ali-zadeh (piano), Stefano Muscaritolo (electric guitar), Yulia Motorina (1st violin), Soltan Mammadov (2nd violin), Vakhtang Imanov (viola), and Aleksey Miltykh (cello).

During the concert, Kamalia Ali-zadeh mesmerized the audience with the music pieces "Uzeyir Hajibayli Back to Shusha", "Cantico per Corbetta" and her variation on Pink Floyd's song "Hey You", while Stefano Muscaritolo thrilled music lovers with the composition ''Keep climbing''.

The concert was truly a memorable and breathtaking experience for all music lovers in attendance.

Kamalia Ali-zadeh, one of the soloists at the concert, shared her excitement about the performance, highlighting the diverse range of music pieces that were played.

A well-known pianist and composer told Azernews that her music piece "Uzeyir Hajibayli Back to Shusha" was previously performed by the Azerbaijan State String Quartet at Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival.

"So, we decided to play the composition "Uzeyir Hajibayli back to Shusha" once again. First violinist Jayla Seyidova invited me to the concert to perform works written by me and my spouse, Stefano Muscaritolo for specially for the quartet. The rehearsals were successful, but unfortunately, Jayla Seyidova fell ill. She was replaced at the concert by the talented violinist Yulia Motorina. The Azerbaijan State String Quartet brilliantly performed works by Western composers, as well as mine and my spouse's," said Kamalia Ali-zadeh.

"The concert also featured my work Cantico per Corbetta For Soprano, Quartet and Piano. Soprano Farida Mamedova performed the work superbly. The concert continued with my variation on Pink Floyd's song "Hey You", followed by the premiere of Stefano Muscaritolo's work "Keep climbing", where he performed as a soloist on electric guitar," she added.

The collaboration with Stefano Muscaritolo, her spouse and fellow musician, added another layer of depth to the performance. His composition "Keep climbing" was well-received by the audience.

The Azerbaijan State String Quartet delivered a flawless performance that left a lasting impression on music lovers.

Kamalia Ali-zadeh and Stefano Muscaritolo expressed their gratitude to both the musicians and their dedicated fans for their support.

Note that Kamalia Ali-zadeh has been living in Italy since 2006.

"I was a student of well-known Azerbaijani composer Arif Malikov for 8 years in Baku Music Academy. Furthermore, I won a scholarship and gained a possibility to continue my education in Italy, in the class of composer Antonio Giacometti, where I met with different students of his class, among them was my husband Stefano Muscaritolo," said Kamalia Ali-zadeh.

"For many years we have given and organized concerts in Azerbaijan and Italy. Our recent concert took place at Sanremo Opera Theater and marked the 100th anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev. The concert was organized with the support of the Azerbaijan State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan," she added.

Kamalia Ali-zadeh's music pieces have been performed in many countries, including Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the USA, China, Japan, etc.

She is married to Italian composer, guitarist, and musicologist Stefano Muscaritolo. The musicians have successfully implemented numerous projects, both in Azerbaijan and abroad.

"We are called a bridge of the culture between Italy and Azerbaijan," said Kamalia Ali-zadeh.

Together they recorded a music piece to mark Italy's victory at EURO 2020.

The composition "Minuet for flute, String Orchestra, Harpsichord, and Tar" presents a synthesis of Italian Baroque music and Azerbaijani mugham.

The music piece was recorded by the Dante in Venice Orchestra and Lucie Sello (flute), the Baku Opera String Orchestra conducted by Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev, and Honored Artist Sahib Pashazade (tar).

In 2021, the Azerbaijan Composers' Union awarded Kamalia Ali-zadeh with a special diploma for her new music piece, "Nizami's Monologue".