Days of Arab culture will be organized in Baku for the first time starting on Tuesday. A 40-people strong delegation led by the deputy culture minister of the United Arab Emirates Sagr Gubashin has arrived in Azerbaijan for the purpose. The opening ceremony of the week-long event was held at the Center of Museums on the same day, the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture told AssA-Irada. Baku residents will be able to enjoy exhibitions of photos and drawings as well as a concert featuring Arab sing...... полностью

A week of Azerbaijani cuisine will be held in Japan on May 10-17, Director of the National Culinary Center Tahir Amiraslanov told AssA-Irada. Azerbaijan’s national meals – cold snacks, various beverages and hot meals - will be presented to the residents of two major Japanese cities.*... читать

A French Cultural Center after George Sand opened downtown Baku on Monday. The opening ceremony was attended by Minister for Culture Polad Bulbuloghlu, French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Roland Blatman, chairman of the France-Azerbaijan friendship group of the French Senate Ambroise Dupont, head of the President’s Office department on international relations Novruz Mammadov and member of the Azerbaijan-France inter-parliamentary group, MP Gular Ahmadova. The French Ambassador said the Center will...... полностью

German designers’ works will be displayed at the “Deliberate simplicity” exhibition at the picture gallery of the Union of Azerbaijani Artists from April 8 till May 6, the German embassy in Baku told AssA-Irada. About 190 works by 35 designers, including furniture, chandeliers and basic household items, will be shown at the event to be organized by the German embassy, the Union and the Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan. The show will be attended by the German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Detlef Li...... полностью

Human rights defenders have came out against the construction of new buildings in the Old City. In an appeal sent to the UNESCO goodwill ambassador in Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, they said that by abusing authority, some officials construct new buildings in the Old City and lease them to foreign embassies and companies for a high price. “The Old City is a state preserve protected by UNESCO. No one is authorized to destroy the old structures dating back thousands of years, and replace them wit...... полностью

A one-week “Percussion instruments” festival will be held at the Jazz Center of Baku for the first time on January 30. Along with prominent Azerbaijani musicians playing percussion instruments, the event will feature musicians from Germany, France, Austria, Russia, Turkey and United States, a source from the Center told AssA-Irada. The festival will be attended by foreign diplomats and renowned art figures.*... читать

The world-famous opera master Montserrat Caballe has invited Azerbaijan’s young vocalists – Dinara Aliyeva, Ulvi Gilinj, Ilaha Afandiyeva and Natavan Ismayilova – to Spain to participate in an international contest. Caballe approved the four vocalists’ performances in the master classes that she hosted during her visit to Baku in November 2004, a source from the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater said. In her letter to the Theater Director Akif Malikov, Caballe wrote that the Azeri vocali...... полностью

The “Leyli and Majnun” opera by Uzeyir Hajibayov, the founder of Azerbaijan’s classic music, will be performed in Istanbul, Turkey on February 14. Some eighty Azerbaijani culture and art figures are expected to visit Istanbul to attend the play. Azerbaijan’s renowned artists Nazakat Teymurova and Mansum Ibrahimov will act as Leyli and Majnun respectively in the play, a source from the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater told AssA-Irada. “Leyli and Majnun”, which is the first opera in t...... полностью

The Cultural Department of the Mayor’s Office of Baku and the “Gala” picture gallery organized an exhibition of works by children aged between 7 and 15 dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy. Paintings, sculptural and decorative applied art works drawn by about 30 students from art schools of Baku are displayed in the show to last till January 22, a source from the gallery told AssA-Irada.*... читать

The Azerbaijani and Iranian culture ministries have signed an agreement on providing assistance to the development of filmmaking in Azerbaijan. The document was signed during the Days of Azerbaijani films recently held in Tehran, the Ministry of Culture told AssA-Irada. It envisions organizing short-term courses and master classes by Iranian film critics in Azerbaijan, and holding similar one-week events in both countries. Under the document, Azerbaijan is authorized to distribute Iranian films ...... полностью

A festival of Indian films will be held in Baku in March. Five films directed by India’s renowned filmmaker Satyasit Reyn in different periods will be screened as part of the one-week event, the Indian embassy in Baku told AssA-Irada. The Indian ambassador to Azerbaijan Dinkar Hullar is expected to attend the opening ceremony of the festival.*... читать

Renowned Belgian pianist Yevgeni Magelevski will give a concert for the first time in Azerbaijan on Friday, a source from the State Philharmony told AssA-Irada. The third symphony by I. Brahms and the second concert by S. Rakhmaninov will be performed at the event to be organized by the Philharmony.... читать

A new website on jazz will be presented at the Jazz Center on Friday. General Director of the Center Rain Sultanov told AssA-Irada that the website, www.jazz.az, which is available in Azeri, Russian and English, will provide detailed information on the creative activities of all Azerbaijani jazzmen and on world jazz. Well-known Azerbaijani jazzmen are expected to perform at the presentation ceremony.... читать

Days of Azerbaijani films will be held in Tehran, Iran on January 11-15 on the initiative of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and the Iranian Ministry of Islamic Orientation. Five feature films and nine documentaries will be screened at the event to be attended by renowned Azerbaijani cinematography figures. Baku hosted a festival of Iranian films in October 2004.... читать

Days of Azerbaijani culture are due in Hague, Holland early next year. Gulshan Kazymova, chairwoman of the culture center recently established in this country, has submitted a plan of extensive activities to be held within the event to the Culture Ministry during her recent visit to Baku, the State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad told AssA-Irada. The Days of Culture will include concerts participated in by renowned Azeri art figures, exhibitions of pictures by prominent art...... полностью

The Ministry of Culture and the Israeli embassy in Baku continue to hold concerts of renowned Israeli musicians in Azerbaijan’s capital. Pianist Iossi Reshef performed at the State Philharmony on Thursday. Reshef told a news conference at the Baku Academy of Music on Friday that another concert will be held at the Academy on December 29 within the Israeli embassy’s “series of cultural projects”. The event will include pieces by Azerbaijani composer Khayyam Mirzazada, he said. Prior to leaving...... полностью

An exhibition of works by Iranian caricaturists will be held at the Azerbaijan House of Caricature on December 24-28. More than 120 works by Gasim Lutfi, Shahram Rzayi and Rasul Hajizada will be displayed at the four-day show to be organized with the support of the Iranian Merchants Club. Azerbaijan’s renowned artists, cultural critics and government officials will attend the exhibition.... читать

A world-famous Israeli pianist, winner of numerous international contests and scholarships of the Universities of Tel-Aviv and South California Iossi Reshef, will give a concert at the Muslum Magomayev State Philharmony, jointly with the Uzeyir Hajibayov State Symphonic Orchestra on December 23. The concert will feature works by composers from Western Europe. The music will be conducted by the senior conductor of the Orchestra Rauf Abdullayev. Prior to visiting Azerbaijan, Reshef performed i...... полностью

An exhibition dedicated to the 95th jubilee of the people’s artist of Azerbaijan Sattar Bahlulzada will be held at the exhibition hall named after him on December 20 on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture. More than 100 works by the renowned artist will be displayed at the event to be attended by Culture Minister Polad Bulbuloghlu, renowned arts figures and government officials.... читать

An exhibition of works dedicated to New Year will open at the Absheron picture gallery next week. Paintings and graphical works by such Azerbaijani artists as Mammad Orujov, Nazim Rahmanov, Yavar Soltanov and Firdovsi Atayev will be displayed in the show to last through this month, the gallery told AssA-Irada.... читать

The Ministry of Culture will organize a photo exhibition dedicated to the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev at the Sattar Bahlulzada exhibition hall on Friday. About 100 photos featuring the life and political activity of the late Azerbaijani President will be displayed in the one-week show entitled “Our eternal President”, the Ministry told AssA-Irada. Minister of Culture Polad Bulbuloghlu, renowned culture and art figures as well as representatives of foreign embassies will attend ...... полностью

The Ministry of Culture and the French embassy in Baku will organize a concert dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the State Chamber Orchestra at the Azerbaijan State Philharmony on December 16. Works by Azerbaijani composers Gara Garayev, Fikrat Amirov, Jahangir Jahangirov and Vagif Mustafazada as well as French composers George Bizet, Maurice Ravel and Jules Masne will be played in congruence. The concert will be conducted by senior conductor of the State Chamber Orchestra, renowned art fi...... полностью

World famous vocalist and opera master Ivan Ponomarenko will for the first time visit Baku. He will act as Rigoletto in the same-name opera by Giuseppe Verdi at the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater on December 18. Born in Ukraine, Ponomarenko performs in famous European theaters, La-Scala and Covent Garden. He has been awarded prizes for the best actor of the Rigoletto part in international opera festivals held in Salzburg, Austria and Munich, Germany. Olga Nagornaya, a soloist of ...... полностью

Georgia’s renowned conductor Georgi Chichinadze will perform at a concert to be arranged at the State Philharmonic on December 17. The Azerbaijan Symphonic Orchestra to be conducted by Chichinadze will present works by Shestakovich and Weber.... читать

A new film based on “Dada Gorgud”, an ancient Turkic historical epic, which was supposedly written in the 7th-9th centuries, will be shot on the initiative of a Turkish TRT TV channels. The film written by Anar and Tofig Iismayilov will be shot in Kazakhstan starting in January-February 2005, the Baku office of TRT told AssA-Irada. In an interview with journalists during his visit to Baku last week, TRT General Director Senol Demiroz explained said the movie will be shot in Kazakhstan due to t...... полностью

An exhibition entitled “Azerbaijani folk art” will be held at the Vajiha Samadova exhibition hall on December 1-7. The objective of the event, initiated by the Union of Artists and supported by the German International Institute of Folk Creativity, is to familiarize the world community with the work of craftsmen engaged in folk art and explore the beauty of Azerbaijani arts. Renowned artists and government officials will attend the exhibition.... читать

An exhibition of works by handicapped children from Shaki District, northwest Azerbaijan will be held at the Center of Miniature Arts in Baku on Thursday. The annual show will be organized on the initiative of the Union of Artists and the Shaki district Society of Invalids. Still life, ornaments and views of nature will be among the works to be displayed in the exhibition, the Union told AssA-Irada.... читать

A Baku-born jazz master acclaimed both in Azerbaijan and Israel Leonid Ptashka is due to give a concert at the Azerbaijan State Philharmony on Tuesday. Another concert by the prominent jazzman will be presented by AzEuroTel at the Baku Jazz Club on Thursday. Those who miss the live broadcast will be able to acquire a recording of the event through Bakcell cellular communications operator. Another well-known Israeli musician Yoshi Reshef is expected to perform in Baku in December on the invi...... полностью

The World Association of Non-governmental Organizations within the UN will open an office in Baku in 2005. The General Secretary of the Association is expected to attend the opening ceremony. A decision on opening an office in Baku was made at a conference entitled “The role of NGOs in reviving the troubled world”, organized by the Association in Budapest, Hungary on October 21-25, a source from the “Simurg” Azerbaijan Cultural Association (ACA) said. The conference was attended by Azerbaijan...... полностью

The “National bomb” film by renowned Azerbaijani director Vagif Mustafayev, has been awarded Grand Prix of the 5th festival of comic films held in Velikiy Novgorod, Russia on November 3-9. The film covers problems of the transition period that occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union and features the developments that happened to many people living in the Soviet times in a comic manner.... читать