On March 25, 2023, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra (UTSO) presented a concert celebrating the music of Azerbaijan. For the first time in UTSO’s history, the recital program was entirely dedicated to Azerbaijani culture, featuring Mugham—a traditional musical form characterized by a significant degree of improvisation, alongside national instruments such as the kamancha and nagara, as well as dance.
The concert included a well-known concerto for orchestra and kamancha by Haji Khanmammadov, along with Farkhad Khudyev’s monumental symphonic work, “The Sounds of Eternity,” which had its world premiere on the stage of the Bates Recital Hall at the Butler School of Music.
This unprecedented and historically significant event was completely sold out, with the 700-seat Bates Recital Hall filled to capacity. Among the attendees were philanthropists and arts patrons Ernest and Sarah Butler, Dr. Ramón Rivera-Servera, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, Jeffrey Hellmer, Interim Director of the Butler School of Music, and other school officials.
The success of this event was closely tied to the efforts of UTSO conductor Dr. Farkhad Khudyev. An internationally acclaimed Azerbaijani American conductor and composer, Khudyev is a strong advocate for Azerbaijani culture and classical music on the American stage. His vision and determination brought together leading musicians from Azerbaijan, including the renowned mugham singer Alim Gasimov, the master of the nagara drum Natig Shirinov, the Azerbaijani American virtuoso kamancha player Imamyar Hasanov, and the accomplished choreographer and dancer Laman Hendricks.
Khudyev’s large-scale symphonic orchestral work is dedicated to world peace and revolves around themes of love, loss, grief, and hope. “The Sounds of Eternity” was initially inspired by a simple four-line advice song about the happiness and love the composer received from his father early in life. This concept was later enriched by the last movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and its critical baritone recitative, “O Freunde, nicht diese Tone!” (Ah, friends, not these tones). Following the striking sound of the full orchestra in “The Sounds of Eternity,” Khudyev introduced a chilling mugham recitative sung by Alim Gasimov, who exclaimed, “I remember and will never forget when I held the hands of my beloved.” This moment marked a profound development in the piece and the history of Azerbaijani music, as the use of mugham recitative in this context was a groundbreaking idea. Subsequently, Gasimov continued the improvisatory mugham singing in a complex duet with the kamancha, accompanied by the sustained effects of orchestral drones, incorporating the poetry of Baba Vezir Oglu.
The work featured various interludes that allowed soloists to showcase their remarkable performances. Audiences were captivated by the enchanting sonorities and lyrical beauty of the kamancha played by Imamyar Hasanov, the virtuoso technique and dynamic range displayed on the nagara by Natig Shirinov, the nuanced shades of Alim Gasimov’s singing, and the graceful dance movements of Laman Hendricks. Ultimately, through the use of harp, bells, and strings, the composer immersed listeners in the atmospheric “sound of eternity,” leaving them with a sense of peace.
Haji Khanmammadov’s three-movement concerto for symphonic orchestra and kamancha is the first-ever concerto written for this medium. Under the direction of Khudyev and the UTSO, soloist Imamyar Hasanov demonstrated virtuosity, technical skill, and profound expressiveness, particularly in the sublime second movement.
The UTSO comprises a diverse student body representing various cultures from around the world. Despite the challenges of perceiving and understanding the concepts and principles of Azerbaijani music, the students worked diligently and, as the conductor noted, successfully brought “two worlds together,” connecting classical symphony with traditional Azerbaijani music.
Maestro Khudyev expressed his gratitude to Ernest and Sarah Butler, the leadership of the School of Music, Jeffrey Hellmer, Interim Director, as well as the Azerbaijan-American Music Foundation and its founder and Executive Director Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg for their support in helping musicians obtain P3 visas for culturally unique programs. Members of the Azerbaijani American community also attended the concert, expressing their appreciation and thanks to UTSO, Maestro Farkhad Khudyev, and the Butler School of Music for organizing this celebrated event.
The Sounds of Eternity | Dedicated to World’s Peace | Farkhad Khudyev (complete version/subtitles)
