Sheki opens Percussion Instruments Festival

By Amina Nazarli - AzerNews 

The Nagara 2015 International Percussion Instruments Festival kicked off in the country’s ancient city of Sheki on August 22.

The music festival, supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Sheki City Executive Power, and “Almus Production” company, is bringing together musicians from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, and Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan is being represented by the popular “Natiq ritm” group.

The solemn opening ceremony took place in Green Theatre. The festival started with a procession of nagara performers across the city’s central square.

Addressing the ceremony, head of the Sheki Executive Authority Elkhan Usubov said that the festival is aimed at preserving and promoting Azerbaijan's ancient art of music and history.

He noted that holding the festival in Sheki is no mere coincidence. “Sheki has already successfully hosted a number of international events and is known as a city of holidays, traditions, and festivals. These festivals are of great importance in terms of promoting the rich culture of our people as well as the city's tourism potential,” he added.

The opening ceremony featured performances by Uzbekistan's Abbos, Iran's Lian, Turkey's Istanbul Harem, and Azerbaijan's Natig rhythm groups.

Uzbekistan “Abbos” group gave impressive concert to music lovers on August 23. The group was established in 1998 by popular percussion instruments performer Abbod Kasimov. The group consists of performers on karnay, surnay, doyra, and nagara. They are the first to perform pop songs on these instruments.

The group has toured through the U.S., France, UK, Germany, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

As part of the festival, Iran’s “Lian” group held a master class on the same day. Established in 1993, Lian is the most famous musical group in Iran. They have participated in many festivals held in the U.S., France, Croatia, Italy, and Bulgaria.

During the master class, group members gave detailed information about the instruments they use.

A concert by Turkish representative Suat Borazan and the Istanbul Harem group is scheduled for August 25.

The closing ceremony will see an amazing performance by the famous Azerbaijani Natiq ritm and Nagara 2015 groups on August 26.

The roots of percussion instruments in Azerbaijan go back far to the era of primitive society.

Gaval dash (tambourine-stone), located in one of the oldest places of human habitation, Gobustan, is a sample of Azerbaijan’s ancient instruments dating back to 10-12 thousands years ago. 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 the bare hands. It is one of the most popular percussion instruments of the Azerbaijani folk music.

This instrument is described in the Early Middle Age Azerbaijani literary epic, "Kitabi Dada Gorgud.”