Italian Radio Honors Great Azerbaijani Composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli on 140th Anniversary

Italy’s Radio Classica channel aired a special music program and podcast commemorating the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

Celebrated as the founder of modern professional music in Azerbaijan, Hajibeyli was also a composer, conductor, musicologist, publicist, playwright, teacher, and influential public figure.

The project was implemented with the joint support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan.

The program highlighted Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s role in the formation of Azerbaijani classical music and his unique contributions as the creator of national opera and operetta. Listeners were presented with the composer’s immortal works, including the overture from the opera “Koroglu”, selections from the operetta “Arshin Mal Alan”, as well as symphonic and chamber music.

Music experts and Radio Classica hosts described Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s heritage as an indispensable part not only of Azerbaijani culture, but also of the world’s musical treasury.

The program also emphasized the composer’s innovative approach in synthesizing Eastern and Western musical traditions, along with his unparalleled contributions to the promotion of Azerbaijani culture internationally.