Grand Gala Opening

SCHLOMO MINTZ

Violinist Schlomo Mintz appeared at the first Buta Festival in London and returns here with his interpretation of Azer Ryazaev’s Violin Concerto. His virtuoso performances have attracted rave reviews, with a recent performance in Cape Town described by local radio as ‘one of the most memorable performances of my life’. Mintz, who cites his close relationship with the great Isaac Stern as one of his greatest musical influences, has a long association with the music of the former USSR, and has developed close ties with music-making in Azerbaijan. In 2011 he performed at the Gabala International Music Festival in northern Azerbaijan, organized with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. He also performed with Murad Huseynov in the ‘Ave Maria’ concert in the first Buta festival, and played in the closing gala.

Violin

ISFAR SARABSKI TRIO

‘Isfar Sarabski. Remember the name. No, it doesn’t flow … freely across the lips … but you’re going to be hearing it, nonetheless.’ So says veteran US jazz critic Don Hackman. He was speaking after Sarabski’s 2012 performance at Montreux, a festival where the young Baku-born jazz pianist is becoming an institution after winning there in 2009. He’s also a regular fixture at Buta events, appearing in London twice in the first Buta festival. As well as a solo recital he also provided a live soundtrack to the audio-visual ‘Oil & Jazz’ experimental project. Sarabski’s influences include Azerbaijan’s own Vagif Mustafa Zadeh and the likes of Hancock and Keith Jarrett. In 2011 he enrolled at the Berkeley College of Music, studying under Danilo Perez, another of his idols. Sarabski performs at the opening gala with bass player Malcolm Creese and percussionist James Maddren.

JEFFREY
LLOYD-ROBERTS

Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts is another familiar performer at Buta events after appearing at the closing ceremony of the 2009-2010 London festival. The Welsh-born tenor returns to sing Balash’s aria from Fikret Amirov’s opera ‘Sevil’, a work he discovered for the first time during the first festival of Azerbaijani art here. Lloyd-Roberts has worked regularly several leading British opera companies, including the Royal Opera House, and has a strong interest in contemporary music, in particular the work of Harrison Birtwistle. He appeared in the premiere of ‘Angel Fighter’ at the Royal Albert Hall during the 2011 BBC Proms.

Tenor

BURÇIN SAVIGNE

Highly-rated Turkish soprano Burcin Savigne appeared in the ‘Ave Maria’ concert during the previous Buta Festival of Azerbaijani Art, performing settings of the sacred text by Schubert and Badalbayli. She is also a regular performer at Azerbaijan’s Gabala International Festival, most recently taking part in last year’s Verdi gala. Promoting the culture of Turkic countries is an important part of her concert programming, and saw her performing in Northern Cyprus in September 2014 as part of an opera festival devoted to the great Turkish diva Leyla Gencer. Savigne is a frequent performer with the Turkish State Opera in Istanbul and has appeared with Thomas Hampson and Monserrat Caballe, among others.

Soprano

ARSLAN NOVRASLI

Tar virtuoso Arslan Novrasli has devoted his career to demonstrating the versatility of his instrument, one of the cornerstones of Azerbaijan’s music.

As a teenager he was a prize-winner at the Mugham 99 festival, exploring the traditional roots of the tar as an integral part of a mugham ensemble. But since then he has broadened his explorations of what the instrument can do, teaming up with his brother Shahin for jazz performances and performing with a symphony orchestra as part of the first Buta Festival of Azerbaijani Arts in London in 2009-10.

Tar

MUNIS SHARIFOV

Munis Sharifov is a much-decorated performer on traditional Azerbaijani instruments and is the world’s only professional chagana player. Sharifov is also the director of the Azerbaijan State Ensemble of Ancient Musical Instruments.

In the mugham trio assembled for the Buta Festival of Azerbaijani Arts he plays the kemancha, another string instrument. The kemancha, which derives its name from the Persian word for ‘little bow’ was described by Uzeyir Hajibeyli as the perfect instrument to accompany the human voice. It is also the cornerstone of the classic mugham line-up, along with a vocalist and a tar player.

Kamancha

MURAD HUSEYNOV

Murad Huseynov is one of Baku’s best-regarded classical pianists and regularly features in international festivals. He returns to Buta’s London Festival after appearing in the ‘Ave Maria’ concert five years ago. Since then he has become one of the leading figures behind the Gabala International Music Festival, appearing there on several occasions.

Born in 1973, Huseynov studied in Paris and Moscow and his career got an early lift when he claimed second prize in the Poulenc Competition in 2001. Huseynov is an enthusiastic ambassador for Azerbaijani culture, frequently performing the music of his homeland across Europe.

Piano

JOAN RODGERS

Soprano Joan Rodgers’ interest in the music and culture of the former USSR dates back to her student days when she studied Russian before enrolling at the Royal Northern College of Music and winning the Kathleen Ferrier scholarship in 1981.

A familiar figure on the opera stages of Europe and North America, Rodgers also enjoys a successful recital and recording career – including a 2010 recording of Badalbeyli’s orchestral song ‘Shusha’, one of the works she will perform on the festival’s opening night. Like many of the artists appearing in that Royal Albert Hall concert, Rodgers is renewing acquaintances with Buta after appearing at the closing gala of the 2010 festival.

Soprano