Raanana Symphonette performs in Azerbaijan

Israeli orchestra opens first international music festival in Muslim country. 'It's a great privilege to connect between people and nations,' says Director Orit Fogel

Reuters | Published: 08.17.09, 07:55

AZERBAIJAN – A six-hour drive, mostly on an unpaved and jumpy road of coarse sand, separates between the Azeri capital of Baku and the mountainous city of Gabala. There, in the open air, the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra opened the first international music festival in the region on Thursday evening.

Raanana Symphonette in Azerbaijan. A special evening (Photo: Merav Yudilovitch)

The festival's opening ceremony, sponsored by the Azeri government, received extensive media coverage by local TV stations, which broadcast the concert live.

"Azerbaijan wants to show the world that we have something to offer," a local media representative told Ynet. "Culture and music is an excellent communication instrument."

Several weeks after President Shimon Peres' first visit to Azerbaijan, it spears that the historic visit of an Israeli orchestra in a Muslim country bordering on Iran has a considerable political significance as well.

The importance of the performance was manifested in the impressive presence of government officials and senior parliament members who attended the festive event in Gabala.

The list of attendees includes Azerbaijan's Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev, who said that "this is the first visit of its kind to our country by an Israeli orchestra, and I hope it will be followed by additional joint cultural events."

Azerbaijan's Minister of Emergency Situations Kamaladdin Heydarov, one of the festival's initiators and passionate supporters, greeted the Israeli orchestra musicians and thanked them for their visit. "This is a special evening for us. I thank you for coming here. Welcome," he said.

Following a month of intensive rehearsals with Azeri conductor Azad Aliyev, who visited Israel especially for the practice session, the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra performed for the first time a series of pieces written by Azeri composers and received a moving round of applause from the audience.

"The feeling is that we are being welcomed with open arms, an open heart and a lot of curiosity," said the orchestra's director, Orit Fogel. "This is a one-time experience, very initial, mainly because we know so little about this place and are discovering it.

"This is the first time we play Azeri pieces, and it's fascinating. Music is a bridge and it's a great privilege to be able to connect between people and nations. Music is a wonderful display of people, and through it one can fell and learn quite a lot about the spirit of the people it was created in.

"The Raanana Symphonette Orchestra, throughout the years, has been interested in unusual composers and creations. We believe it is part of our role to introduce different types of music to the audience, and therefore in the coming season we will perform Azeri pieces during our concerts. It's wonderful music, so different from what we know," she added.