By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Tofig Bakikhanov's  ballets "Caspian Ballad" and "Good and Evil"  have been staged at the State Opera and Ballet Theater.

The ballet productions were timed to the 90th anniversary of the prominent composer.

Secretary of the Azerbaijan Composers' Union, Honored Art Worker Zemfira Gafarova addressed the event.

In her speech, Zemfira Gafarova highlighted the composer's creative path and praised his contribution to Azerbaijan`s music culture. He is the author of concerts for violin, violoncello, flute, oboe, dual concerts, musical comedies, 8 symphonies, 5 symphonic mughams, etc.

Tofig Bakikhanov is a representative of hereditary musicians. His father, a famous tar performer, People's Artist Ahmad Bakikhanov, was a great friend of the great Uzeyir Hajibayli.

As a child, Uzeyir Hajibayli himself listened to Tofig Bakikhanov and predicted a bright future for him.

Tofig Bakikhanov, a descendant of Baku khans, started his musical activity as a violinist.

In 1953, he graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory specializing in violin. Azerbaijan's outstanding composer Fikrat Amirov was his teacher.

He also majored in music composing under the guidance of the great national composer Gara Garayev.

In 1950-1953, Bakikhanov worked as a violinist in the trio of the Azerbaijan Philharmonic Society.

From 1970, Tofig Bakikhanov began to work as the senior teacher of the department of chamber music and as the dean of the performing program of the Azerbaijan Conservatory.

Now the composer is the professor of Baku Academy of Music. Since 1969 till now, Tofig Bakikhanov has performed recitals in Paris, Moscow, Tbilisi, Istanbul, Izmir, Tehran and in other cities.

In 1968, his ballet "Caspian Ballade'' was staged at the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater.

His most famous works include  "One of six" operetta, "Welcoming overture", three symphonies for chamber orchestra, etc.

Then "The Caspian Ballad" and "Good and Evil" were presented to the ballet lovers.

"The Caspian Ballad" is a ballet dedicated to the Caspian Sea, its oil-rich bowels and, of course, the people working at sea.

This ballet was written in the 60-70s of the last century, but it is still included into the theater's repertoire. The ballet did not lose its relevance and was greeted with great interest.

The ballet "Good and Evil" is based on the work of the same name by Nizami Ganjavi.

The eternal struggle between good and evil, losses and gains, defeat and, finally, victory run like a red thread through the plot of the ballet.

The production tells about the eternal confrontation of two elements with music, plastics and dance.

The both ballets received  thunderous ovation from the audience.