CONCERT • Nisbet Sedrayeva Quartet (Azerbaidjan)

With the ensemble gathered around the young singer Nisbet Sedrayeva, we present the new generation of mugham. Sedrayeva, who has been repeatedly praised from a young age for her powerful voice, is accompanied by outstanding musicians playing the traditional long-necked lute tar, the four-stringed kamancha (a violin with a pointed head), the frame drum daf, and the cylindrical drum nagara.

Azerbaijani mugham is a traditional musical form characterized above all by the great importance of improvisation. It is a highly complex form of music, with specific systems and concepts of musical expression that demand a very high level of professionalism from the performers. Although mugham is a classical and academic musical form, it is nevertheless rooted in popular folk melodies, rhythms, and performance techniques.

There are strong links between Azerbaijani mugham, the Iranian-Arab-Turkish maqam, and the Central Asian shashmaqam. Needless to say, mugham is extremely popular in Azerbaijan. Since 2003, mugham has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Musicians:

Nisbet Sedrayeva – vocals, daf
Rustam Muslumov – tar
Elnur Salahov – kamancha
Siyavush Karimov – nagara